Puppet MastersS


Bad Guys

Lebanese PM Hariri's resignation is the Saudis' opening shot against Hezbollah

hariri salman
Hariri, left, meets with his over-seer, Crown Prince MBS, stock photo from May 2017
Four days ago we asked: Is The "Moderate Al-Qaeda" Set To Target Hizbullah? The implied answer in that piece was "Yes, the war is coming to Lebanon."

Today the Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri resigned with a statement issued from Saudi Arabia on the Saudi Arabian TV station Al Arabia (video). This is the opening shot of the war.

The Saudi-Israeli-U.S. axis will lose this war while Iran and Russia will win from it.

Earlier this week the extremely sectarian Saudi Minister for Gulf Affairs Thamer al-Sabhan had threatened Hizbullah in Lebanon and announced surprises:
Firebrand Saudi State Minister for Gulf Affairs Thamer al-Sabhan on Monday called for "toppling Hizbullah" and promised "astonishing" developments in "the coming days."
...
Referring to his Sunday tweet about the Lebanese government, the minister said: "I addressed my tweet to the government because the Party of Satan (Hizbullah) is represented in it and it is a terrorist party. The issue is not about toppling the government but rather that Hizbullah should be toppled."

"The coming developments will definitely be astonishing," al-Sabhan added.

Comment: Marwa Osman at Fort Russ argues that this is the U.S. and Israel's "plan b" after losing the war in Syria. It comes on the heels of Trump's anti-Hezbollah rhetoric and the House's adding of Hezbollah's political wing to their terror list, not to mention new sanctions:
After that we heard a lot of tweets and statements coming from Saudi Gulf Affairs Minister Thamer al-Sabhan, who has been very vocal about Hezbollah for the last two weeks, this is the same al-Sabhan who was in Raqqa Syria just over two weeks ago with Brett McGurk, the U.S special envoy to the coalition in support of - or rather we are told opposed to - the Islamic State. (Editor's note - to clarify, al-Sabhan and McGurk were in Syria without the permission of Damascus)

They are there on the pretext of cleaning up Raqqa and rebuilding it, though in reality they are chiefly the parties which have financed its destruction.

Then within a week we see Hariri summoned to Saudi Arabia (Editor's note - this corroborates that the Lebanese PM is under Riyadh's authority), where he had several meetings and came back to Beirut for one day, where he then met with the top Iranian diplomat, after which he went straight back to Saudi Arabia and now this - his statement of resignation coming from Saudi land - indeed this sends a huge message.

This is a message about the politics he stands behind, but also about the new phase that Lebanon is entering into, and what is going to come next.

We have just read that Saudi Defense Minister, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, has summoned the heads of the anti-Yemen coalition, the coalition which is bombing Yemen, to find some sort of a plan to bomb Hezbollah. This is a big development.

The project that did not work in Syria and Iraq is now being redirected or reformed towards a direct confrontation between Saudi Arabia and Israel against Hezbollah, within Lebanon. But to be clear, the alliance which formed to defend Syria from the failed US-Saudi-Israeli plan, is very much capable of doing the same in Lebanon.



Bullseye

Flashback Racist culture-appropriator: US Senator Elizabeth Warren is not Native American

elizabeth warren
The Democratic Senate candidate can't back up family lore that she is part Indian -- but neither is there any evidence that she benefited professionally from these stories.

Elizabeth Warren is not a citizen of the Cherokee Nation.

Elizabeth Warren is not enrolled in the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

And Elizabeth Warren is not one of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee.

Nor could she become one, even if she wanted to.

Despite a nearly three week flap over her claim of "being Native American," the progressive consumer advocate has been unable to point to evidence of Native heritage except for a unsubstantiated thirdhand report that she might be 1/32 Cherokee. Even if it could be proven, it wouldn't qualify her to be a member of a tribe: Contrary to assertions in outlets from The New York Times to Mother Jones that having 1/32 Cherokee ancestry is "sufficient for tribal citizenship," "Indian enough" for "the Cherokee Nation," and "not a deal-breaker," Warren would not be eligible to become a member of any of the three federally recognized Cherokee tribes based on the evidence so far surfaced by independent genealogists about her ancestry.

