Puppet MastersS


Snakes in Suits

The truth hurts: Thanks to the EU's bungling, Russia will inevitably win in Ukraine

Christopher Booker
The Telegraph
Sat, 27 Aug 2016 21:43 UTC
Russian buildings in East Ukraine
Eastern Ukraine speaks Russia, and will become Russian again.
Can there have been any great international drama in which Western politicians have more completely stood reality on its head than the unending crisis over Ukraine, which is yet again creeping back into the headlines?

There was only ever one reason why the tragedy tearing Ukraine apart first erupted as it did in the winter of 2013/14: the hubristic itch of the EU, backed by the United States, to absorb Ukraine into its own ever-enlarging empire.

For this, the West was happy to see an elected pro-Russian Ukrainian president ousted in a coup d'état by an unelected stooge favourable to the EU. It was wholly predictable that the Russian-speakers of Crimea and eastern Ukraine would prefer to be ruled by their fellow Russians in Moscow, rather than by some weird form of government in faraway Brussels that they didn't begin to understand.
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Dollars

Clinton Foundation donors given special treatment while Hillary was secretary of state


RT
Mon, 29 Aug 2016 21:27 UTC
Clinton Foundation plaque
© Lucy Nicholson / Reuters
Newly released emails reveal more ties between the Clinton Foundation and the State Department during Hillary Clinton's tenure as secretary of state, showing that major donors received special perks - including lunch with the Chinese president.

The State Department emails were released as part of a public records lawsuit by conservative group Citizens United. The documents were then shared exclusively with ABC News.

"After more than two years of Freedom of Information Act requests and lengthy litigation, the truth is finally coming out," David Bossie, president of Citizens United, said in a statement. "Hillary Clinton's senior staff at the State Department routinely worked with the Clinton Foundation to reward big donors with special access and favors for four years."

Comment: More articles on the Clinton Foundation:

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Propaganda

NYT becomes its own parody: Laments 'false Russian news stories' by running a patently false news story


Moon of Alabama
Mon, 29 Aug 2016 21:05 UTC
New York Times
© AFP 2016/ Emmanuel Dunand
The New York Times is desperate for new readers and therefore tries to branch into the realm of The Onion and other satirical sites. It attempts to show that allegedly Russia-controlled media spread false stories for political purpose - by providing a false media story. The purpose of the NYT doing such is yours to guess.

The sourcing of that Page 1 story is as weak as its content. It starts with claiming that opponents of Sweden joining NATO must be somehow Russia related and are spreading false stories:
As often happens in such cases, Swedish officials were never able to pin down the source of the false reports.
Duh! But it must have been Russia. Because Swedish internal opposition to joining NATO would be incapable of opining against it. Right? Likewise anti-EU reports and opposition to the EU within the Czech Republic MUST be caused by Russian disinformation and can in no way be related to mismanagement of the EU project itself.
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Bad Guys

ISIS fleeing Jarablus recaptures Al-Rai following massive attack

Izat Charkatli
Al Masdar News
Mon, 29 Aug 2016 20:46 UTC
ISIS militants
Just a few days following its massive retreat from the northeastern countryside of Aleppo, ISIS launched a large counteroffensive aimed at capturing the border town of Al-Rai and its surrounding towns.

The Islamic State's tactical withdrawal from the Jarablus region of Aleppo allowed for the terror group to allocate many fighters for the capture of Al-Rai and its surrounding region as Kurds and Turkish-backed jihadists fight viciously against each other along the Turkish-Syrian border.

The astute IS retreat forced a direct confrontation between the YPG and the Turkish-backed FSA enabling the terror group the sufficient time and manpower to fortify its defense lines around Al-Bab, its administrative capital of Aleppo and one of its last remaining strongholds in the aforementioned province.
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USA

The hacked US elections - The dismal reality of having no real electoral choices

John W. Whitehead
The Rutherford Institute
Mon, 29 Aug 2016 20:32 UTC
Free election of masters does not abolish the masters or the slaves." ― Herbert Marcuse
Eelectronic voting system
© ReutersAn example of an electronic voting system. This one was used in Virginia in 2010.
The FBI is worried: foreign hackers have broken into two state election databases.

