Puppet MastersS


Bad Guys

Paying attention to reality? You're probably a 'Russian propagandist'

Justin Raimondo
AntiWar
Wed, 30 Nov 2016 11:38 UTC
mainstream propaganda
No one outside of a few obsessed cranks would've noticed it if the Washington Post hadn't given it front page prominence last week: a formerly obscure web site, propornot.com, which purports to identify a "Russian active measures" campaign with some very specific goals in mind As Post "reporter" Craig Timberg put it:

"The flood of 'fake news' this election season got support from a sophisticated Russian propaganda campaign that created and spread misleading articles online with the goal of punishing Democrat Hillary Clinton, helping Republican Donald Trump and undermining faith in American democracy, say independent researchers who tracked the operation."

While the Post piece doesn't link directly to the propornot site - because doing so would've exposed its laughably amateurish "methodology" for all to see - Timberg does mention their list of online Boris Badenovs, including not only Antiwar.com but also the Drudge Report, WikiLeaks, David Stockman's Contra Corner, the Ron Paul Institute, LewRockwell.com, Counterpunch, Zero Hedge, Naked Capitalism, Truthdig, Truth-out, and a host of others. These sites, according to the Post, not only promoted a barrage of "fake news" with the aim of defeating Mrs. Clinton, but they did so at the behest of a "centrally-directed" (per propornot) intelligence operation undertaken by the Russians. So what did this "fake news" consist of? Timberg "reports":

Comment: Further reading: Washington Post's Sloppy 'Journalism' Blames Russia for 'Fake News' Crisis and Trump's Win, While Pushing Neo-McCarthyism

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Quenelle - Golden

Defying Western Imperialism: The legacies of Fidel Castro & Bashar Assad

Adam Garrie
The Duran
Wed, 30 Nov 2016 11:56 UTC
CASTRO
The major gains of the Syrian Arab Army in Eastern Aleppo and the death of Fidel Castro may seem unrelated. In reality, these recent events show the world that it is possible to successfully defy western aggression.

Rudyard Kipling's 1888 novel The Man Who Would Be King remains an instructive story for followers of contemporary events. Not only does the novel give an insight into the arrogance of western imperialism, more importantly, it is illustrative of how hubris and ambition can lead people blindly into infamy and failure. This is especially true of those who employ deception in the name of might, in order to achieve their goals.

The plot revolves around two British adventurers who hatch a plot to become Kings of Kafiristan. Everything was going a bit too well until one of the men was set to marry a native woman against her will. Terrified at the thought of being married to a King, she bit her would-be husband causing him to bleed. The people of Kafiristan held that a King cannot bleed, his flesh was thought to be different than that of men. Upon seeing him bleed they knew he was a man and a deceptive one at that. There was no happy ending.

Comment: Further reading:

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Snakes in Suits

Germany braces for controversial ride at G20 helm with Trump on board

Paul Carrel
Reuters
Tue, 29 Nov 2016 22:34 UTC
Performers give a performance during an evening gala for the G20 Summit
© REUTERS/StringerPerformers give a performance during an evening gala for the G20 Summit at West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, September 4, 2016.
Germany takes over the presidency of the G20 leading economies on Thursday, a platform Chancellor Angela Merkel wants to use to safeguard multilateral cooperation under threat following Donald Trump's U.S. election victory.

With the imminent departure of U.S. President Barack Obama, Merkel, who is seeking a fourth term in office next year, is left as the senior leader anchoring a Western alliance shaken by Trump's election win.


Comment: Merkel is concerned about next election - with good reason - her track record is disastrous


"Shaping an Interconnected World" is Germany's motto for its presidency of the G20, which since the global financial crisis took hold in 2008 has been the leading forum for world leaders to coordinate economic policy.

German officials, while acknowledging privately that they will not have an easy ride next year leading the G20, stress that the motto indicates they want to take globalization forward through international cooperation rather than roll it back.

Comment: The Trump election has thrown a wrench at the established status quo:

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Info

Latest Minsk talks fail to reach any new breakthrough on Ukraine conflict


RFE/RL
Tue, 29 Nov 2016 22:18 UTC
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (left) and Jean-Marc Ayrault
© EPAGerman Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (left) and his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault brief journalists after the talks on the crisis in eastern Ukraine in Minsk on November 29.
Talks in Minsk on resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine have ended with the foreign ministers of Russia, Ukraine, France, and Germany all saying no new breakthroughs were made.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the November 29 meeting in the Belarusian capital concluded with negotiators far from reaching a political agreement that includes local elections -- one of the key points of the February 2015 Minsk Agreement.

