Puppet MastersS


Eiffel Tower

France and Germany's 'friendship pact' provokes populist anger

Jon Henley
The Guardian
Tue, 22 Jan 2019 09:34 UTC
MacronMerkel
© AP/Martin MeissnerFrance's President Macron and Germany's Chancellor Merkel after signing the Germany-France friendship treaty update
France and Germany have renewed their vows of postwar friendship, aiming to show that the traditional engine powering the EU project is still strong, but drawing strong criticism from nationalist and populist parties advancing across the continent.

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, and German chancellor, Angela Merkel, signed the 16-page update to the 1963 Elysée treaty on Tuesday in the German border city of Aachen, the residence of Charlemagne, the "father of Europe" who managed to unite much of the western part of the continent in the ninth century.

With the EU under unprecedented pressure from Brexit, Donald Trump and nationalist governments in Italy, Poland and Hungary, Macron and Merkel sought to renew their nations' commitment to the bloc and limit the gains Eurosceptic parties are expected to make in European parliamentary elections in May.

"Populism and nationalism are strengthening in all of our countries," Merkel told French, German and EU officials at the ceremony. "Seventy-four years - a single human lifetime - after the end of the second world war, what seems self-evident is being called into question once more."

Macron said those "who forget the value of Franco-German reconciliation are making themselves accomplices of the crimes of the past. Those who ... spread lies are hurting the same people they are pretending to defend, by seeking to repeat history."

The text promises enhanced economic and security cooperation, including the aim of a "German-French economic area with common rules" and a "common military culture" that Merkel said could "contribute to the creation of a European army".

Comment: This 'pact' - a politically calculated and aggrandizing move by fading leaders M&M - is instead garnering repercussions of polarization and divide.

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Attention

Canada: Online outrage used to make dangerous changes to criminal code

Diana Davison
The Post Millennial
Mon, 21 Jan 2019 00:00 UTC
Scale
© Unknown
Almost a year ago, Prime Minister Trudeau and his Minister of Justice took to Twitter to undermine the Canadian public's faith in our own legal system.

Justin Trudeau and Jody Wilson-Raybould exploited an unpopular acquittal in a murder trial to whip up the outrage required to change the criminal code. And now those changes are being implemented.



While the public can be emotionally and politically rallied to support changes to the criminal code when they are convinced a specific verdict was wrong, it is the job of lawyers and journalists to help the public understand what those changes will mean.

Comment: The art of maneuvering the clueless public to demand the changes the government seeks. See also:

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Chess

House votes to bar Trump from exiting NATO

Joel Gehrke
Washington Examiner
Tue, 22 Jan 2019 17:29 UTC
House Democrats
© Graeme JenningsHouse Democrats speak at a press conference on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, January 22, 2019, to introduce legislation supporting NATO
The House voted overwhelmingly Tuesday night to block President Trump from spending any federal money to withdraw from NATO and to set a formal policy that the U.S. will "remain a member in good standing."

"This branch of government fully supports the alliance, the collective defense of our allies, and peace across the North Atlantic region," House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., said during a floor debate.

The bill passed easily in a 357-22 vote - all the "no" votes came from Republicans.

Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., introduced the NATO Support Act last week, just days after a New York Times report said President Trump has "privately said he wanted to withdraw from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization."
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Rocket

Possible reason for Israel's desperate attack on Syria Sunday: Visit by IRGC Maj Gen Soleimani


Sputnik
Wed, 23 Jan 2019 17:23 UTC
soleimani
© AP Photo / Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader
Iran has threatened to escalate the situation in the Middle East if Israel keeps attacking Syria, Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida reported.

Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force Major General Qassem Soleimani's visit to southern Syria could have triggered the Israeli attacks on Damascus International Airport on Sunday, according to a report by Kuwaiti paper Al-Jarida.

"Soleimani's visit to a location less than 40 km from the ceasefire in the Golan Heights violated a previous American-Russian-Israeli agreement" regarding the alleged Iranian presence in the country, the report said.

According to the paper, Soleimani paid a secret two-hour visit just two days before Israel's Iron Dome system intercepted a rocket fired at the Golan Heights.

The Iranian elite unit commander reportedly said that the only way to stop the Israeli attacks was to hit back with three missiles for every one that Israel fires and to attempt to intercept any Israeli fighter jets.

Al-Jarida claims that Soleimani stressed the need to respond to the air raid, as it would lead to the failure of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the forthcoming elections.

Comment: Israel usually attacks Syria at night. The fact that they launched a daytime attack suggested that they were after a high-value target. Soleimani fits the bill. But the initial attack was completely repelled by upgraded Syrian air defense systems. After failing in their first volley of missiles, the Israelis launched a massive attack that night in 'retaliation'. For the Israelis even their missiles have a right to self-defense. If you 'attack' their missiles, the IDF 'retaliates' with more missiles.

Here are Israeli-provided satellite images of the damage they claim to have inflicted at the Damascus airport on the 20th:







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Eye 1

It's clear the FBI, the Deep State's enforcer, must go now

Thomas Knapp
Counterpunch
Tue, 22 Jan 2019 17:25 UTC
FBI logo
© Yuri Gripas/Reuters
The New York Times reports that "[i]n the days after President Trump fired James B. Comey as F.B.I. director, law enforcement officials became so concerned by the president's behavior that they began investigating whether he had been working on behalf of Russia against American interests."

