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Whistle

Department of Veterans Affairs: Whistleblowers protection law signed by Trump


RT
Fri, 23 Jun 2017 15:58 UTC
Trump signs
© UnknownMaking good a promise.
President Donald Trump has signed a law protecting whistleblowers at the Department of Veterans Affairs and making it easier to fire problem employees. Trump campaigned on the platform of overhauling the agency serving US veterans.
"For many years the government failed to keep its promises to our veterans," who were put on secret wait-lists, given wrong medication or bad treatment, Trump said, calling it "a national disgrace."
Outdated laws kept the government from holding accountable those VA employees who failed veterans, the president said, calling the new law one of the largest reforms to the VA in its history.
"In a short time, we've already achieved transformative change at the VA, and believe me we're just getting started," Trump said.
The 2017 VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act makes permanent the office Trump created by executive order to look into claims by agency whistleblowers and protect them from retaliation.
"The administration is committed to ensuring the nation's veterans have access to the care, services, and benefits they have earned," the White House said in a statement about the legislation. "To achieve this goal, it is critical that employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are held to the highest performance standards, and that they are accountable when those standards are not met."
The new law strips away senior agency executives' right to appeal disciplinary decisions to the government's Merit Systems Protection Board, replacing it with an internal agency grievance process. It also allows the VA to take back bonuses paid to employees found guilty of misconduct, and prohibits employees who are appealing disciplinary decisions from being placed on paid administrative leave.

Comment: These reforms were a long-time coming. Campaign promise kept.

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Snakes in Suits

Trump dubs Comey-Mueller friendship 'bothersome,' 'Russian collusion ridiculous'


Fox News
Fri, 23 Jun 2017 00:00 UTC
Trump
© mogaznewsThere are no tapes.
President Trump on Friday called the investigation into allegations of Russia collusion and claims he obstructed justice "ridiculous" while saying special counsel Robert Mueller's friendship with fired FBI Director James Comey "is very bothersome," during a wide-ranging interview on Fox & Friends that also touched on his stalled legislative agenda and the health care debate.
"Robert Mueller is an honorable man and hopefully he'll come up with an honorable conclusion," Trump said, though he noted that Mueller and Comey were "very, very good friends" and also criticized the makeup of Mueller's growing team of attorneys involved in the investigation. "I can say that the people that have been hired are all Hillary Clinton supporters, some of them worked for Hillary Clinton," Trump said. "I mean, the whole thing is ridiculous if you want to know the truth."
A day earlier, Trump revealed on Twitter that he had not taped conversations between himself and Comey - addressing a question he helped raise in the first place - but on Friday he said his strategy in suggesting possible recordings was all about keeping Comey honest.


Comment: It is time for the POTUS to ignore the swirling innuendo for better use of his talents - as in gaining a realistic view of Israel and making decisions accordingly, ending US aggression in Syria, actually going after ISIS in partnership with Russia, mending relations at home and abroad and diverting the looming domestic financial time bomb. More constructive, wouldn't you say?

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Jet3

Priorities: US seems more willing to strike at Assad than destroy ISIS

Robert Fisk
Independent
Wed, 21 Jun 2017 00:00 UTC
Kurds and flag
© Tactical Shit News
The extraordinary destruction of a Syrian fighter jet by a US aircraft on Sunday has precious little to do with the Syrian plane's target in the desert near Rasafa - but much to do with the advance of the Syrian army close to the American-backed Kurdish forces along the Euphrates. The Syrians have grown increasingly suspicious in recent months that most Kurdish forces in the north of Syria - many of them in alliance with the Assad government until recently - have thrown in their lot with the Americans.

Indeed, the military in Damascus is making no secret of the fact that it has ended its regular arms and ammunition supplies to the Kurds - it has apparently given them 14,000 AK-47 rifles since 2012 - and the Syrian regime was outraged to learn that Kurdish forces recently received an envoy from the United Arab Emirates.

There is unconfirmed information that a Saudi envoy also visited the Kurds. This, of course, follows the infamous Trump speech in Riyadh, in which the US President gave total American support to the Saudi monarchy in its anti-Iranian and anti-Syrian policies - and then later supported the Saudi-led isolation of Qatar.

