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Paul Craig Roberts: Putin's remarkable State of the Union

Ruski vojni odgovor: Putin - Nitko nas nije slušao, slušajte sada
Putin has given a remarkable address to the Federal Assembly, the Russian People, and the peoples of the world.

In his speech Putin revealed the existence of new Russian nuclear weapons that make it indisputably clear that Russia has vast nuclear superiority over the United States and its pathetic NATO vassal states.

In view of the Russian capabilities, it is not clear that the US any longer qualifies as a superpower.

There is little doubt in my mind that if the crazed neoconservatives and military/security complex in Washington had these weapons and Russia did not, Washington would launch an attack on Russia.

Putin, however, declared that Russia has no territorial ambitions, no hegemonic ambitions, and no intention to attack any other country. Putin described the weapons as the necessary response to the West's firm refusal year after year to accept peace and cooperation with Russia, instead surrounding Russia with military bases and ABM systems.

Comment: Putin Delivers Landmark 'State of The Union' Speech: Puts The Smack Down on US, Shows Off Latest Russian Nuclear Weapons


Snakes in Suits

US State Dept. spokesman snubs journalists during briefing: 'Oh, you're from Russian media? Next question!'

Heather Nauert
© FILE PHOTO: Mandel Ngan / AFP
US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert
US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert's refusal to take questions from Russian TV raised eyebrows, even among US journalists, who took to their Russian colleagues' defense after Nauert implied they are Kremlin agents.

Nauert went on an ill-mannered tirade against the Russian media when she responded to a question from Rossya 1 TV journalist Aleksandr Khristenko during a policy briefing on Thursday. Khristenko asked about the prospects of the US and Russia cooperating on nuclear non-proliferation in light of Russian President Vladimir Putin's remarks during the state-of-the-nation address on Thursday.

In the address, Putin unveiled the newest additions to Russia's nuclear deterrents, including the next-generation Sarmat ICBM that is capable of attacking across the South and North Pole as well as the yet-unnamed nuclear cruise missiles. The speech incorporated videos, which showed missile test launches and a simulation of their trajectory to demonstrate the nearly unlimited range of the ICBMs. The videos did not show the moment of impact or presumable targets of a nuclear-powered strike.

Comment: See how its working now? Everyone - including the press - who dares question anything the US government does now has to think twice about it lest they be accused of "working for RT" or being "an agent of the Kremlin".


Dominoes

US losing 'superiority' as Trump extends Russia sanctions for another year

US President Donald Trump
© Kevin Lamarque / Reuters
US President Donald Trump
President Donald Trump has extended the sanctions against Russia and Russian individuals by another year. The sanctions were imposed by former President Barack Obama in March 2014, in response to the political crisis in Ukraine.

In a letter required under the National Emergencies Act, Trump notified Congress that the White House will continue treating the situation in Ukraine as "an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States," as defined by Obama's Executive Order 13660, dated March 6, 2014.

The US has been gradually expanding the list of people and entities under its Russia sanctions over the years. The latest addition of 21 individuals and nine companies was announced in January 2016.

Comment: See also:


Cowboy Hat

Trump's wild wars at the White House

Hope Hicks and Donald Trump
© Photo: Mark Wallheiser / Getty Images
Hope Hicks on stage with then President-elect Donald Trump during a rally in December, 2016
After a crazy 24 hours, sources close to President Trump say he is in a bad place - mad as hell about the internal chaos and the sense that things are unraveling.

The big picture: Hope Hicks leaving is obviously a huge blow to him. Every time he reads about Attorney General Jeff Sessions, his head explodes. The staff is just trying to ride out the storm.

Propaganda

Vanessa Beeley: US State Dept implores 'mockingbird' media to promote White Helmets

State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert
© Mandel Ngan / AFP
State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert
The information war is perhaps the most fiercely fought in the West to gain influence over the Syria narrative, and recently the US/UK coalition media proxies have been failing miserably.

Western public consensus on Syria appears to have shifted dramatically since Aleppo's liberation in December 2016, which drove a stake through the heart of corporate media misdirection and deception on the Syrian 'crisis.' As Syrian civilians haltingly told their tales of misery, imprisonment, execution, rape and murder under terrorist occupation, the corporate media headed for the hills, unwilling to confront the suffering they had effectively prolonged for over four long years.

Now we have a repeat spin cycle in Eastern Ghouta and other eastern suburbs of Damascus that have been occupied by Al-Nusra Front and its affiliates since 2013. Parallels to the distorted propaganda produced in relation to East Aleppo are unmistakable. The usual UN inflation of civilian numbers, the cries of "chemical weapon attacks," the "starvation" of civilians by the Syrian "regime" and of course the "incessant bombing" of hospitals by Syria and Russia, "targeting exclusively civilians," are as rampant in Western media as they were during the Syrian-led military campaign against many of the same terrorist factions in East Aleppo.

READ MORE: 'Truth is the 1st casualty of war': Syria's East Ghouta battleground distorted by MSM propaganda

Western media "hysteria" has reached unprecedented levels, all manner of analogy is being utilized to convey the message of civilians "driven to their knees" under a "brutal onslaught by Syrian armed forces and allies who are hell-bent on slaughtering the Syrian people" - of course nothing could be further from the truth. As in East Aleppo, there is a high probability that many of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) soldiers giving their lives to liberate Eastern Ghouta from the clutches of Al-Nusra Front affiliates have family in those areas. The SAA is the Syrian people, it is an army of conscripts from all walks of Syrian life. It is not some disembodied Assad-loyalist entity, despite what that Western media would have you believe. It is from the people and it is for the people, it is most certainly not deliberately targeting the people who are being used as human shields by the extremist factions.