2 + 2 = 4

Who exactly has been interfering in whose politics? America openly admits to interfering in Russia, supporting anti-Russian terrorists for decades

RFE/RL
© The Daily Signal/RFE/RLAmerican propaganda outlet.
We are hearing much about Russian efforts to interfere in American politics. This is justifiable if overstated. Less justified is the deadly silence in the Western media regarding persistent post-cold war American meddling in Russian domestic politics, including the same interference by Americans and the American government in Russian elections that Russians and the Russian government are accused of regarding the recent U.S. elections. A key instrument is America's and the West's elaborate and robust 'strategic communications' or propaganda network, spearheaded by Radio Free Liberty/Free Europe (RFERL). Aside from propaganda efforts, direct involvement has occurred in Russian and other countries' internal politics. Indeed, U.S. government entities acknowledge this openly in their internal discussions.

For example, a Marine Corps University Journal article explicitly stated that democracy-promotion and stratcomm support prodemocratic parties "to bring about a crisis" in regimes deemed authoritarian in order "to encourage a democratic transition." In examining democracy-promotion's "international dimension," the article discusses "coercive" and "intrusive" measures in support of creating democratic regimes in authoritarian states as well as more benign methods of "prodemocratic public diplomacy." Its author defined democracy promotion as "combined action of government agencies and private partners" that seeks to "influence opinion and mobilize the public in ways that support interests and policies of foreign states" within the target state. Its "essence" is "strategic communication," which is modern-speak for propaganda and "aims to capture the hearts and minds of the general public in recipient countries" (my emphasis from Alessandra Pinna, "The International Dimension of Democratization: Actors, Motivations, and Strategies," Marine Corps University Journal, Vol. 5, No. 1 (Spring 2014), pp. 27-57, at pp. 49-50 and 55). More importantly, the US has a long history of actually destabilizing regimes to the benefit of its own interests, not just democracy.

Comment: The current war on RT and Sputnik is so farcical that it's fair to say that today American politics bears more similarity to that of a banana republic than the 'world's greatest democracy'. RT and Sputnik's "propaganda efforts" (which basically just amount to repeating the news, and featuring commentary critical of American policies) pale in comparison to what RFE/RL alone has done in the past couple decades.

Add to that the fact that Hillary Clinton has been officially outed as having rigged the Democratic primary (making her ineligible as a presidential candidate), the US political system looks like one of THE most corrupt and undemocratic political systems in the world. It's worse even than dictatorships. At least with a dictator no one is being fooled. In the USA, the totalitarian 'elite' have been fooling every single American for decades.


Map

Not only is Hezbollah not a threat to America, it's one of the few causes worth supporting in the Middle East

Hezbollah
© Shutterstock/Gabirelle Pedrini.Hezbollah’s supporters at Liberation Day, Bint Jbeil, Lebanon, 25 May 2014.
Western-backed militants are in retreat, Bashar al-Assad remains president, Hezbollah has stretched its wings regionally, Israeli power is in decline, and Iran is on the rise. Not a pretty result for Washington's multi-billion dollar investment in the Syrian conflict, especially if it was intended to change the map of the region to favor U.S. interests.

The Trump administration is therefore moving to hit its regional adversaries on alternative, non-military fronts - mainly, employing the sanctions tool that can cripple economies, besiege communities, and stir up public discontent.

The first step was to decertify the nuclear agreement struck between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5+1), which would open up a pathway to further U.S. sanctions against Iran.

The second step is to resuscitate the Hezbollah "threat" and isolate the organization using legal maneuvers and financial sanctions-what one pro-U.S. Lebanese Central Bank official calls "the new tools of imperialism."

Comment: Problem is; it IS Washington's fight - very much so.

Hezbollah's fight is with Israel.

What is Israel?

A Western (anglo-American) crusader colony in the Middle East.

Israel is practically indistinguishable from the US and UK.

So Hezbollah's fight is actually with Washington and London.