Here's a fragment of Trump's speech regarding Iran:


Comment: If the US and Israel are supporting the Kurds getting their own state, there should be equal parity in sentiment and resolve for the Palestinians. The difference? The Kurds have been useful in the political game of regime change as valiant ISIS fighters, a proxy force whose ambitions of statehood play into Israel's grand scheme for the ME. The Kurds will be set up as a buffer against Iran and a convenient future military staging area should they achieve their own state. And, their rise to independence assures the trouble with Turkey will escalate - another conflict that paves Israel's path. Never a 'useful pivot' to Israel's benefit, Palestinian expendability ADDS to its end game and therefore will never be allowed statehood. It's the 'enemy next door' and the best 'woe is me' narrative money can buy.

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Better Earth

Cuba and Nicaragua confirm support for Venezuela at UN Human Rights Council


teleSUR
Wed, 21 Jun 2017 19:12 UTC
unhrc
© ReutersUnited Nations Human Rights Council meets in Geneva, Switzerland, June 6, 2017.
Venezuelan representative in Geneva thanks 57 countries for their backing.

Representatives from Cuba and Nicaragua have expressed their support for the Venezuelan people and the government of Nicolás Maduro at the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva.

As members of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America, ALBA, both countries insisted that they will respect the sovereignty of Venezuela, and denounced constant attacks by the Secretary General of the Organization of States, OAS, Luis Almagro and the United States.

The Venezuelan ambassador to the Council Jorge Valero reiterated his government's call for peace and the protection of human rights.

Valero said the support that Venezuela had provided to other countries for their development has today paid off, and added that the differences in Venezuela should be resolved at the ballot box.

He thanked the 57 countries present who supported the declaration presented by Cuba and Nicaragua on behalf of the ALBA bloc.

"This overwhelming support shows that the government of President Nicolas Maduro is backed by a majority of governments and peoples in the world", he said.

Comment: Venezuela needs all the support it can get:
  • Empire of Hopelessness: Targets Venezuela and Syria
Unfortunately, the U.S. has a habit after going after the allies of its victims:
  • 'Not in a position to lecture': Cuba fires back at Trump and says blockade 'destined to fail'


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Blackbox

Gowdy: Was there something else on that DNC server? Maybe that's why they didn't cooperate with law enforcement

Pam Key
Breitbart
Wed, 21 Jun 2017 18:55 UTC
Trey Gowdy
© Press Trey Gowdy has confirmed that Clinton's crimes are far-reaching
Wednesday on Fox News Channel's "The Story," Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) said it was concerning that while testifying before the House Intelligence Committee earlier in the day at a hearing on the alleged Russian hacking of the 2016 presidential election, former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said his department's offer to help the Democratic National Committee was denied.


Comment: Gowdy mode activated.

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Info

Saudi-led terms of surrender to Qatar are an offer to be refused


Moon of Alabama
Fri, 23 Jun 2017 18:14 UTC
serbia cartoon
After the crown prince of the Austria-Hungary monarchy Archduke Franz Ferdinand was shot and killed in Sarajevo the government of Austria waited three weeks to issue a 10-point ultimatum to Serbia which it held responsible for the incident. At least three of those points concerned the suppression of "propaganda against Austria-Hungary" and the Austrian monarchy by private and state entities. It demanded a response within two days:
Sir Edward Grey, the British Foreign Secretary, commented that he had "never before seen one State address to another independent State a document of so formidable a character."
The Austrian ultimatum was an offer to be refused. But Serbia did not fall into that trap. It conceded on everything but two minor points. This was to no avail. The issues and plans Austria had were not about the assassination of [the disliked] Franz Ferdinand or the demands issued in the ultimatum. Two days later Austria-Hungary declared war against Serbia. Allies jumped to either side. World War I had started.

The now official demands by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and some minor Gulf sheikdoms against Qatar have a similar smell to them. They are also "an offer to be refused."

Comment: Something interesting from the rumor mill: Whistleblower: Saudi Arabia and UAE plotted to stage coup in Qatar before US interference. So were the Saudis banking on U.S. support for a full-blown coup, but had to go with this childish ultimatum as plan B?

