Puppet Masters

Cruz in the Oval Office is more dangerous than offensive Trump

Steven Rosenfeld
AlterNet
Mon, 07 Mar 2016 02:00 UTC

© TedCruz.org
"Ted Cruz is a conniving, uncompromising, power-hungry demagogue whose policies would serve the richest Americans."

As the 2016 primary season continues, the notion that Ted Cruz might be the Republican Party's last best chance to save itself from Donald Trump's takeover is a spectacle all by itself. Cruz, the most mistrusted and reviled Republican senator, a serial liar who led the 2013 government shutdown and called Majority Leader Mitch McConnell a fraud on the Senate floor, is now the party's great savior?

It may be that Republicans would prefer the right-wing devil they know rather than the one they do not. Their fears of Trump resemble wide swings of a pendulum. On some issues it's his ugly, bigoted and juvenile rhetoric and strongman posturing that repulses. On the other extreme lurks a sneaking suspicion among GOP luminaries that he might be too liberal and malleable, not just unpredictable, for conservatives to stomach.

Trump is the more offensive presidential candidate, but Cruz is far more dangerous. As Eugene Robinson, a Washington Post columnist, wrote in December, "If Ted Cruz is the Republican Party's cure for Donald Trump, the antidote may be worse than the poison."

That verdict is not unique. Cruz is not just a serial exaggerator and liar. He's a conniving, uncompromising, power-hungry demagogue whose antics and beliefs would be right at home in the crusades of Sen. Joseph McCarthy's 1950s America, many campaign fact-checking websites, longtime politicos and pundits have warily noted.

Comment: It's remarkable how so many observations of Ted Cruz coincide with the definition of psychopathy, especially the talent for brazen lying.

Colonialism? Meet the American who may soon be Ukraine's Prime Minister

Sputnik
Thu, 10 Mar 2016 01:58 UTC

A cast of colorfully corrupt characters, Including former Georgian puppet leader Saakashvili, are involved in the blatant US takeover of a country on Russia's doorstep, one geopolitical analyst told Sputnik.

The US colonial experiment in Eastern Europe has taken on a new urgency this week with speculation that an American citizen, Natalie Jaresko, will be announced as the next Prime Minister of Ukraine. Geopolitical analyst Daniel McAdams, of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity, discusses the developments with Loud & Clear's Brian Becker.

Turkish journalist given prison sentence for Erdogan insult while on trial for similar offense

RT
Wed, 09 Mar 2016 16:19 UTC

In a continuation of its crackdown on freedom of expression, Turkey has sentenced the former editor of the left-leaning Birgun newspaper to 21 months in prison for "insulting" President Erdogan while submitting a plea in an ongoing case.

The journalist, Bans Ince, continued to write for the paper, while the previous case dating back to 2013 still hung over his head. In late December of that year, a report by the paper had accused President Recep Tayyip Erdogan - then prime minister - of corruption, something his Justice and Development Party (AKP) claimed was akin to a planned coup, Hurriyet daily reports.

Ince had allegedly insulted both Erdogan and his son Bilal with the report. Ince had entered a plea in his defense, but was too clever with words for his own good: the letters at the start of each paragraph, when put together, spelled out "thief." Nobody in power needed three guesses to know Ince was talking about Erdogan. Ince claimed complete coincidence, but added that it could have been "an act of God." This did not spare him from the 21-month prison term. The newspaper said March 8 it plans to appeal the decision.

According to Cumhurriyet, Turkey has 1845 active cases against civilians accused of insulting the president since his term began in 2014.

Comment: A true sign of the times is when news sources are compromised by government takeovers and journalists who make an honest oath to deliver the truth are imprisoned or worse. Erdogan's purge is into full swing and it is vindictive. He is a dangerous liability to Turkey and its people. See also:

Kurds suffer fresh chemical attacks - accuse Turkey of aiding sarin gas delivery to rebels

RT
Thu, 10 Mar 2016 01:38 UTC

In an interview with RT, a spokesman for the Kurdish YPG militia accused Turkey of providing a clear transit route for the chemical weapons that were deployed against them near the city of Aleppo on Tuesday.

Syrian anti-government militants "took advantage of the ceasefire" to launch attacks against a Kurdish-controlled area near Aleppo in northern Syria, Redur Xelil told RT. The attackers targeted a civilian district of what was once Syria's biggest city, and has since become a key battleground. According to Xelil, the shells emitted an "unnatural smell" and "yellow smoke" upon impact, indicating that chemical weapons were involved.

"Our sources inside the rebel groups have confirmed that toxic substances were used. We also have verified information that sarin gas was delivered to them from Turkey. All signs point to the fact that these factions were using banned weapons, but we cannot access the launching area, as it is located on the front between the Turkish and rebel forces," Xelil told RT by Skype from Rojava in Syria.

Kurdish deputies in the Turkish parliament have previously accused Ankara of supplying Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) and other jihadist groups inside Syria with chemical weapons, which are used both in their fight against the Syrian government and to pin responsibility for their deployment on the regime of President Bashar Assad.

North Korea fires two more ballistic missiles off country's east coast

Sputnik
Thu, 10 Mar 2016 01:15 UTC

North Korea short-range ballistic missile

Following the implementation of harsh new sanctions, North Korea has reportedly launched two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea for a second time, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency.

The missiles were fired from the city of Wonsan, where similar launches have occurred, and sources indicate that the projectiles flew a distance of approximately 300 miles.

"The military is keeping close tabs on the situation and prepared to deal with any North Korean provocations," South Korea's Joint Chief of Staff said in a statement.