Everyone pretends this is not so, but the anglo-American deep state knows perfectly well that it is.


Evil Rays

Anti-Russia hysteria hearings: Washington demands that tech companies conduct mass surveillance and shut up journalists

hysteria
Wednesday's hearings by the House and Senate Intelligence committees on "extremist" political views served as the occasion for members of Congress to urge technology companies to flagrantly violate the US Constitution by censoring political speech, carrying out mass surveillance, and muzzling journalists in pursuit of the government's geopolitical aims.

The hearings revolved around allegations, promoted ceaselessly in recent months by the intelligence agencies, leading figures within the Democratic Party, and newspapers such as the New York Times, that social opposition to the political establishment results from "fake news" promoted by Russia.

As Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff put it, "Russia" promoted "discord in the US by inflaming passions on a range of divisive issues" and sought to "mobilize real Americans to sign online petitions and join rallies and protests."

The basic problem, however, as Schiff put it, is "not just foreign." The algorithms used by Facebook and Twitter have the "consequence of widening divisions among our society." Schiff complained: "What ends up percolating to the top of our feeds tends to be things we were looking for," as opposed to US government propaganda disseminated by the establishment media, which he referred to as "true information."

Comment: One wonders if these nutzo politicians realize just how far down the crapper the US is, and is going. And if so, one might ask if the wasting of everyone's time and energy on these idiotic hearings is something of a scapegoating activity designed to make people think Washington is being constructive - precisely because these players are helpless to do anything about it? Or, is this all just a major symptom of what makes Washington the body of incompetence and pathology that it is? Or both?

See also: Censorship: US Congress grills lawyers for Google, Twitter and Facebook, calls for RT to be banned from YouTube


Attention

Brazile faces Democrat's ire for exposing DNC deal giving Clinton campaign control of finances, staffing and policy

Brazile  and Clinton
A newly released memo shows a deal struck between the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and then-candidate Hillary Clinton in 2015 gave her campaign power to influence staffing and policy, in exchange for monthly payments.

On Friday, NBC News released another agreement between the DNC and the Clinton campaign from August 26, 2015, only four months after Clinton announced her candidacy.

The memorandum of understanding details how the Hillary for America (HFA) campaign agreed to pay the debt-ridden DNC a "base amount" of $1.2 million every month in exchange for "influence over the financial, strategic, and operational use of these JFA-raised funds."

Comment: More on the Brazile revelations:


Hotdog

Clusterf*ck Nation: Swamp-O-Rama

clinton corruption meme
What America might want to know right now is: how come Hillary Clinton doesn't have any legal problems? Why aren't DOJ investigators examining the financial records of the Clinton Foundation? You would think somebody would want to find out how over $120 million of Russian "charitable donations" ended up on its ledgers around the time that Secretary of State HRC approved the Uranium One deal - compared to which, Bill Clinton's $500,000 payment from a Russian bank for giving a speech around the same time just looks like walking-around money.

This is not to mention (well, I will) the flow of donations from Saudi Arabia pending approval of a major arms deal by HRC. Or of myriad other donations from foreign nationals tendered simply for face-time with the Secretary. Has any other cabinet officer in US history run a money-gathering org while serving? I don't think so. Maybe the arrant selling of influence right out-front strains the credulity of government auditors. And while we're at this, I would like to know how then-FBI director Robert Mueller and President Obama might have been informed about these activities. Or not?

Better Earth

Russian TV report on Medvedev China meeting: Moscow calls for new financial system bypassing US dollar

Medvedev Jinping
New World Order
Moscow and Beijing are leading the charge against US dollar dominance, so naturally Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev saw his recent visit to China as an opportunity to remind Washington that the petrodollar's days are numbered:


Comment: See also:

Medvedev: Dollar should not dominate, financial system needs balance

Communist Party of China's 19th National Congress: President Xi Jinping speech heralds new global era


Eye 2

Joanne Moriarty: UN Continues to Criminally Destabilize Libya

UN destruction of Libya continues
© ADDTEXT.COM
The saga of the criminal destruction and destabilization of the sovereign nation of Libya continues.