Meanwhile, Qatar is building allies where it can find them:
Qatar's authorities have introduced a visa-on-arrival system for nationals of 37 countries, including Russia, according to a document, circulated by national carrier Qatar Airways and obtained by Sputnik on Friday.

"According to the circular received from the Ministry of Interior, Qatar with immediate effect, nationals of the below mentioned countries will be granted an immediate tourism entry visa in Qatar for a period of one month," the statement, dated June 22, said.

According to the statement, visas will be granted with 100 QAR ($27) change fee subject to the following conditions — passport validity must not be less than 6 months; customer must have a return onward ticket; customer must have hotel booking confirmation and money equivalent to $1,500 or a credit card.

The list of countries includes Argentina, Chile, French Guiana, Latvia, Macedonia, Paraguay, Slovakia, Lebanon, Bolivia, China, Ecuador, Guyana, Seychelles, Malta, Peru, Slovenia, Thailand, Brazil, Colombia, Estonia, Indonesia, Lithuania, Mexico, Romania, South Africa, Uruguay, Bulgaria, Croatia Falk Islands, Kazakhstan, Macau, Moldova, Russia, Suriname and Venezuela.


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USA

Thank Team Obama for the phony Russian hacking myth

Post Editorial Board
New York Post
Wed, 21 Jun 2017 18:06 UTC
Jeh Johnson
© Getty ImagesJeh Johnson
Ex-Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson's testimony Wednesday should mark the definitive end of "Russia hacked the election" hysteria. Too bad it took so long to get to this point.

Johnson told the House Intelligence Committee outright that the Russians failed to alter "ballots, ballot counts or reporting of election results."

Yes, it's clear Russia (with Vladimir Putin's full approval) orchestrated cyberattacks designed to influence the 2016 contest, and also pushed fake news.


Comment: Clear? Where's the evidence? Allegations of Russian interference in the US election was cooked up by Killary's DNC:

But the hack, and release via WikiLeaks, etc., of Democratic emails produced nothing game-changing. The biggest impact was to confirm the obvious: The Democratic National Committee favored Hillary Clinton from the start.

And fake news mainly feeds people's existing prejudices — which serves Putin's goal of undermining our democracy, but fails to flip votes from one party to the other.
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SOTT Logo S

Empire of Hopelessness: Targets Venezuela and Syria

Hugo Turner
Sott.net
Fri, 23 Jun 2017 17:04 UTC
syria venezuela
Syrians stand in solidarity with their Venezuelan brothers and sisters.
The US is escalating its war on the planet. In Venezuela the fascists have escalated their war on the country, committing gruesome murders and attempting to burn down government buildings. In Syria the US continues to expand its invasion from the south and the north, bombing Syrian forces and shooting down a Syrian jet as part of their campaign to steal as much Syrian territory as possible. In better news, in Brazil - a victim of a soft coup last year that deposed the democratically elected president Dilma Rousseff - the new puppet president Temer is on the verge of falling from power. In the Philippines the US is doubtless behind a sudden uprising by ISIS. The Middle East is in chaos with Saudi Arabia turning on its frequent ally and fellow terror sponsor Qatar. Obviously it is difficult to decide which of the two is worse although their current conflict is due to Qatar's monarchs being slightly less insane then the megalomaniacal Saudi monarchs. Now Saudi Arabia has had its own soft coup, elevating a war-mongering prince Mohammed bin Salman aka the "Butcher of Yemen" to the role of heir apparent Crown Prince to the senile current monarch. In Yemen the blood bath and starvation continue. Iran suffered a major ISIS attack and the CIA have launched another attempt to topple the government.

