Puppet MastersS


Star of David

A panicked Israel is an even more dangerous Israel

Alastair Crooke
Strategic Culture Foundation
Mon, 21 Oct 2019 00:00 UTC
Trump and Netanyahu
Former US Presidential Candidate, Pat Buchanan has written, "the Middle East and world, have been awakened to the reality that, when Trump said he was ending everlasting commitments and bringing U.S. troops home from "endless wars," he was not bluffing. The Saudis got the message when the U.S., in response to a missile and drone strike from Iran or Iranian-backed militias, which shut down half of Riyadh's oil production, did nothing ... thus, the Saudis have begun negotiating with the Houthi rebels, with whom they have been at war in Yemen since 2015. And they are seeking talks with Iran." In other words, the paradigm has begun to shift.

The Trump decisions indeed, did send shock waves to the world. And in their wake, Twitter in the US has been 'white hot' with indignation and outrage.

That is one side of the Syria US forces withdrawal 'coin' - the outrage. The other, is that realistically, the US had been trying to achieve too many irreconcilable aims: ousting President Assad; enforcing 'domain denial' to both Russia and Iran; plus attempting to install an unpopular minority population (the Kurds are a minority - even in NE Syria) in a blatant nation-building 'state-let' project to rival Damascus. With such diverse aims, and with Russia and Iran opposing these aims, the US was achieving none.

In the same vein of an overdue dose of realism, (and as Edward Gibbons highlighted in his celebrated Decline and Fall in respect to Imperial Rome), once certain qualities are lost, decline and fall is fore-ordained. Saudi Arabia has long lost those original attributes that brought Ibn Saud power, and without which, decline follows inevitably (which Gibbons persuasively argued, is exactly what happened earlier, to Rome).

Comment: See also:

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Bullseye

Tulsi Gabbard hits back: 'They will destroy you' if you stand up to Clinton

Mike Brest
Washington Examiner
Sun, 20 Oct 2019 16:11 UTC
Clinton Gabbard
2020 presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard claimed the Democrat establishment will end a politician's career if they stand up to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Gabbard's video, posted Sunday afternoon on Twitter, is the latest in a string of attacks between the Hawaii congresswoman and the former presidential candidate. The controversy began when Clinton accused Gabbard of being a Russian asset.


Comment: Tulsi Gabbard could not be more correct in calling out Hillary Clinton - and what she represents. Though Gabbard would seem to have little chance of winning the presidency given how deeply corrupt the DNC is, she will provide a shining example of "speaking truth to power" in American politics in a way that may prove even more effective than Trump's intention to "drain the swamp". In the meantime though, we are likely to see an intensified war of words that will, hopefully, be the cause of many questions and reflection on the part of many Americans. And God knows Americans need it.

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Cow Skull

Caitlin Johnstone: "Russian asset" is a meaningless noise that war pigs like Hillary Clinton make with their face holes

Caitlin Johnstone
caitlinjohnstone.com
Sat, 19 Oct 2019 00:00 UTC
killary
Both Tulsi Gabbard and the Green Party of the United States have issued scorching rebukes of Hillary Clinton for baseless accusations the former Secretary of State made during a recent interview claiming that both Gabbard and former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein are aligned with the Russian government.
"I'm not making any predictions, but I think they've got their eye on somebody who is currently in the Democratic primary and are grooming her to be the third-party candidate," Clinton said in a transparent reference to Gabbard. "She's the favorite of the Russians. They have a bunch of sites and bots and other ways of supporting her so far. And that's assuming Jill Stein will give it up, which she might not because she's also a Russian asset."
Clinton provided no evidence for her outlandish claims, because she does not have any. Gabbard has repeatedly denied centrist conspiracy theories that she intends to run as a third-party candidate, a claim which establishment pundits have been making more and more often because they know there will never be any consequences when their claims are disproven. There is no evidence of any kind connecting either Jill Stein or Tulsi Gabbard to the Russian government.

Of course, this total lack of evidence hasn't dissuaded Clintonites from falling all over themselves trying to justify Mommy's claims anyway.