But Steinmeier said he still hopes for progress on implementing the Minsk accords in order to bring an end to fighting between Ukrainian government forces and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Steinmeier also held out the prospect that full implementation of the measures agreed in Minsk in September 2014 and February 2015 could lead to the lifting of international sanctions imposed against Russia over its role in Ukraine's conflict.
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USA

Anglo-America strikes back against revelation that major Western sports stars are doped to the gills, retrospectively bans dozens more Russian athletes

Rebecca R. Ruiz
New York Times
Mon, 21 Nov 2016 21:49 UTC
Putin James Bond
How Western journalists see President Putin
After disclosures of an extensive, state-run doping program in Russia, sports officials have been retesting urine samples from the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics, in Beijing and London. Their findings have resulted in a top-to-bottom rewriting of Olympics history.

More than 75 athletes from those two Olympics have been found, upon further scrutiny, to be guilty of doping violations. A majority are from Russia and other Eastern European countries. At least 40 of them won medals. Disciplinary proceedings are continuing against other athletes, and the numbers are expected to climb.

Anyone looking at the record books for the Beijing and London Games might think them an illusion. Medals are being stripped from dozens of athletes and redistributed to those who were deprived a spot on the podium.

"The numbers are just impossible, incredible," said Gian-Franco Kasper, an executive board member of the International Olympic Committee. "We lose credibility. Credibility is a major concern."


Comment: Whatever! Everyone in sport knows that everyone else in sport 'dopes'. Fact of life! Don't get all sanctimonious just because it makes you feel good about being a precious Western snowflake.


The results of the retests are coming at a time of intense international scrutiny on Russian athletes. The country's longtime antidoping lab chief in May described an elaborate doping program and cheating scheme, and nearly a third of Russia's Olympic team was barred from the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.


Comment: Yes, indeed, a world first - and a sign of how desperate the Anglo-Americans have become in the face of losing 'their world' to Russia and China.


Comment: Exactly!

So why is Russia being singled out?

Because the world is ruled by psychos who hate Putin ripping their mask off.

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Info

Trump taps anti-Obamacare Tom Price as secretary of Dept of Health and Human Services


RT
Tue, 29 Nov 2016 22:03 UTC
Tom Price
© Joshua Roberts / ReutersTom Price
President-elect Donald Trump has picked Republican Congressman Tom Price of Georgia to be the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

"He is exceptionally qualified to shepherd our commitment to repeal and replace Obamacare and bring affordable and accessible healthcare to every American. I am proud to nominate him as Secretary of Health and Human Services," President-elect Trump wrote in a Facebook post.

If confirmed, Price would replace the current secretary, Sylvia Burwell, who was confirmed in June 2014. The secretary of HHS is 12th in the presidential line of succession, and is tasked with overseeing the provisions of the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare.

An orthopedic surgeon, Price serves as chairman of the House Budget Committee and has been central to efforts to repeal Obamacare.

Comment: With health insurance premiums rising, something has to change with the unAffordable Care Act.

Obamacare premiums jump: When does the death spiral blow up?

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Attention

Peter Thiel insider picked to lead Donald Trump's defense department transition

Lee Fang
The Intercept
Mon, 28 Nov 2016 21:33 UTC
Peter Thiel at the Republican National Convention
© Jeff J Mitchell/Getty ImagesPeter Thiel at the Republican National Convention.
Trae Stephens, a principal at billionaire Peter Thiel's venture capital firm Founders Fund, was appointed last week by Donald Trump to help lead the transition effort at the Defense Department.

Thiel, who made a $1,000,000 donation to a pro-Trump Super PAC, is Trump's highest-profile supporter in Silicon Valley.

At Thiel's Founder Fund, Stephens "focuses on startups operating in the government space," according to his official biography. Before that, he worked at another Thiel-backed firm: Palantir, a highly controversial data analysis firm that is currently competing for Defense Department contracts.

"Trae was an early employee at Palantir Technologies, where he led teams focused on growth in intelligence and defense as well as international expansion," says the biography.

Comment: Stephens is an interesting pick. For some info on what Thiel and company may be up to:

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Propaganda

Super-Fakes: Made in the USA


Katehon
Mon, 28 Nov 2016 00:00 UTC
Fake
© Katehon.com2016Really?
The standard method of information war is blaming others for your own sins. On November 24th, The Washington Post published an article entitled "Russian propaganda effort helped spread 'fake news' during election, experts say". As can be guessed from the title, the article deals with alleged Russian interference in the electoral campaign in the United States. The author of the article states that this was done with the help of "fake news" spread by media located in Russia or sympathetic to Russian politics.

