Puppet MastersS


Propaganda

MSM drops another empty "bombshell" Russiagate story

Trump Flynn
Yup, it's another one of those days. News comes out that seems Russiagate-related, multiple terms trend on Twitter about it, the people who've risen to fame and fortune selling this baseless conspiracy theory to the world have a massive online parade acting as though this proves everything they've been saying, my social media notifications get flooded with a bunch of "HAHAHA I BET YOU FEEL STUPID NOW" comments... and then the facts come out and it's nothing.

But if you try to point out evidence that suggests that nothing about this new "bombshell" report is what Russiagaters are claiming it is, they try to shout you down and make fun of you so you'll shut up. If you want to skip this last step you have to wait 24 to 48 hours until their feeding frenzy wears off.

Happens every single time, without exception.

Question

The Kremlin's "America-Gate"? Will Russia's Parliament block U.S. media from the Duma

An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth." Déjà Vu.The concept goes back to Mesopotamia and Hammurabi's Code, a collection of 282 laws inscribed on a stone pillar .

Hammurabi’s Code
Hammurabi ruled the Babylonian Empire from 1791-1750 B.C. The "eye for an eye" concept was used as legal justification and as an instrument of imperial conquest. Under the Roman Empire it was called Lex Talionis. "A Retaliation authorized by Law." And that is precisely what both the U.S. and now Russia are doing.

It is a dangerous game. What will be the outcome? The collapse of US-Russia relations potentially spells disaster.

Briefcase

Trump lawyer: Nothing in Michael Flynn's guilty plea implicates Trump in any wrong doing

Michael Flynn Ty Cobb
© AP Photo/Susan Walsh"The false statements involved mirror the false statements to White House officials which resulted in his resignation in February of this year," President Trump's lawyer, Ty Cobb, said.
President Trump's lawyer, Ty Cobb, said Friday that the guilty plea entered by former national security adviser Michael Flynn does not implicate Trump or any other administration official in wrongdoing.

"Today, Michael Flynn, a former National Security Advisor at the White House for 25 days during the Trump administration, and a former Obama administration official, entered a guilty plea to a single count of making a false statement to the FBI," Cobb said in a statement circulated to reporters.

"The false statements involved mirror the false statements to White House officials which resulted in his resignation in February of this year," Cobb said. "Nothing about the guilty plea or the charge implicates anyone other than Mr. Flynn."

Flynn pleaded guilty on Friday to one count of lying to FBI agents about conversations he had with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. in December 2016.

Comment: Of course it doesn't implicate Trump or the administration. The FBI had cleared Flynn of any "collusion" last year. He was basically doing his job, and for that he got lynched. But they aren't done with him yet. See:

The real reason why Mueller is indicting Flynn (it isn't the Russians)
Flynn legal team goes mum on Mueller investigation, cuts WH out of loop
Another leak: Mueller reportedly has enough evidence to bring charges against Flynn


Megaphone

Pelosi wants Nevada Democrat to resign over sexual misconduct claim

Ruben Kihuen
© Associated PressU.S. Rep. Ruben Kihuen, D-Nev., speaks, with former U.S. Sen. Harry Reid in the background.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has called on a Nevada Democratic congressman to resign following allegations of sexual harassment.

BuzzFeed News reported Friday that the female finance director for U.S. Rep. Ruben Kihuen's 2016 election campaign left her job after he allegedly made repeated sexual advances toward her.

"Across the nation, in every industry, brave women are coming forward to share stories of harassment that must be heard," Pelosi wrote.

"In Congress, no one should face sexual harassment in order to work in an office or in a campaign. The young woman's documented account is convincing, and I commend her for the courage it took to come forward.

"In light of these upsetting allegations, Congressman Kihuen should resign."

Kihuen was believed to be a rising star in the party and flipped a district in Nevada last cycle from Republican to Democrat. He is also a DREAMer.

Comment: Why the sudden change of heart Pelosi? You believed in due process for Conyers at one point. Not that you actually care.


Stormtrooper

Flashback SOTT Focus: San Bernardino mass shooting: 3 white gunmen, 2 unlikely culprits, and 1 saving grace


Comment: We're re-running this article because today - Saturday, December 2nd, 2017 - marks the two-year anniversary of the San Bernardino mass shooting. Notice how many elements this bloody event had in common with US mass shootings that have occurred since then...


Bernardino shooting
'Hands up, don't shoot' - Employees at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California, are marched out of buildings following the massacre that took place there on Wednesday December 2nd, 2015
Another day, another massacre of innocents in the US of A. 14 people were shot to death during a mass shooting on December 2nd at the Inland Regional Center in the city of San Bernardino, California, about 100km east of Los Angeles. Another 21 people were wounded in what was the worst mass shooting since the Sandy Hook massacre in December 2012.