Comment: For some possible repercussions of Clinton's recent statements, see:



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Bomb

World economy is sleepwalking into a new financial crisis - Former BoE boss Mervyn King

Larry Elliott
The Guardian
Sun, 20 Oct 2019 12:42 UTC
Mervyn
© Murdo Macleod/The GuardianLord Mervyn King.
The world is sleepwalking towards a fresh economic and financial crisis that will have devastating consequences for the democratic market system, according to the former Bank of England governor Mervyn King.

Lord King, who was in charge at Threadneedle Street during the near-death of the global banking system and deep economic slump a decade ago, said the resistance to new thinking meant a repeat of the chaos of the 2008-09 period was looming.

Giving a lecture in Washington at the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund, King said there had been no fundamental questioning of the ideas that led to the crisis of a decade ago.

"Another economic and financial crisis would be devastating to the legitimacy of a democratic market system," he said. "By sticking to the new orthodoxy of monetary policy and pretending that we have made the banking system safe, we are sleepwalking towards that crisis."

Comment: Nothing changed following the financial collapse of 2008, instead the casino banking system in collusion with Western governments stole capital from the public purse giving governments excuse to impose a decade of 'austerity' measures that slowly plunged Western economies into a never-ending recession. This, along with the predatory practices of institutions like the IMF see Argentina), the US abusing its position with the dollar as reserve currency, and more, have so distorted the systems of commerce and democracy that it was inevitable it would, yet again, collapse under the weight of its own corruption:

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Light Sabers

Surgical strikes 3.0? Pakistan, India exchange of fire kills at least seven at border


RFE/RL
Sun, 20 Oct 2019 00:00 UTC
Indian army soldiers
© Rakesh Bakshi (AFP)An Indian Army soldier stands guard during a curfew in Jammu.
At least four civilians and three soldiers are said to have died during cross-border skirmishes between Pakistani and Indian troops late on October 19, reportedly making it one of the deadliest days since New Delhi revoked the special status of Indian-administered Kashmir in August.

The conflicting reports from each side suggested the death toll could still rise from the late-night incident.

Pakistani Army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor, in a tweet on October 20, blamed "unprovoked" shelling from the Indian side of the de facto Line of Control that he claimed was "deliberately targeting civilians."

Three civilians and one soldier in Pakistan-administered Kashmir died as a result, he said, and two Pakistani soldiers and five civilians were injured.

Comment: According to India, these types of cross fire tends to be used as a distraction for intrusion of the militants or to keep the Kashmir issue in media headlines.


Meanwhile, the Indian govt. lifted a lot of restrictions in Kashmir and attacks on apple farmers increased. Apple farming is the core of Kashmir's economy and employs 3.5 million of its people.
Apple is not only major horticulture produce of Kashmir but is also the backbone of the rural economy across the Valley, Jammu and Kashmir. It is the highest employment generator in Kashmir. Kashmir produces about 20 lakh metric tons of apples annually and contributes 10 per cent to the state's economy.

In the last few years, the horticulture area under apple crop has increased from 81,116 hectares in 2001 to 146,016 hectares in 2018 in Kashmir and production has also inclined from 894,019 metric tons to 18,60,663 metric tons.

Kashmir not only has the best weather conditions to produce apples, but apples from Kashmir are also preferred in the local and international market for its taste, colour and quality. The farmers believe apples are the best cash crop.
...
But 2019 has not been so fruitful for apple farmers in Kashmir after the abrogation of provisions under Article 370. In last one week, three attacks have taken place on apple traders.

The attacks on a truck driver and two apple traders from Punjab in south Kashmir's Shopian district has left apple farmers and traders in panic and fear. Due to the emerging situation, no outside apple traders are returning to area which is resulting in less purchase price for apples to the farmers.

Speaking to Mail Today, Muzafar Ahmad said, "Last year, I sold my apples at Rs 700 per basket (22 kg). This year, the local traders are not even ready to pay Rs 400 per basket."

When Mail Today asked one of the local apple traders, Mohammed Amin for the decline in apple prices, he said, "We are facing a lot of problems in transportation of apples to the fruit markets or outside the state. Truck drivers or other transporters charge 50 per cent more as they transport the produce on risk."