Who's Who in the Syrian civil war and ceasefire

Aram Mirzaei
The Saker
Mon, 07 Mar 2016 18:42 UTC

Comment: This is a great run down of the major players in the Syrian conflict. It should shock readers just how many of the 'moderate rebel' groups have ties with Al-Qaeda, and how in spite of this many still receive funding from the West and Western allies Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

Since last week the Syrian ceasefire deal has been in full effect. Despite repeated violations during this week, world leaders commit to putting their faith in this temporary truce. The Syrian ceasefire does however not cover the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and Jabhat Al-Nusra, the Syrian Al-Qaeda branch, and other designated terrorist groups. Despite the global powers making this statement, it remains unclear who these "other designated terrorist groups" actually are, it is therefore safe to say that no one really has an idea, since it has been rather clear that the main actors of this conflict differ radically in that designation. It is estimated that over 100 rebel groups participated at the implementation of this truce deal, with more joining as Russia has been ramping up its efforts of reconciliation in Syria. ^[1] ^[2] ^[3] Different actors consider different fighting parties to be terrorists and conflicting interests makes the matter even worse. While it is difficult to keep track of the estimated 1500 rebel groups fighting on the ground, it has never been a secret that the main rebel factions, Jabhat Al-Nusra, Jaysh Al-Islam, Harakat Ahrar-Al Sham and the Free Syrian Army have cooperated, carried out joint missions, and have occupied towns and villages together against the Syrian Armed Forces.^[4] ^[5] ^[6] ^[7] These groups intermingle deeply and make it rather difficult for outside observers to distinguish between.^[8]

The main areas of the truce deal are implemented in the southern and central parts of the country, with several pockets of rebel held areas, besieged for some years now, being able to catch a breath. Below is a map showing the rather small areas considered to be "green zones" for the truce.

U.S. Government backs fascists who want to destroy Russia

Eric Zuesse
RINF
Wed, 09 Mar 2016 22:21 UTC

The Nation published an outstanding article on March 9th, by James Carden, which described the remarkable extent to which the Obama government (and virtually all of the Washington Establishment) are supporting (financially and otherwise) fascists who want to destroy Russia.

One such example was a recent event in Washington:

It featured the deputy speaker of Ukraine's Parliament, Andriy Parubiy. According to the program bio, Parubiy served as the "commandant" of the Euromaidan (why did an ostensibly peaceful protest require a "commandant" anyway?) and, later, as secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council. The bio provided to attendees might fairly be described as selective. Unmentioned was Parubiy's role in cofounding the neo-fascist Svoboda party, and his ties to extremist right-wing groups.

After Parubiy's presentation, which amounted to little more than a recitation of neocon talking points, former US Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst gushed: "That was wonderful." The Atlantic Council's Ariel Cohen praised Parubiy's presentation as "inspiring and impressive."

Iran continues more missile testing, Israel well within range

RT
Wed, 09 Mar 2016 12:33 UTC

The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) of Iran continued its test of ballistic weapons on Wednesday morning by launching two Qadr missiles. The guard stressed that it could hit targets in Israel. "The reason we designed our missiles with a range of 2000km is to be able to hit our enemy .... from a safe distance," Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh was quoted as saying by the ISNA agency.

The two Qadr missiles were fired from northern Iran and hit targets in the southeast some 1,400km away, the Iranian media reported.

On Tuesday, the IRGC reported firing several unspecified ballistic missiles from underground silos across the country. They are presumed to be Iran's new Emad missiles, which the Islamic Republic first revealed in October 2015, saying they have advanced guidance systems.

The Iranian missile tests were conducted in defiance of fresh US sanctions, imposed two months ago in response to the first Emad test. The Jewish state is currently hosing US Vice-President Joe Biden for talks on regional issues. Last week Israel and the US conducted a joint missile defense drill in Israel.

Washington accuses Tehran of developing nuclear-capable ballistic missiles. The October test violated a UN Security Council resolution, which banned Iran from testing nuclear-capable missiles. The resolution has since expired as Iran complied with the terms of a nuclear deal it signed last year with six leading world powers. Iran insisted that the October test was not a violation since the country never intended to develop a nuclear weapon or the means to deliver it.

Comment: There are likely other things going ballistic in the region than Iran's missiles! It would be a good guess that Joe Biden's ears are exploding from a nuclear Netanyahu. At least Iran is now able to defend itself against regional bullies such as Israel, should the circumstance necessitate.

Syrian ceasefire bulletin: Reconciliation committee head kidnapped by moderate terrorists

Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
Wed, 09 Mar 2016 20:49 UTC

Comment: The big news today surrounds the numerous reports that Daesh has been using chemical weapons in their war against Syrians and Kurds (old news, really - the FSA started it!). Now, the U.S. is apparently trying to cover their tracks by targeting their chemical weapons facilities with airstrikes. They also claimed to have killed Georgian-born Abu Omar "the Chechen" al-Shishani, a top Islamic State commander and Caucasus jihadist recruiter, in an airstrike. The Kurds say they haven't seen any evidence to suggest that is the case. Gee, we wonder who is more credible! And now that Daesh's oil funds are drying up, their biggest source of funds is, naturally, foreign sponsorship. Wonder who that is! (More updates below.)

General information on the application of measures for the reconciliation of opposing sides

In the course of last 24 hours, ceasefire agreements have been achieved with commanders of 5 armed formations with total staff up to 450 men active in vicinity of Mahajjah (Daraa province).

In total, 42 ceasefire application forms have been signed with leaders of armed groupings.

Comment: Meanwhile, the Geneva talks were supposed to start today (they should begin by the 14th at the latest), but the Saudi-backed opposition still haven't decided whether they'll show up or not with the excuse that they are waiting to see UNSC Resolution 2254 fulfilled, with humanitarian aid transported to ALL besieged areas. Guys, all you have to do is tell your Daesh and Nusra rats to open up the roads, and that'll happen.