The article mentions the site propornot.com which is presented as an independent platform that contains materials on misinformation. The site has also published a list of media supposedly "spreading Russian propaganda".

The analytical center Katehon can be found on the list, as well as the authors of sites that regularly provide Katehon with their materials and comments such as, for example, Paul Craig Roberts and William Engdahl.

The site's creators claim to be independent. Taking into consideration the lack of professionalism, the CIA or other US intelligence agencies do not stand behind propornot.com. However, its cooperation with the "neoliberal cartel" is quite evident.

Comment: Guess there will be more 'dumbing down' ahead...obviously it did not work on everyone, as exemplified in the enlightened (and disgusted) responses above.

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Snow Globe

Obama's legacy of death and failure: Drones, Libya, Guantanamo, NSA spying, Obamacare...

Mike Shedlock
Mish Talk
Mon, 28 Nov 2016 07:15 UTC
Obama was worthless
© Jokes of the Conservatives Papers
Gallup's Daily Obama Approval Rating poll shows Americans view president Obama consistently higher now than at any time since 2009.

His popularity is more of a reflection on Obama being a likable person, than having likable policies. It's also a reflection on the extreme unpopularity of both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
Obama popularity
© Mish Talk
Complete Failure

Likable or not, Obama's legacy will be one of complete failure. Vox reports The whole Democratic Party is now a smoking pile of rubble.

Vox missed some things, lots of things actually, but the headline is accurate enough.

Everything Obama stood for is about to be undone, except perhaps his drone policy which was a miserable failure and should be undone.
  1. Obamacare Failure
  2. Drone Policy Failure
  3. Trade policy Failure
  4. Libya Failure
  5. NSA Spying Failure
  6. Guantanamo Failure
  7. Russia Failure
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Snakes in Suits

Poor excuses: Pentagon says coalition strike on Syrian army was 'regrettable error' - ignored own intel saying target "couldn't possibly" be ISIS


RT
Tue, 29 Nov 2016 18:13 UTC
Syrian airstrikes
© RT
Airstrikes on September 17 by the US-led coalition, which killed 62 and injured 100 Syrian soldiers in Deir ez-Zor, were the result of an "unintentional, regrettable error," the US Central Command has said.

The mistake was "primarily based on human factors," Brigadier General Richard 'Tex' Coe, who headed the CENTCOM investigation, told reporters in a teleconference on Tuesday.

Russia was notified of the planned strike - for the first time - using the "de-confliction" hotline, but was given the wrong location, Coe said. The target coordinates supplied by the US coalition were 9km (6 miles) off, he said.


Comment: So the Russians were informed, but the U.S. "accidentally" supplied the wrong coordinates. Sure. Either a bunch of inept simpletons are running the Pentagon, or this was intentional.


Comment: They never managed to kill so many terrorists at one time, so how did they manage this? Buncha liars.

Predictably, the U.S. found itself innocent of any violation of international law, denied that they were providing air cover for ISIS, and refused to apologize to the Syrian government. No coalition forces are being charged. Here's one of their "failures":
Among the most striking examples of a missed opportunity to halt the attacks before they began was a statement attributed to an intelligence analyst reviewing video surveillance of the vehicle that was being tracked near Deir el-Zour. Others involved in monitoring the scene had already concluded that it was an IS vehicle, based on the appearance of its occupants.

Coe quoted the unidentified intelligence analyst as saying prior to the decision to attack, "What we're looking at can't possibly be ISIL," using an acronym for the militant group. "At the time," Coe said, "that analysis was not pushed to a larger group or to the final decision makers."

When the vehicle reached a group of other fighters in the area and was treated as friendly, the coalition analysts watching the events for many hours concluded that all present must be Islamic State fighters. The dissenting analysts' opinion was that the vehicle was a tank and therefore unlikely to be part of the IS force. Other analysts, however, noted that IS had recently commandeered a Syrian army tank, so they dismissed the dissenters' conclusion, Coe said.
Some more details released by Coe:
Australian, Danish, British and American planes all took part in the air strike, which the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group has said killed at least 90 regime troops.

Brigadier General Richard Coe, who investigated the case, told reporters that each of the four countries "did employ weapons," dropping a total of 34 guided bombs and firing 380 rounds of 30-mm ammunition.

The targets struck included "defensive fighting positions," vehicles, tents, tunnels and people -- all of which were thought to be legitimate IS targets, he added.
...
Further complicating matters, the troops were not wearing recognizable military uniforms or carrying identifying flags, the Pentagon said.


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