Puppet MastersS


Info

Before new ceasefire begins, more clashes near Donetsk kill two more Ukrainian troops

Donetsk rebels stand next to an armored military vehicle
Donetsk rebels stand next to an armored military vehicle on the front line near the eastern Ukrainian town of Svitlodarsk on December 19.
Shelling, mortar fire, and heavy gunfire continued in eastern Ukraine, with at least two more government soldiers killed amid the latest outburst of fighting in the region.

Andriy Lysenko, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, said in a statement on December 23 that three troops had also been injured in the past 24 hours.

Lysenko said the fighting occurred amid an offensive by Russia-backed insurgents southeast of the city of Donetsk.


Comment: Notice the terminology of "Russia-backed insurgents" instead of something like Ukraine rebels. There is no evidence proving Russia is supporting the rebels. But Russia does send aid: Russian Emergencies Ministry sends humanitarian aid, New Year presents to residents of Eastern Ukraine


Comment: How long will this new ceasefire last? Defeated in Syria, NATO is now ramping up Ukraine project and Eastern Ukraine situation remains tense as Ukrainian military refuses to uphold Minsk agreements


Attention

The Daily Mail Snopes Story And Fact Checking The Fact Checkers

Facts
© Shutterstock
Yesterday afternoon a colleague forwarded me an article from the Daily Mail, asking me if it could possibly be true. The article in question is an expose on Snopes.com, the fact checking site used by journalists and citizens across the world and one of the sites that Facebook recently partnered with to fact check news stories on its platform. The Daily Mail's article makes a number of claims about the site's principles and organization, drawing heavily from the proceedings of a contentious divorce between the site's founders and questioning whether the site could possibly act as a trusted and neutral arbitrator of the "truth."

When I first read through the Daily Mail article I immediately suspected the story itself must certainly be "fake news" because of how devastating the claims were and that given that Snopes.com was so heavily used by the journalistic community, if any of the claims were true, someone would have already written about them and companies like Facebook would not be partnering with them. I also noted that despite having been online for several hours, no other major mainstream news outlet had written about the story, which is typically a strong sign of a false or misleading story. Yet at the same time, the Daily Mail appeared to be sourcing its claims from a series of emails and other documents from a court case, some of which it reproduced in its article and, perhaps most strangely, neither Snopes nor its principles had issued any kind of statement through its website or social media channels disclaiming the story.

Snow Globe Xmas

France to deploy over 91,000 police and soldiers during X-mas & New Year celebrations, according to interior minister

French police market Christmas
© Jean-Paul Pelissier / ReutersFrench police officers patrol the Christmas market at the Old Harbour as emergency security measures continue in Marseille, France, December 22, 2016.
France will deploy tens of thousands of soldiers and police officers during Christmas and New Year's celebrations, its interior minister said, adding that the terrorist threat "is high" in the wake of recent attacks.

"For the end of year festivities, and especially Christmas weekend, there will be more than 91,000 members of the security forces deployed including members of the national police, national gendarmes and soldiers, as part of Operation Sentinel," Interior Minister Bruno Le Roux said.

Operation Sentinel was launched by the French Army in the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo attacks back in January of 2015 and the later Paris attacks.

Bizarro Earth

Pro-Russian US Alt-Right wants alliance and influence

© The OnionGoal: Free white nations from global control.
"Our ultimate goal is to free every white nation from (((globalist))) control and whatever road we have to take to get there, is the road worth taking.""Because of its central importance, we should push the alliance with Russia even if it means the end of NATO."

The new kid on the block in American politics, the Alt-Right carries weight, and is influential well beyond its size, which is substantial, numbering in the millions of politically active young white men and active in social media. The best article we have seen on this phenomenon, is the one written for RI, which gives details on just how large and influential the Alt-Right tsunami has become, where it came from, and why it is so influential. The original title of this article was: A New Ostpolitik: An Alt-Right Agenda for Foreign Policy and appeared on a leading Alt-Right website, Fash the Nation.

As a movement generally opposed to interventionism and foreign adventures the Alt-Right stands out from the dominant schools of foreign policy that have, until recently, prevailed in the United States since the Second World War.

Indeed, for many on the alt-right, foreign policy is a distraction more than anything else, a domain where neocons run amok and wars are waged to make the world safe for democracy. Foreign policy is also the domain of the elites, something debated by those with access or influence with those who hold the levers of power. All discussions about international relations have the stink of the beltway on them to a greater or lesser degree. Before the ascension of Donald Trump to the presidency, any aspects of an Alt-Right foreign policy were always reflections of our domestic priorities. With Trump's victory however, we actually have a president who might do some of things we want, even if our reasons differ from Trump's.