During the past few months, the Green Resistance (the movement against the criminals illegally occupying Libya by force) has come to control more than 80% of Libya. This movement is backed by the majority of all the Libyan tribes. As they encroach slowly upon the last area controlled by the radical Islamic terrorist militias and the UN puppet government, fear is creeping up on the criminal occupiers. Fear of loss, fear of retribution, fear of prosecution for crimes against humanity, war crimes and theft of the assets belonging to the Libyan people. This fear has caused these criminals to make stupid, spur of the moment decisions that shows just how desperate they have become and who they really are...

The appointed President of the UN Puppet Government (so called Unity Government or Al-Wefaq in Arabic) is named Faiez Al-Serraj, he is aligned with all of the criminal mercenaries and radical militias in Libya. The UN puppet government has no authority under Libyan law, was not elected but gained his position from the UN in a meeting in Tunisia. The people of Libya did not recognize this puppet government and refused to allow it inside Libya, so the UN sneaked this group of criminals into Tripoli in the middle of the night by boat and declared them the "Internationally recognized" government. This is quite convenient for the US and UN as anytime the US wants to bomb Libya or drop into Libya and pick up Libyan citizens, they state that the "internationally recognized" government has given them permission.

Comment: See also: The destruction of Libya continues as foreign occupiers fight over ownership of the country


Cut

National Archives releases another 676 JFK assassination docs - heavily redacted

jrk documents release
© Adapted by WhoWhatWhy from National Archives / Wikimedia and Justin Grimes / Flickr
A new batch of files, mostly secret CIA records, related to the November 1963 assassination of US president John F Kennedy was released by the National Archives on Friday.

Nearly 680 records were made public including 553 never-before-seen files from the Central Intelligence Agency, which had objected to their release previously on national security grounds.

Among the CIA files released were detailed records, for example, of efforts to recruit Soviet diplomats serving in foreign missions, complete with transcripts of wiretaps.

The National Archives said the other documents published online were from the Justice Department, the Defense Department and a House committee which conducted an inquiry into Kennedy's November 22, 1963 assassination in Dallas, Texas.


Comment: Many of these files, previously withheld in full and now released for the first time, are still heavily redacted. WhoWhatWhy points out just one such example:
Here is a CIA personnel file on David Sanchez Morales, who is believed to be a key suspect in the JFK assassination by many researchers. Notice the number and extent of the redactions.
A key suspect, yet the CIA heavily redacts the file. If the government were really concerned about "dispelling conspiracy theories", they would release the files. This just further fuels distrust. Rightly so. Because there WAS a conspiracy to kill JFK. Obviously, anything in these documents that could possibly support this fact will be heavily redacted - because an official admission would harm U.S. "national security". Ergo, we will never learn the truth from the horse's mouth.

Among the "revelations" that CAN be found in these documents:
A CIA document dated 1975 details the hunt for Oswald's name on lists of informants and potential recruits. The confidential files, released on Friday, reveal the CIA was concerned that Oswald may have somehow established links with security sources through his time in the USSR.

The investigation into whether "Oswald had ever been used by the Agency or been connected with it in any conceivable way" began on November 22, 1963, five days after Kennedy's assassination in Dallas.

However, checks on intelligence databases, including lists of informants used in the USSR, Mexico, and Cuba found no evidence that Oswald had turned up on the CIA's radar for employment.

A search to see if JFK's assassin was debriefed by any government agencies on his return from the USSR in 1962 also came back negative. The CIA report concluded that it was aware of claims linking Oswald to the Agency, but said the allegations "are totally unfounded."

The CIA document also cites five files on Oswald available to the agency from the FBI, the US Department of State, and the US Navy, before the president's murder in Dallas.

"It should be noted that no particularly great urgency was attached to the handling of the records regarding Oswald before the assassination because Oswald's name had not particular meaning before that fatal event [the JFK assassination]," the document reads.
Which is total nonsense. Would the CIA ever admit as such, now, or in the days after the assassination? Hardly. Oswald's record would have been hidden, obscured by cover names and other attempts at misdirection, or simply destroyed.