The Department of Homeland Security is worried: the nation's voting system needs greater protection against cyberattacks.

I, on the other hand, am not overly worried: after all, the voting booths have already been hacked by a political elite comprised of Republicans and Democrats who are determined to retain power at all costs.

The outcome is a foregone conclusion: the police state will win and "we the people" will lose.

The damage has already been done.

The DHS, which has offered to help "secure" the nation's elections, has already helped to lock down the nation.

Remember, the DHS is the agency that ushered in the domestic use of surveillance drones, expanded the reach of fusion centers, stockpiled an alarming amount of ammunition, urged Americans to become snitches through a "see something, say something" campaign, oversaw the fumbling antics of TSA agents everywhere, militarized the nation's police, spied on activists and veterans, distributed license plate readers and cell phone trackers to law enforcement agencies, contracted to build detention camps, carried out military drills and lockdowns in American cities, conducted virtual strip searches of airline passengers, established Constitution-free border zones, funded city-wide surveillance cameras, and generally turned our republic into a police state.

So, no, I'm not falling for the government's scare tactics about Russian hackers.

I'm not losing a night's sleep over the thought that this election might by any more rigged than it already is.

And I'm not holding my breath in the hopes that the winner of this year's particular popularity contest will save us from government surveillance, weaponized drones, militarized police, endless wars, SWAT team raids, red light cameras, asset forfeiture schemes, overcriminalization, profit-driven private prisons, graft and corruption, or any of the other evils that masquerade as official government business these days.

What I've come to realize is that Americans want to engage in the reassurance ritual of voting.

They want to believe that politics matter.

They want to be persuaded that there's a difference between the Republicans and Democrats (there's not).

They will swear that Barack Obama has been an improvement on George W. Bush (he has not).

They are convinced that Hillary Clinton's values are different from Donald Trump's (with both of them, money talks).
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USA

Two-timing US slams Turkey for 'unacceptable clashes' with Syrian opposition, aiding ISIS


RT
Mon, 29 Aug 2016 19:58 UTC
jarablus
© Umit Bektas / Reuters
The US says clashes between Turkish forces and opposition groups in northern Syria are "unacceptable." Washington is concerned this will take the focus away from fighting Islamic State and give the terrorist group the possibility to capture more territory.

Turkey's use of force against Kurdish forces in Syria has not gone down well with the US, with Washington openly supporting the Kurdish YPG fighters, who have proved to be a vital ground force in the battle against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL).

"We want to make clear that we find these clashes - in areas where ISIL is not located - unacceptable and a source of deep concern," Brett McGurk, the special presidential envoy for the coalition to counter Islamic State, said on his official Twitter account, citing a Defense Department statement.

"We call on all armed actors to stand down... the US is actively engaged to facilitate such deconfliction and unity of focus on ISIL, which remains a lethal and common threat."

Comment: This move by Turkey has been something of an enigma. Judging by the equivocal support/condemnation from the States and the relatively muted response from Syria, Russia and Iran, it looks as if Turkey may well have acted unilaterally, knowing it could get away with it given the leverage they have right now over the U.S., and the desire for better relations coming from Iran and Russia. (A military response against Turkey would escalate things even further.) According to Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus, "All stakeholders have been informed about the start of the 'Euphrates Shield' operations, including Damascus, which was informed by Russia, we are confident." Of course, that doesn't mean they liked it.

Meanwhile, the Turkish-backed militants have 'cleansed' 10 villages from Daesh by now, comprising some 400 kilometers.

See our previous coverage of the Turkish advance in Syria here: Turkish tanks cross Syrian border in military op to retake city of Jarablus from ISIS with US air support - UPDATES

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SOTT Logo Radio

SOTT Focus: Behind the Headlines: Whose Side is Erdogan on? Understanding Geopolitics and Human Nature


Sott.net
Sun, 28 Aug 2016 16:00 UTC
Erdogan Biden
Things seem to be heating up towards a final denouement in the phony 5 year-long Syrian "civil war". Turkey recently "invaded" Syria, officially to remove the scourge of Daesh from the Turkish border and, more specifically, to contain the Kurds and their aspirations for a "Kurdistan". The US is, again officially, ok with these moves by Turkey but, oddly, US troops, several hundred (or likely thousand) of them are 'embedded' with the Kurds and the "Syrian Democratic Forces".