Comment: Uh, no pressure there...! While some of the ideas posted by Alt-Right may be reasonable and feasible, it is by-and-large a race-based faction trying to sway and control politicians and the narrative for specific outcomes that benefit themselves. In the language of "white identity - white interests" we get a sense of supremacy, privilege and priority. And, this white nationalism is as destructive as any other societal model, maybe more so in terms of a global picture. Check out the 'persuasive' video below:


Alt-Right criteria for being part of the movement, as stated:
  1. Rejection of the idea of equality of races in terms of ability and the desirability of racial integration.
  2. Criticism of influence of Jewish elites on society.
  3. Rejection of Cultural Marxism, in particular: feminism, changing gender roles, multi-culturalism, and white guilt.
  4. Rejection of neocon ideology in American foreign policy.



Whistle

'Give a dog a bad name': Why Russia is always presumed guilty

Give a dog...
© QuotesCover.com
I don't think I've heard the old saying 'Give a dog a bad name...' for many years. The missing words were '...and hang him'. It used to be common, a caution against prejudice. Maybe it's been driven out of use by the seemingly universal belief in the rival maxim that 'there's no smoke without fire', which most people who've tried to light fires on a wet camping expedition will know to be downright untrue. I think the expression 'They can't do that here' has gone the same way. These days they 'can' do that here, and they do.

It's all part of the general disappearance of the presumption of innocence, not just in law but in life, an increasing belief that, whether the subject is climate change, foreign policy or paedophiles, how you feel is far more important than what you know -and that the authorities must know what they're doing.

For instance, I get attacked here for being skeptical of claims made by spy organisations, as if this is disrespectful and even irreverent. One of these days I really must review Graham Greene's Our Man in Havana here. If only more people had read this wonderful book, about the readiness of intelligent, serious people to be fooled when it suits them, we might have avoided British involvement in Iraq.

But people in politics and journalism need to be a bit more careful than that. Are we too inclined to act as if we know things we don't know? Now, I don't struggle to believe that Russian intelligence agencies may have hacked the US Democratic National Committee and leaked some of the results. Moscow cannot have been hoping for Hillary Clinton to win the Presidential Election. But it is a long way from 'they may very well have done it' to 'they did it' and so far I have not seen anything resembling a 'fact'. The CIA's supposed findings are 'still-classified' according to the International New York Times of today (12th December) pages 1 and 6. So we cannot study them.

Comment: As in all constructs in Western thinking, ideology, religious precepts...if you are susceptible to the initial premise, you are likely to buy into and justify the rest. Propaganda counts on it.


Cult

Is Killary behind Russian Ambassador's murder?

Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton
I was taught to always look for two things in every crime: who has a motive and who has the tools to realize their criminal plans. Based on these two principles, I am inclined to believe that there is great probability that Hillary Clinton is personally behind the murder of our ambassador to Turkey.

The former Secretary of State and presidential candidate had a very serious motive to order this crime. This motive is not rational, but this does not mean that it is any less serious. This motive is exacting personal revenge on the Russian president. But let's start with the other question: did Hillary Clinton have the capability of organize the murder of the Russian ambassador? Yes.

Turkish authorities are already saying that the murder was linked to the Fethullah Gulen's secret organization which is famous for its close ties to the CIA and US State Department. As experts following Islamic organizations are saying, the claim that the armed Jaish al-Fath opposition coalition (earlier known as Al-Nusra) had taken responsibility for Andrey Karlov's murder turned out to be a fake.

Putting all of these factors together, the theory that the murderer worked for Gulen's organization is more convincing. This organization's links to the CIA and State Department are well known. They include financing as well as legal, organizational, and informational support. No wonder Gulen has lived in the US for many years and American authorities refuse to extradite this "preacher" to Turkey.

If the killer really is from this organization, and this is precisely what Turkish authorities are saying, then there are only two variants to explain what happened: (1) either Gulen has gone insane and lost all fear and sense of self-preservation and decided to sanction the murder of the Russian ambassador without approval from his American sponsors and old friends, or (2) he got permission or even the order from someone to organize this assassination.

Attention

Okinawa governor leads the masses in protest against US military bases, 'No ospreys in our skies!'

Okinawa protest
© Ruptly/RT'No ospreys in our skies!"
Thousands of Okinawa residents have gathered to protest the presence of American helipads and US forces on the island, despite a historical handover of nearly 10,000 acres of Japanese land that the US has used as a military base since WWII.

On Thursday the Japanese government held a ceremony to mark the US military's return of the largest tract of land in Okinawa. Some 4,000 hectares of forest area was reverted to Japanese control, with the US military given the privilege to still administer the area.

Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga was absent from the event as he opposed the conditions of the transfer deal. In 1996, Japan and the United States agreed on the land reversion in exchange for allowing six new helipads to be built in the retained portion of US-controlled land.