Another turkey shoot

At 11am local time last Wednesday, masked gunmen - initially reported as a team of three - "dressed head-to-toe in black tactical gear and vests stuffed with ammunition magazines", entered one of the three main buildings on the site and made their way to the conference room, where staff for the county's Department of Public Health were enjoying a Christmas office party. From the moment they opened fire, the shooting reportedly lasted 5-8 minutes, during which the gunmen "never said a word" and fired about 75 rounds into the group of unarmed civilians, with eyewitnesses saying they paused only to reload their weapons.

The sight of heavily-armed police officers swarming the Regional Center was apparently so familiar to employees there that they initially thought they were witnessing "another active shooter drill". Indeed, according to the LA Times, active shooter drills take place there every "every month or so". Watch as employees remark upon how realistic this latest 'drill' appears, completely oblivious to the fact that some of their colleagues nearby have been shot to death:


Comment: See also this update published 28 Dec 2015:

Mystery second car chase following the San Bernardino mass shooting


Arrow Down

Revenge porn takes down House Representative Joe Barton

Rep. Joe Barton
Rep. Joe Barton
Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) will not seek another term, he announced on Thursday. Barton had served in the House of Representatives since 1985.

Earlier this month, a nude photo of Barton was shared on the internet by a woman with whom he had previously had a consensual relationship with. Barton divorced his second wife in 2015.



Map

Brexit underscores the case for a united Ireland

BREXIT graphic
Call it poetic justice, or plain old natural justice. For centuries, Ireland has always been on the receiving end of Britain's collateral damage from its imperial intrigues. Now, however, Ireland could have the last laugh as Britain wades further into a quagmire of trouble over the Brexit debacle to leave the European Union.

Irish sentiments on both sides of the border within that small island country are clamoring for special status which would de facto create an island-of-Ireland unity. A country which would in effect be independent from British rule and moving closer towards the long-held aspiration of Irish nationalists and republicans for a united Ireland, distinct from the rest of Britain.

As Britain stumbles towards its eventual departure from the EU scheduled for March 2019, the historic break raises special problems for Ireland. Northern Ireland, which is under British jurisdiction, will be obliged to follow the Brexit path of quitting the EU, while the Republic of Ireland will of course remain an EU member. That potentially creates the unique scenario of an EU border being imposed on the island, separating the Northern and Southern territories.

USA

'Absolutely no collusion', Trump reiterates after Flynn plea-bargain

US President Donald Trump and Michael Flynn
© Jim Lo Scalzo / Carlos Barria / ReutersUS President Donald Trump and Michael Flynn
US President Donald Trump reiterated that his campaign was not engaged in any collusion with Russia after his disgraced former national security adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his phone calls to the Russian embassy during the transition of administrations.

The comment, made to reporters as he departed the White House, was his first reaction to Flynn's plea-bargain with the investigation of special counsel Robert Mueller. According to court documents, Flynn confessed to having two conversations with the Russian ambassador in Washington at the request of a senior figure in President-elect Trump's transition team. He later denied to the FBI having talked to the Russian official.

Comment: See also: Michael Flynn 'Guilty' Plea and the Entire 'Russia Collusion' Investigation is a Farce


Attention

Former SDF spokesman reveals US created Syrian rebel group as a 'cover' to supply the YPG

SDF soldiers
© AP Photo/ Syrian Democratic Forces
The revelations come amid repeated calls on Washington by senior Turkish officials, insisting on the cessation of weapons deliveries to the Syrian Kurds, which eventually resulted in the US promise to halt arms supplies to the force fighting against Daesh.

The former spokesperson of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Talal Silo, who previously fled to Turkey, told the Anadolu news agency on Saturday that the rebel group was allegedly created by the US as a cover to provide weapons to the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) that is thought to be affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) listed as a terrorist organization by Ankara.

"It is only a name. Nothing else. We take everything, including our salaries, from YPG. The U.S. authorities wanted to give arms to Kurds. The announcement of SDF's establishment was only a drama. The US gave the leadership to the Kurds and PKK," Silo told the agency.

Coffee

Putin & Oliver Stone catch up at the Kremlin

Putin and Stone spoke over a cup of tea

Stone and Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin received Hollywood filmmaker Oliver Stone in the Kremlin on Friday, according to the president's official website.

According to the website, it was a brief meeting. Judging by photos posted, Putin and Stone spoke over a cup of tea.

Earlier this year, the US filmmaker released a documentary about Putin on the basis of numerous interviews with the Russian leader.

Comment: