Puppet MastersS


War Whore

War with Russia? Congress close to approving 'no-fly zone' in Syria

Rick Sterling
The Duran
Wed, 23 Nov 2016 08:14 UTC
US Congress
© Reuters/Kevin Lamarque
The rushed passing of HR5732 without debate is indicative that the US establishment has not yet given up on the idea of regime change in Syria.

Late in the day Tuesday November 15, Congress convened in a special session. With normal rules suspended, they passed House Resolution 5732 - the "Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act". The resolution calls for intensifying already harsh sanctions on Syria, assessing implementation of No Fly Zone in Syria and escalating efforts to press criminal charges against Syrian officials.

HR5732 claims to promote a negotiated settlement in Syria but, as analyzed by Friends Committee for National Legislation, imposes preconditions which would actually make that more difficult.

There was 40 minutes of "debate" with six representatives (Royce, Engel, Ros-Lehtinen, Kildee, Smith, and Curbelo) speaking in favor of the resolution. There were few other Congressional representatives present in Congress. The House Foreign Affairs Committee stated that the resolution was passed "unanimously" without mentioning the special conditions.
Read More...
Dominoes

Concerns over 'fake' news already being weaponized by the West to control thought and information

Finian Cunningham
Sputnik
Wed, 23 Nov 2016 18:39 UTC
facebook in eye
© Pixabay
You really know that masses of people are living within a mind-control matrix when the greatest, most pervasive purveyors of fake news denounce others for the practice.

And yet they do so without the slightest hint of awareness about their own monstrous hypocrisy.

"Fake news" has become a hot issue following the surprise US election victory of maverick business tycoon Donald Trump. Supposedly serious Western media outlets have highlighted the spread of hoax stories purporting to be news reports as having swayed the presidential race in Trump's favor against his rival, Democrat career politician Hillary Clinton.

One such hoax "report" was that Pope Francis had allegedly given his blessing to Trump just before the November 8 poll, which presumably prompted some American Catholics on board the Republican's election ticket.

No doubt, the internet is a plentiful source of false rumor and other bizarre, tall stories.

But now, it seems, Western corporate media giants are calling for Facebook and other social networking sites to weed out "fake news". Given how wrong the US media called the election and also their rabid bias against Trump, the hunt for a scapegoat is understandable.
Read More...
Dollars

The monstrous swindle that is NAFTA

David Orchard
Global Research
Mon, 21 Nov 2016 18:09 UTC
US annex canada 1866
In 1854, Canada entered its first free trade (or Reciprocity) treaty with the United States and by 1866 it was clear the Canadian colonies were being absorbed into the US. A bill was introduced in Congress for their admission as "States and Territories of the United States of America."

In that year, however, the US unilaterally abrogated the agreement. In shock, the Canadian colonies decided to unite and create their own economy — "a northern power." On July 1, 1867, the Dominion of Canada was born.

In the following decades, under John A. Macdonald's National Policy, an east-west Canadian economy was fostered, and it prospered. There was no income tax; Georges-Ètienne Cartier, co-founder of Confederation with Macdonald, opposed taxing the population and insisted that government revenue come from duties on imported goods. In 1911, however, Wilfrid Laurier's Liberals proposed free trade with the US. and Conservative finance critic George Foster warned of "deep danger" ahead. "The best kick that Canada ever had," Foster said, was abrogation of the 1854 Reciprocity Treaty. "Canadian nationality" began to develop, using "Canadian resources for Canadian developments" and "Canadian routes for Canadian trade." Then "new blood pulsed in our veins, new hopes... new horizons and new visions." Canadians voted against the free trade proposal.

However, in 1988 Canada entered a free trade agreement with the US (FTA) giving sweeping rights to US corporations to buy up most of the Canadian economy and a clause allowing the US a majority of Canada's total energy supplies even if Canada itself goes short. Canada also committed to never, through any government action, charge Americans more for "any good" exported to the US, than it charges Canadians! In the 1988 election, a majority of Canadians voted for parties opposed to the FTA in what then Prime Minister Brian Mulroney called a referendum on free trade. The people's verdict was not honoured.

Comment: NAFTA was a dry run for the even more monstrous TTP and TTIP. Fortunately, countries around the world have taken a page from Canada's experience, and have refused the deals.

Read More...
War Whore

War in Washington Between Neo-Cons And Libertarians Over Trump's Foreign Policy

Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Sun, 20 Nov 2016 17:51 UTC
Trump contributions
© Mike Segar
In late October, when it was still conventional wisdom that Hillary was "guaranteed" to win the presidency, the WaPo explained that among the neo-con, foreign policy "elites" of the Pentagon, a feeling of calm content had spread: after all, it was just a matter of time before the "pacifist" Obama was out, replaced by the more hawkish Hillary.

As the WaPo reported, "there is one corner of Washington where Donald Trump's scorched-earth presidential campaign is treated as a mere distraction and where bipartisanship reigns. In the rarefied world of the Washington foreign policy establishment, President Obama's departure from the White House — and the possible return of a more conventional and hawkish Hillary Clinton — is being met with quiet relief."
The Republicans and Democrats who make up the foreign policy elite are laying the groundwork for a more assertive American foreign policy via a flurry of reports shaped by officials who are likely to play senior roles in a potential Clinton White House.
Oops.

Not only did the "foreign policy" elite get the Trump "scorched-earth distraction" dead wrong, it now has to scramble to find what leverage - if any - it has in defining Trump's foreign policy. Worse, America's warmongers are now waging war (if only metaphorically: we all know they can't wait for the real thing) against libertarians for direct access to Trump's front door, a contingency they had never planned for.

Comment:

Read More...
Eye 1

Trump insider: Killary along with her aides could still face prosecution

Jerome R. Corsi
World Net Daily
Tue, 22 Nov 2016 00:55 UTC
Killary and Mills
While Donald Trump and spokeswoman Kellyanne Conway have indicated the president-elect has no intention of appointing a special prosecutor to investigate Hillary Clinton's handling of classified information and her family foundation, a Trump insider tells WND the statements should be interpreted narrowly, describing them as a shrewd effort to buy time and foster a spirit of "magnanimity" during the transition period.

Once Trump has taken the oath of office, the insider noted, the decision to launch an investigation rests with the attorney general, who has the power to convene a criminal grand jury or appoint a special prosecutor.

Further, Congress has the power to investigate and recommend the Department of Justice pursue a criminal prosecution.

Regarding the Clinton Foundation and allegations of "pay to play," state attorneys general in states where the charity is registered also would have the authority to launch an investigation.

Comment: Here's South Carolina Congressman Trey Gowdy grilling FBI Directer Jim Comey, with Comey confirming that Hillary Clinton lied repeatedly about her private email server, her deleted emails, her gross negligence with classified information, and more:

Clinton obviously showed intent and consciousness of guilt, as Gowdy points out. She was, and is, obviously guilty. But still, Clinton was let off without even a slap on the wrist, while people in much lower positions of power suffer much harsher consequences for much less egregious behavior of the same type.

Read More...
Stock Up

Western corporations invest billions in Russia as economy returns to growth


RT
Wed, 23 Nov 2016 11:05 UTC
Russia investments
© Yuri Streletc / Sputnik
A number of large Western corporations are increasing investment in Russia, with the country's economy recovering from its deep decline, according to Bloomberg.

Global retailers like Sweden's IKEA and France's Leroy Merlin have started pouring billions of dollars into factories and stores in Russia betting on the potential of the market following two years of recession.

Comment: See also:
  • Putin: Russia's ban on Western foods will last 'as long as possible' protecting its domestic market

Read More...
Chess

S. Carolina governor Nikki Haley Trump pick for UN ambassador

Nahal Toosi and Alex Isenstadt
Politico
Wed, 23 Nov 2016 17:20 UTC
nikki haley trump
© Associated PressSouth Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley
She's a rising star in the Republican Party and is Trump's first female appointee to a Cabinet-level post.

President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday announced that he will nominate South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to be his ambassador to the United Nations.

Haley, 44, a rising star in the Republican Party and a daughter of Indian immigrants, has led South Carolina since 2011. She is Trump's first female appointee to a Cabinet-level post, and she would be taking on a position that requires intense diplomatic and navigational skills in an often-frustrating international bureaucracy.


Comment: Interestingly, she's only the U.S.'s second Asian-American governor


In his statement announcing his decision, Trump called Haley "a proven deal-maker, and we look to be making plenty of deals." He also said the governor has a "track record of bringing people together regardless of background or party affiliation."