That's an interesting way of putting it, but let's try another:

Enraged at the firing of their director, and suspecting the firing might portend a threat to their place and power in the American political establishment, FBI officials went to war with the president of the United States. They redirected taxpayer money and government resources away from anything resembling a legitimate law enforcement mission, putting themselves instead to the task of drumming up a specious case that said president is an agent of a foreign power.

This is exactly the kind of bovine scat subsumed by the recently popularized term "Deep State" - an entrenched bureaucracy, jealous of its prerogatives and bent on the destruction of anyone and anything it perceives as dangerous to those prerogatives.

Comment:

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Black Cat

The strange tale of Buzzfeed, Integrity Initiative and why does anyone read Buzzfeed anyway?


LaRouche PAC
Mon, 21 Jan 2019 16:54 UTC
buzzfeed fake news cohen
On Friday night, Buzzfeed published a "bombshell" story to the effect that Donald Trump had ordered his former lawyer Michael Cohen to lie to Congress about the Trump Tower project in Moscow. The story was sourced to two anonymous FBI agents who claimed to be completely familiar with what Special Counsel Robert Mueller had on this. Saturday, the Democratic Party and its media appendages in the United States collectively went crazy, hyperventilating (while attempting outright seriousness and pomposity): "Now we are definitely in impeachment territory." They proclaimed the President's impeachment was imminent due to the Buzzfeed bombshell well over 200 times on U.S. outlets. The only problem was that the Buzzfeed bombshell was so fake that it even drew an unprecedented rebuttal from Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Mueller stated publicly on Saturday night that Buzzfeed's claims were not accurate.

Comment:

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Bad Guys

Faced with lack of public trust, US National Intelligence Strategy issues report that manufactures ambiguous threats from Russia, China, and N Korea


RFE/RL
Wed, 23 Jan 2019 17:00 UTC
Dir Natl Intel Dan Coats
© Pablo Martinez Monsivais/APDirector of National Intelligence Dan Coats
A major U.S. intelligence report released in Washington on January 22 says Russia's efforts to expand its influence and the modernization of China's military are among the "ever more diverse" threats facing the United States.

The National Intelligence Strategy report, issued every four years, also warns about potential threats such as North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons, the growing cyber capabilities of U.S. adversaries, and global political instability.

As the guiding strategy for 17 U.S. intelligence agencies, the report will drive the strategic direction of the U.S. intelligence community for the next four years.
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Vader

Geopolitics before sport: Russian athletes were punished for being Russian

Neil Clark
RT
Wed, 23 Jan 2019 16:45 UTC
Russia's athletes
© AFP / Florian ChobletRussia's athletes arrive during the closing ceremony of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at the Pyeongchang Stadium on February 25, 2018
Russian athletes, falsely accused of doping, won an important legal victory at the weekend. But unfortunately, the mud has stuck which is what Russia's geopolitical enemies always wanted.

As the old saying goes "a lie can be halfway around the world before the truth has got its boots on." Basically on the 'evidence' of one man, who lives in America, and the lobbying of certain NATO countries, Russian athletes were collectively held to be guilty of doping offences and deprived of their opportunity to compete at the very highest level.

A great injustice was done to the sportsmen and women involved, but now, finally, the record is being put straight.

On Saturday, the Swiss Supreme Court turned down the International Olympic Committee's appeal against the Court of Arbitration for Sport's ruling to acquit 28 members of Team Russia of doping allegations during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

Comment: Previously:

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Propaganda

'Western media has become cheerleaders for aggression and war' - analyst on Estonian 'bomb Russia' article


RT
Wed, 23 Jan 2019 16:45 UTC
Estonian troops
© REUTERS/Ints KalninsEstonian troops take part in NATO drills in May, 2018.
A recent Estonian op-ed calling for capability to shell St.Petersburg and sink Russian ships in case of conflict may be hypothetical, but the pressure on Tallinn to buy missiles from NATO is real, a British journalist told RT.

"Just several limited strikes" on St. Petersburg could be enough to change Russia's mind if it ever decides to attack Estonia, an opinion piece in Delfi, one of the top online news outlets in the Baltics, suggested. Its author, Estonian journalist Vahur Koorits, also urged the country to become capable of sinking or hijacking Russia ships in order to disrupt trade in the Baltic Sea.

Koorits's article is part of a wider trend that signals "a sad decline in journalism" in Europe and the US, according to UK journalist Neil Clark.
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Network

Switzerland prepares alternative payment channel to maintain trade ties with Iran


Iran Daily
Wed, 23 Jan 2019 16:45 UTC
Switzerland Iran flags
An Iranian official said Tuesday Switzerland has prepared all requirements for an independent payment channel aimed at keeping trade ties with Iran.

Sharif Nezam-Mafi, the head of Iran-Switzerland Chamber of Commerce, told IRNA that the financial mechanism is ready to be launched.

Nezam-Mafi said the clearing house will be used to facilitate Iran's oil transactions with its major Asian crude customers namely India, China and South Korea.

"Currently there is no money belonging to Iran in Europe. Most of Iran's money is in India, China and South Korea which import Iranian crude," he said.
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