"They feel that they can be targeted by the militants after the recent attack on a driver in Shopian. The government announced that they will buy apples but they are at different offices. How we can put our lives at risk and go to them with apples? If the government wants to but our crop, why do not they directly come to our orchards and purchase the crop," Mohammed Amin said.


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Mr. Potato

588 security violations found in Clinton email probe, and only 38 people cited - but no one's covering for Hillary

Joshua Caplan
Breitbart News
Fri, 18 Oct 2019 20:31 UTC
Huma Abedin and Hillary Clinton
© J. Scott Applewhite/AP PhotoHillary Clinton and Huma Abedin
The investigation covered 33,000 emails. The department said it found , but it could not assign fault in 497 cases.

The U.S. State Department concluded its investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's private email usage and determined nearly 40 people committed violations, the Associated Press reported Friday.

The department determined that those 38 people were "culpable" in 91 cases of sending classified information in messages that ended up in Clinton's personal email. The 38 are current and former State Department officials but were not identified in the report that was sent to Congress this week.

The investigation covered 33,000 emails that Clinton turned over for review after her use of the private email account became public. The department said it found a total of 588 violations involving information then or now deemed to be classified, but could not assign fault in 497 cases.

Comment: The Daily Caller adds:
Clinton exchanged more than 60,000 emails on a private email account hosted on a server that she kept at her residence in New York. She emailed frequently with longtime aides Huma Abedin, Cheryl Mills, Jake Sullivan, and an outside adviser, Sidney Blumenthal.

The FBI investigated whether Clinton mishandled classified information by using the server. Former FBI Director James Comey announced July 5, 2016, that he would not be recommending charges against Clinton over the server, though he did say she was "extremely careless" in using an off-the-books email system.

State Department investigators reviewed all of Clinton's emails, obtained hundreds of statements, and conducted dozens of in-person interviews with current and former State Department officials, according to the report.

Investigators determined personal email use to conduct official State Department business "represented an increased risk of unauthorized disclosure." Clinton's use of the private server "added an increased degree of risk of compromise as a private system lacks the network monitoring and intrusion detection capabilities of State Department networks," the report stated.

Investigators said there was "no persuasive evidence" of "systemic, deliberate mishandling of classified information."

One reason that investigators were unable to assign culpability in the 497 incidents was because of the duration of the investigation. Many of the subjects of the probe, including Clinton and her circle of aides, has left the State Department by the time the investigation began.

State Department report on ... by Chuck Ross on Scribd



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Stop

Energy Sec. Rick Perry announces plans to resign; House Dems subpoena him regarding Ukraine

Gregg Re
Fox News
Fri, 18 Oct 2019 00:00 UTC
Rick Perry
© AP/Andrew HarnikEnergy Secretary Rick Perry gesturing as he arrived on Air Force One with President Trump at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth, Texas, on Thursday.
Energy Secretary Rick Perry notified President Trump on Thursday that he intends to leave his job soon, two administration sources familiar with the matter said.

Perry was traveling with the president to Texas when he shared the news aboard Air Force One. Speaking to reporters later Thursday, Trump called Perry "outstanding" and announced, "We already have his replacement." But, Trump said Perry would stay on until the end of the year.

"It's his time. Two years is a long time," Trump said. "We have the man ... we're going to be putting in Rick's place."

Fox News is told Perry had planned to resign at the end of the year. However, the former Texas governor had come under scrutiny over the role he played in the president's dealings with Ukraine, which are currently the subject of an impeachment inquiry -- raising questions as to whether the probe factored into his announcement Thursday. House Democrats subpoenaed Perry earlier in the day as part of their investigation.

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Cell Phone

Information from Mifsud Blackberrys may answer key Russiagate questions

Jeff Carlson
The Epoch Times
Fri, 18 Oct 2019 19:37 UTC
Joseph Mifsud
© Juan Manuel Herrera/OAS via APMaltese academic Joseph Mifsud during a meeting in Washington, on Nov. 12, 2014.
John Durham, the U.S. Attorney for Connecticut tasked with investigating the origins of the FBI's probe into the Trump campaign, has obtained two cell phones belonging to Maltese professor Joseph Mifsud.

Mifsud, who disappeared from public view shortly after his name was outed in the media in 2017, played a key role in events that led the FBI to investigate the Trump campaign. The news of the cell phones was first made known in an Oct. 15, 2019, filing by Sidney Powell, the attorney for Trump's former national security adviser, Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. In the motion, she requested that the U.S. Government be ordered to "produce evidence that has only recently come into its possession."

The evidence being requested were two Blackberry phones — including all data and metadata — that had been "used by Mr. Joseph Mifsud."

Comment:

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Whistle

Schiff flip-flops on whistleblower testimony as reports of 'coordination' surface

Mollie Hemingway
The Federalist
Fri, 18 Oct 2019 00:00 UTC
Schiff
© Boston HeraldHouse Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff
House Democrats' top impeachment inquisitor abruptly changed from repeatedly insisting on the testimony of a whistleblower against President Donald Trump to working to prevent it.

The change occurred as soon as it was revealed the complainant had secretly worked with Rep. Adam Schiff's Democratic staff prior to filing his formal complaint on Aug. 12.

At first, Schiff insisted an anti-Trump bureaucrat sharing allegations against the president must share his story with the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. But after news broke that Schiff's staff had secretly worked with the whistleblower prior to the complaint being lodged, discussions that the whistleblower failed to mention when specifically asked about them as part of the official whistleblower process, Schiff moved to prevent the testimony. The move appears designed to prevent Republican lawmakers from asking the individual under oath about his discussions with House Democrats, media, and others involved in the impeachment effort.


Comment: See also:

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Pirates

Not going home: US troops leaving Syria to head for Iraq


Sputnik
Sun, 20 Oct 2019 09:28 UTC

Comment: Question is: are they taking what remains of ISIS with them?


Us troops
© AFP 2019 / AHMAD AL-RUBAYE
The US secretary of defence has shared with journalists that the US troops, who, as Donald Trump argued the other day, should finally come home, are not actually doing so.

According to Defence Secretary Mark Esper, the current plan presupposes that US troops leaving Syria will head for western Iraq and the military will persist in its anti-Daesh* operations to make sure there is no resurgence of terrorism in the area.

Speaking to reporters while on a flight to the Middle East, the defence chief mentioned he had talked to his Iraqi counterpart about the plan to redirect over 700 of the 1,000 US troops, from Syria to Iraq, adding that the data was fluid and the details would be worked out in due time.

Per Esper, the troops leaving for Iraq will largely have two missions:

Comment: Sputnik also reports:
According to the SANA news agency, the group of transport trucks, accompanied by military vehicles, is heading for the Syrian city of Qamishli to complete the evacuation of US bases from Syria.

The news comes after on Thursday, Washington and Ankara agreed to suspend Turkish military operation in northeastern Syria for 120 hours and withdraw Kurdish forces from the 30-kilometre (18 miles) buffer zone on the Turkish-Syrian border. Despite the ceasefire, there were reports of continued fighting.

Commenting on the situation in the region, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said that the United States would pull out an approximate 1,000 troops from the northern part of Syria after the start of the Turkish offensive.
us turkey
© REUTERS / TURKISH DEFENCE MINISTRYTurkish and U.S. military vehicles are seen on the Syrian-Turkish border during a joint U.S.- Turkey patrol near Tel Abyad, Syria, September 8, 2019
Ankara launched the Operation Peace Spring on 9 October, saying that the military action aimed to create a safe zone near the Syrian-Turkish border after multiple fruitless discussions between Turkey and the US.

The territory on the Syrian side of the border is currently controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which used to be a US ally but regarded by Ankara as affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is blacklisted in Turkey.
Meanwhile the US has been funneling its terrorists in Syria through corridors towards Iraq. In Iraq, just a week ago, the government was placating a citizen uprising against unacceptable living standards - even the Iraqi PM himself called their motives "righteous" - but it's notable that a number commentators had, months before, predicted these protests would occur and assigned blame on dark forces fomenting discord in the region. It's no surprise, then, that unidentified snipers were observed at these protests, fanning the flames of an already troublesome situation.

See also:

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