"Our country faces enormous challenges here at home and internationally," Haley said in the same statement. "I am honored that the president-elect has asked me to join his team."

Her nomination will have to be confirmed by the Senate.

Comment: More from The Washington Post:

and from the Post and Courier:
"The Trump administration is likely banking on Haley's strong communication and problem-solving skills in being the U.S. representative at the 193-member United Nations in New York.

The governor won praise for her calm handling of the racially-charged Charleston church shooting and historic flood that took place just less than four months apart last year. After the shooting, she persuaded lawmakers to remove the Confederate battle flag that had flown on the Statehouse grounds for more than 50 years.

Haley would need to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. She would succeed Samantha Power, who worked on the National Security Council under President Barack Obama before becoming UN ambassador in 2013.

Haley, who worked in her family's Lexington clothing store before entering politics in 2004, is expected to be paired with Mitt Romney, an ally of the governor and the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, who is a leading candidate to become secretary of state."


Read More...
Bulb

Trump disavows and condemns white nationalist group that celebrated Trump victory with Nazi salutes


RT
Wed, 23 Nov 2016 17:42 UTC
trump white nationalists
© The Atlantic / YouTube
A white nationalist group celebrated the victory of Donald Trump by hosting a weekend conference, calling on the president-elect to implement a 50-year moratorium on "non-European immigration."

Now Trump is disavowing them.

"I disavow and condemn them," President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday during a wide-ranging interview with staff members at The New York Times.

The paper pressed Trump on whether white nationalist groups had helped empower his candidacy, citing a speech over the weekend by Richard Spencer, head of the National Policy Institute.

Spencer opened a meeting of the group, declaring, "Hail Trump! Hail our people! Hail victory!" prompting attendees to stand up and cry, "Heil Trump!" while giving Nazi salutes.

"It's not a group I want to energize, and if they are energized, I want to look into it and find out why," Trump told NYT.
Read More...
Wall Street

Venezuela considers suing JP Morgan for de facto economic blockade


teleSUR
Wed, 23 Nov 2016 17:40 UTC
maduro
© ReutersVenezuela's President Nicolas Maduro speaks during his weekly broadcast "En contacto con Maduro" in La Victoria, Venezuela, Nov. 20, 2016.
The U.S. investment bank claimed that Venezuela's state oil company missed debt payments. The country hasn't missed payments since 2002.

Venezuela may take legal action against U.S. investment bank J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. after the financial institution accused the South American country's state oil corporation of being behind in bond payments — an allegation the company denies.

President Nicolas Maduro has slammed such maneuvers as a de facto financial blockade against the country. He directed the state oil company PDVSA to study the possibility of suing J.P. Morgan over the incident.

The investment bank accused PDVSA Monday of missing bond payments amounting to US$404 million on coupons maturing in 2021, 2024 and 2035. The company maintains that it is exercising its right to a 30-year grace period for one of the payments, but that allegations of the other missed payments were incorrect.

Comment: What's the Real Cause of Venezuela's Economic Crisis? Economic Warfare

Read More...
Stormtrooper

Destabilizing Russia?: US black ops specialists look for work in Chechen anti-terrorism center


RT
Wed, 23 Nov 2016 17:28 UTC
private security contractors
© Nicolas ARNOUX / YouTube
About 10 security specialists from the United States have applied for work in the unique international anti-terrorism training center that is being constructed in Chechnya, the republic's leader has told the press.

"We cannot deny there are people in the United States who have extensive experience of licensed and 'black' special operations in Latin America, Asia and Africa. Private specialists from the USA are interested in our project. My aide who oversees the power bloc in the government, Daniil Martynov, has told me that he had received about 10 applications from US instructors, their names are well known in the professional community and we will study them," Ramzan Kadyrov said in an interview with Interfax.

The Chechen leader emphasized that the vacancies in the counter-terrorist center can only be filled by Americans who work as private specialists because US state agencies have sanctions against them in the republic.

In the same interview, Kadyrov noted that he personally doubted that US Special Forces could teach their Chechen colleagues anything valuable because the Russian team took the first place in the recent 'Annual Warrior' competition in Jordan while the US team failed to get into the best 20 teams.
Read More...