Comment: The Syrian government has repeatedly denied any accusations of using chemical weapons, insisting that the country "simply" had none in its possession.
Terrorist groups in Syria's Eastern Ghouta are preparing to stage an attack with the use of chemical weapons and then blame it on the Syrian Arab Army, SANA reported, citing an unnamed military source.

According to the source, speaking on condition of anonymity, the leaders of such groups as Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Nusra Front), Faylaq al-Rahman and Ahrar al-Sham have received instructions from the United States, the United Kingdom and its allies to use chemical agents near the front lines with the Syrian army, as well as to target civilians and accuse Damascus of those actions.

READ MORE: US Mulls Holding Russia Accountable for Situation in Eastern Ghouta

On February 26, the Russian Defense Ministry stated that the leaders of the militant groups were preparing provocation with the use of poisonous substances in Eastern Ghouta in order to accuse Damascus of using chemical weapons.

Earlier the same day, the infamous White Helmets, which have repeatedly falsified facts and information, claimed that the Syrian Government had deployed chlorine gas against the town of Al-Shifoniya town in Eastern Ghouta, killing one child and causing "widespread suffocation" among the local populace, the Anadolu Agency reported.



Rocket

Yeah, right: US 'not surprised' by Russia's new nukes, boasts about own 'unmatched' arsenal (VIDEO)

Russian arms
© Novosti
The US White House and Pentagon have dismissed Russia's new nuclear arsenal as "no surprise." American officials took the opportunity to accuse Russia of treaty violations and boast that their arsenal is "second to none."

"We've been watching Russia for a long time. We're not surprised," said Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White following Vladimir Putin's state of the nation address. Putin had unveiled a new Russian strategic arsenal that he said was bound to make Washington stop looking down on Moscow. Russia's new deterrent, Putin said, is invulnerable to interception.

"America is moving forward to modernize our nuclear arsenal and make sure our capabilities aren't being matched," White bragged in response.

Comment: Some background


Light Saber

Rep. Devin Nunes says FBI may have committed crimes in FISA spying scandal

sessions Trump Nunes
© Washington Press
Jeff Sessions (L) Donald Trump (C) Devin Nunes (R)
Representative Devin Nunes (R-CA) on Thursday states that the Federal Bureau of Investigation may have violated numerous federal statutes in direct ignorance of the law in order to perpetuate their desires to bring down the President of the United States of America and extend their prowess as an all-powerful intelligence agency.

The FBI and DOJ have trampled on the Constitution

We've watched for months now as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been exposed as the behemoth of corruption and criminal wrongdoing in America, misusing the tools available at their discretion to harass American citizens and violate their Constitutional rights.

By using the now-infamous Fusion GPS Dossier, which was funded directly by Hillary Clinton's campaign for President and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) as a grounds to submit a FISA warrant application, the FBI essentially branded itself as an arm of the Democratic Party, and that's outright terrifying.

Comment: That Nunes is committed to the investigation and that Flynn was set up is clear. The author however,may be overly optimistic about the prospects for a real investigation, even with facts as glaring as has been recounted. Only time will tell if Sessions is as noble. or Trump as clever, as the author seems to think.


Mr. Potato

Pelosi repeatedly says incorrect words and awkwardly corrects herself throughout press conference

Nancy Pelosi
© Yuri Gripas / Reuters
Nancy Pelosi's ongoing bizarre behavior may be a key reason why many Democrats are refusing to support her for a potential future leadership position.

As the House Minority Leader spoke to reporters in Thursday, she repeatedly used the wrong word in sentences, awkwardly correcting herself so she was clear to the journalists.

Speaking about new gun control legislation, she said there is a "commensurate bi-partisan - common sense bi-partisan supp, uh, path forward."

Moments later, she repeated words and mistakenly said "tax force," before enunciating "task force."

Comment: No one wants to support Pelosi as she is clearly losing touch with reality, and not quite all there anymore. See also:


Bad Guys

New resolution attempts to pull US support from Saudi-led war on Yemen

Sens. Bernie Sanders and Mike Lee introducing their joint resolution.
© Mark Wilson / Getty Images
Sens. Bernie Sanders and Mike Lee introducing their joint resolution.
A bipartisan resolution was introduced in Congress on Thursday by Sens. Bernie Sanders, Chris Murphy, and Mike Lee, to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition in the war in Yemen.

Why it matters: Yemen has been completely torn apart by the conflict between the Houthi rebel forces and the Saudi-led coalition which supports President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi. The U.S. military has been supporting the Saudi coalition since the Obama administraiton.Sanders, Lee, and Murphy argue that Congress did not approve involvement, and therefore the U.S. should not be involved "beyond providing desperately needed humanitarian aid."


Comment: Since when did the US wait for congress' approval to wage war? And since when were any of the wars they were engaged in 'emergency situations'? And ISIS is the US proxy army in the Middle East who were created to achieve their imperialist goals, so why would the US be interested in actually destroying them?


Attention

A step too far: Mueller is weaponizing unproven DNC & Podesta hack to target POTUS

mueller obama oval office
© Wikimedia Commons
Prosecutors targeting Trump using leftist narratives?

More and more evidence continues to pile up that special counsel Robert Mueller is on the warpath to terminate the presidency of Donald Trump, regardless of the fact that there is no evidence of collusion or criminal behavior that would delegitimize his electoral victory.

Mueller is reportedly asking witnesses whether President Trump knew about the alleged state-sponsored hacking of Democratic emails and Clinton campaign chief John Podesta during the 2016 presidential campaign.

The revelation, first reported by NBC News, may disturb supporters of the president who perceive the Mueller probe as a political witch-hunt against the president.

The report claims Mueller is asking witnesses "whether Trump himself knew then that Clinton's campaign chairman John Podesta ... had already been targeted."

Comment: Even Israel doesn't think so: Israeli intel: Russia didn't hack the DNC