Meanwhile, Russia has remained largely silent on these recent developments, and instead has been focusing on the "peace process".

What's really going on? Join us today and find out, as we reveal the rather prosaic (if at times disturbing) realpolitik behind the flowery narratives.

Running Time: 01:18:58

Download: MP3

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Chess

Turkey will allow German visit only if they deny recognition of Armenian genocide


RT
Mon, 29 Aug 2016 18:02 UTC
The Turkish authorities will allow German lawmakers to visit
Incirlik airbase
© AP photo/Emrah GurelIncirlik Airbase, the hotbed of controversy and speculation
Incirlik airbase only if they openly reject the results of the parliamentary resolution that recognized the 1915 massacre of Armenians as "genocide," Turkey's Foreign Ministry has said. "It depends on the steps taken by Germany. If they take the necessary steps, we will enable this visit [to Incirlik]," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at a news conference in Ankara, when asked about granting German lawmakers permission to access the base, Reuters reported.

Turkish Foreign Ministry officials specified that the "necessary steps" involve the German government distancing itself from the resolution calling the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman forces genocide. The resolution was adopted by an overwhelming majority in the Bundestag in early June. "But unfortunately I have to say that those that mingle and manipulate our history in an unfair manner cannot be allowed on this visit,"Cavusoglu said.

The German authorities were initially denied access to the base, located at the Syrian frontier, following the escalation of tensions between the two countries triggered by the German parliament's decision. The base is used by six German surveillance jets and a refueling tanker backing the US-led coalition's operations against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants in Syria.

In response, a number of German lawmakers threatened to withdraw forces from airstrike operations. There were no immediate comments from the German Foreign Ministry following the statement made by Cavusoglu.

Comment: It's unlikely that the potential visit has much to do with the Armenian genocide. More likely it is being used, on both ends, as a public dialog to speak on more concealed matters.

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Eye 2

Pepe Escobar: The whole game is about containing Russia-China

Pepe Escobar
Sputnik
Mon, 29 Aug 2016 18:36 UTC
china russia flags
© Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters
The next BRICS summit, in Goa, is less than two months away. Compared to only two years ago, the geopolitical tectonic plates have moved with astonishing speed. Most BRICS nations are mired in deep crisis; Brazil's endles political/economic/institutional debacle may yield the Kafkaesque impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff.

BRICS is in a coma. What's surviving is RC: the Russia/China strategic partnership. Yet even the partnership seems to be in trouble — with Russia still attacked by myriad metastases of Hybrid War. The — Exceptionalist — Hegemon remains powerful, and the opposition is dazed and confused.

Or is it?

Slowly but surely — see for instance the possibility of an ATM (Ankara-Tehran-Moscow) coalition in the making — global power continues to insist on shifting East. That goes beyond Russia's pivoting to Asia; Germany's industrialists are just waiting for the right political conjunction, before the end of the decade, to also pivot to Asia, conforming a BMB (Berlin-Moscow-Beijing) coalition.
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Bullseye

Circus trial: Brazilian senate continues impeachment hearing against Dilma Rousseff


teleSUR
Sat, 27 Aug 2016 00:00 UTC
roussef impeachment
The day previous saw senators accuse each other of corruption and even drug use.

The third day of the impeachment trial against the suspended Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff started early Saturday, a day after the session was suspended following a Senate session that the chamber's president said made the institution look like a "psychiatric hospital."

Testimony from Rousseff's defense begin again today, including one from former Planning Minister Nelson Barbosa and Ricardo Ribeiro Lodi, a Law professor at the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ).

The special impeachment commission inside the Senate argues that Rousseff should be ousted because she signed three decrees without approval from Congress, and allegedly manipulated public accounts in 2014 before her reelection.

However, a June Senate report proved the allegations were false, after she was already forced to step down as president in May in a move that has been widely condemned as a coup.

According to former Finance Minister Nelson Barbosa, Rousseff "strictly followed the law" and the impeachment against her a purely "political decision."

"In my view, there is no basis for criminal responsibility of the President of the Republic, or the issue of decrees, or the issue of payment of liabilities with public banks," he said.

Comment:

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