To oppose the US military presence on the island, Onaga instead led a demonstration of over 4,000 activists in Nago who joined in with protests against the helipads. Demonstrators carried banners that read "get out marines", and "no base Henoko," as they were watched by lines of police.



Comment: It is way past time for the US to pack up and leave, but they won't. Japan's proximity to China and Asia make it well worth sacrificing the health, well being and sanctity of the Okinawans. See also: US military prepping for largest Okinawa land return in 40 years


Star of David

UNSC passes resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlement building on occupied Palestinian land

West bank settlements
© Baz Ratner / ReutersA general view shows a construction site in the Israeli settlement of Efrat, in the occupied West Bank December 22, 2016.
The UN Security Council has passed a resolution demanding an end to the construction of Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian territories after the US abstained from voting.

The resolution was introduced to the UNSC by New Zealand, Malaysia, Venezuela and Senegal on Friday, a day after Egypt withdrew reportedly under pressure from Israel and US President-elect Donald Trump.

Earlier, Trump and Israeli authorities also called on the US to veto the resolution. The document was eventually adopted with 14 of 15 UNSC members voting in favor. The US was the only nation to abstain from voting.

Comment: And the crybabies are lashing out, predictably:
Israel has called in ambassadors from New Zealand and Senegal, the two countries that initiated the new UN Security Council resolution on settlements, for consultations, the Office of the Israeli Prime Minister informed in a statement.

Israel's Foreign Ministry has been instructed to cancel all Senegal aid programs, the Friday statement says.
And, of course, Netanyahu has to put in his two cents:
Israel will not abide by the UN Security Council's demands for Tel Aviv to halt its settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian lands, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.

"Israel rejects this shameful anti-Israel resolution at the UN and will not abide by its terms," the statement from the PM's office said, according to Reuters.

The Obama administration "failed to protect Israel against this gang-up at the UN," and what is even worse, "colluded with it behind the scenes," the statement added.

In order to "negate the harmful effects of this absurd resolution," Israel is looking forward to working with President-elect Trump and with "all our friends in Congress, Republicans and Democrats alike."

Earlier, the Israeli ambassador to the council, Danny Danon slammed the vote as a "victory for terror, a victory for hatred and violence."

"Who gave you the right to issue such a decree, denying our eternal rights in Jerusalem?" he added.



Pirates

Moscow: Russian FSB foils extremist cell 'run by foreign emissaries'

FSB arresting terrorists
© Sputnik/ Igor Zarembo
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has detained seven members of the Tablighi Jamaat extremist group. The cell, run by foreign emissaries, was recruiting new followers and planning to establish a 'caliphate' in Russia.

Seven members of the Tablighi Jamaat cell, including its leaders, were detained in a joint operation by the FSB, the police, and the Russian National Guard in the Moscow region, according to an official FSB statement. According to RIA news agency, six out of seven detainees were Kyrgyz citizens while another one was Russian.

The clandestine group took great efforts to stay undercover and took special countermeasures to throw the Russian security services off the scent, security officials said. "The detained members of the Tablighi Jamaat [group] ... were recruiting and brainwashing new members in Russia, studied prohibited [extremist] literature and discussed plans to establish an Islamic 'caliphate' on Russian territory," the FSB said in a statement. The newly-recruited members were then sent to training camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the statement said.


Comment: The fight against terrorist cells is becoming progressively crucial within every country, changing the global equilibrium to one of fear and fragmentation.


Snakes in Suits

Wailing of cowardice - The assassination of the Russian ambassador

Alexander Dugin
© KATEHON.com 2016Alexander Dugin
The murder of the Russian ambassador, Andrey Karlov, is a true tragedy. But this time it will not spoil Russian-Turkish cooperation. This situation is not the same as last year's killing of our pilots, organized by the Gulenist network. The Turkish side, in that case, didn't recognize their fault and didn't apologize from the very beginning. That situation almost destroyed relations between Russia and Turkey.

After the vile murder of our ambassador, the Turkish side sent its apologies to the Russian people and government immediately, within minutes. I personally have received condolences from some very influential politicians from Ankara. Both Turkish and Russian sides showed an intention to continue with our rapprochement.

The perpetrator of this bloody murder has already been identified as a member of the Gulenist network. On the same day, there was a terrorist attack in Germany organized by ISIS, so I think we are witnessing the agony of the Globalist administration, forced to leave the White house. They tried to destroy Russian-Turkish relations on the day of the Electoral College voting. It was their last attack on our strategic partnership.

The reaction of our president, Vladimir Putin, was quite different from the reaction after the downing of our plane as well, because Putin directly blamed the network of Islamic fundamentalists that were behind this murder, and he has shown an understanding of the difficult situation of President Erdogan.