Across the planet World War 4 rages from Mexico to Colombia, to DRCongo, England, Afghanistan, a war without boundaries or borders bringing poverty, misery, death, and destruction, fear, sadness, tragedy and sheer horror. Billions of people struggle to survive in our doomed world. Wherever there is hope or heroism the empire of chaos moves in to try to destroy it.
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Star of David

Israel's new 'ethics code' for academia seeks to combat BDS activity

Jonathan Ofir
Mondoweiss
Wed, 21 Jun 2017 16:42 UTC
Asa Kasher
Prof. Asa Kasher
Last December, Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett appointed Tel Aviv university philosophy professor Asa Kasher, to author an 'ethical code', to define rules in the area of "overlap between academic and political activity". Last month, Kasher submitted the document to Bennett, and it was recently published. (The original document in Hebrew and including English translation are here).

Heads of Israeli universities blasted the document, pointing out that the code is expected to bar professors from voicing their political opinions in classrooms.

Yesterday, the The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) as well as the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) joined the Israeli academics in condemning the document, and called upon Israel's government "to reject this proposal by Minister of Education Naftali Bennett in no uncertain terms"

But what is this document really about, and why now?
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Info

Russian, Turkish, Kazakh and Kyrgyz troops may police Syrian safe zones - UPDATE


Sputnik
Thu, 22 Jun 2017 16:30 UTC
russian military police syria
© George Ourfalian/Agence France-Presse
Russia may boost its military police contingent in Syria for work in de-escalation zones, Viktor Ozerov, the chairman of the defense and security committee of the Federation Council, the upper house of Russia's parliament, told Sputnik on Thursday.

Earlier Thursday, the head of the defense committee of the State Duma, the lower house of Russia's parliament, Vladimir Shamanov, confirmed to Sputnik that Russia was holding talks with Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan to send their servicemen to Syria and said the issue of Russian military police being tasked with monitoring the ceasefire regime in Syria was being worked out.


Comment: He said: "Negotiations are underway now, the issue is being worked out to ensure that representatives of the Russian military police take part in solving problems related to ensuring order in Syria. Questions and proposals to our colleagues from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are also being worked out. There are intentions and the beginning of the negotiation process, the decision has not yet been made."


"Representatives of our military police are already carrying out tasks in Syria to form humanitarian corridors, etc. Depending on whether new tasks are set before them, the calculation of manpower and resources will be made and, if necessary, their number will be increased," Ozerov said.

Comment: Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin discussed a further Russian proposal:
"There is a working group on the Syria de-escalation zones. Last week, [Alexander] Lavrentyev, the envoy of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin for Syria, was here. We had detailed negotiations with him," Kalin said as quoted by the Haberturk channel.

The group is still working on the de-escalation zones map with demarcation lines, the spokesman said.

"A mechanism is being developed within the framework of which our and Russian servicemen could maybe be in Idlib, Russian and Iranian [servicemen] near Damascus, Jordanian and US [servicemen] south of Daraa," he added.

Ibrahim Kalin also said that the Russian side had put forward a proposal to send servicemen from Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan to de-escalation zones in Syria.

"There was even a proposal from the Russians to send a certain number of Kyrgyz and Kazakh [servicemen]. They too can take their place in the framework of these efforts... but all this requires detailed work," Kalin said.
Update (June 23): Kazakhstan denies there have been any talks about Kazakh troops deploying to Syria. Same for Kyrgyzstan:
"Kazakhstan is not in talks with anyone on deploying its service members to Syria," Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov said on Friday, as cited by RIA Novosti.

Abdrakhmanov, who previously served as Kazakhstan's envoy to the UN, said the issue of "ensuring security of the four de-escalation zones in Syria rests with the guarantors of the Astana process," referring to multilateral peace talks brokered by Russia, Turkey and Iran earlier in January.

"It is crucial for our country that we have a UN Security Council resolution and a respective UN mandate before discussing a possibility for our peacekeepers to be deployed to any hotspot in the world," he said.

Kazakhstan's military has seen almost no overseas deployments during the last decade. Until 2008, a small Kazakh contingent comprising paramedics and bomb disposal experts was stationed at Camp Echo in Iraq as part of the Polish-led Multinational Division Central-South.
...
Meanwhile , Kyrgyzstan's Foreign Ministry and General Staff said they had "no information" on talks over possible deployments to Syria.

"We do not have any information concerning potential participation of the Kyrgyz forces in the operations against international terrorist organizations in Syria in cooperation with Russia," a Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry spokesperson told Interfax.


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