theduran--2020-02-28--US losing its naval supremacy

US losing its naval supremacy

Submitted by InfoBrics , authored by Lucas Leiroz , research fellow in international law at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro… The science of geopolitics commonly makes use of the geographical dualism “ land and sea ” .
The great world powers are thus classified as land-based powers or sea-base powers , according to their attitudes .
A country that chooses to develop on land has a focus on regional growth , demarcated by the land borders of the continent , seeking to affirm a zone of influence in a given location .
The powers that choose to develop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their continental zones , creating zones of influence on any continent they reach by sea .
Traditionally , Russia and China are classified as land powers and the United States of America as a sea power .
The American nation is a historical heir to England , which for a long time reigned sovereign over the oceans .
American geopolitics , therefore , is based on tactics of expansion by the sea , allowing this country to act in areas outside its continent , influencing the whole world and thus guaranteeing its global @ @ @ @ @ @ @ however , that the advancement of the Chinese Navy may definitively end this American naval supremacy .
This week the Chinese fleet in training returned to its base , ending a long and daring journey of more than 40 days across different regions of the Pacific Ocean , an area over which the United States has for long claimed to maintain supremacy .
The mission was a complete and extremely advanced military exercise , with rescue training , cannon fire , missile launch , and ship refueling .
In their fleet , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the guided missile destroyer Hohhot , the Xianning missile frigate , the electronic surveillance vessel Tianshuxing and the refueling vessel Chaganhu .
With the exercise , China crossed the International Date Line , which delimits the West and East zones of the globe .
“ Crossing the International Date Line means that the Chinese Navy is active not only in the Western Pacific Ocean , but that it will gradually advance in the Central and Eastern Pacific ” , said Beijing naval expert Li Jie .
According to this expert , China has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end American naval supremacy in the oceans in the coming years , being able to freely sail through any area , including the Atlantic Ocean .
At first , some may think that China is provoking the US with these acts .
However , in reality , it is a response .
For a long time , American naval supremacy created the false idea that these areas of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans were some kind of “ American territory ” .
This is a myth to be debunked .
The oceans have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them as “ international territories ” – areas over which no state can claim sovereignty .
In addition , Washington ’ s maritime policies are becoming increasingly aggressive in the last years .
Not long ago , the US launched two MQ-4C Triton reconnaissance drones to the Andersen Air Force base , in Guam .
The purpose of the American military with these drones is to publicly spy on the military activities of China and North Korea , capturing surveillance information that is immediately passed on to the Pentagon .
“ The introduction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Seventh Fleet operations increases the scope of maritime patrol and the reconnaissance capabilities of the US Navy in the western Pacific , ” said U.S. Navy Commander Peter Garvin .
These drones have a range of 13,000 kilometers and can fly for up to 24 hours , according to data from the Military Watch .
Its relentless work in the peaceful zone will collect more intelligence information about China and North Korea than any other technology used so far for the same function .
Also this year , the United States sent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a disputed territory in southern China , in response to the installation of Chinese military bases in the region .
The Americans call these maneuvers “ freedom of navigation operations ” and claim they are peaceful maritime movements .
However , what would be the “ peaceful interest ” in sending highly equipped battleships to areas occupied by a regional power in its continental surroundings ?
The distinction between a sea-based potency and a land-based potency can be clearly seen here .
China claims sovereignty over a series of islands close to its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The USA , however , with its maritime geopolitics , tries to intervene in areas completely outside its continental territory and acts as a global police , monitoring the military operations of any country in the world .
At the end of last year , Beijing officially demanded that the United States cease its “ freedom of navigation operations ” on islands in the sea of South China , classifying such operations as provocative .
Washington has arbitrarily ignored the Chinese requirement and is now dealing with a simple response from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first time , carried out maritime operations of the same content .
What we are witnessing is the change in China ’ s attitude towards its geopolitics , from a terrestrial program to a program of greater attention to the seas .
It is likely that in a short time Beijing will be disputing the sovereignty of the oceans with the USA and this will allow other countries to undertake projects of the same nature , creating a truly multipolar sea .

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
Submitted by InfoBrics, authored by Lucas Leiroz, research fellow in international law at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro…
The science of geopolitics commonly makes use of the geographical dualism “land and sea”. The great world powers are thus classified as land-based powers or sea-base powers, according to their attitudes. A country that chooses to develop on land has a focus on regional growth, demarcated by the land borders of the continent, seeking to affirm a zone of influence in a given location. The powers that choose to develop by the sea tend to expand outside their continental zones, creating zones of influence on any continent they reach by sea.
Traditionally, Russia and China are classified as land powers and the United States of America as a sea power. The American nation is a historical heir to England, which for a long time reigned sovereign over the oceans. American geopolitics, therefore, is based on tactics of expansion by the sea, allowing this country to act in areas outside its continent, influencing the whole world and thus guaranteeing its global hegemonic power.
It turns out, however, that the advancement of the Chinese Navy may definitively end this American naval supremacy. This week the Chinese fleet in training returned to its base, ending a long and daring journey of more than 40 days across different regions of the Pacific Ocean, an area over which the United States has for long claimed to maintain supremacy. The mission was a complete and extremely advanced military exercise, with rescue training, cannon fire, missile launch, and ship refueling. In their fleet, the Chinese carried several equipment, such as the guided missile destroyer Hohhot, the Xianning missile frigate, the electronic surveillance vessel Tianshuxing and the refueling vessel Chaganhu.
With the exercise, China crossed the International Date Line, which delimits the West and East zones of the globe. “Crossing the International Date Line means that the Chinese Navy is active not only in the Western Pacific Ocean, but that it will gradually advance in the Central and Eastern Pacific”, said Beijing naval expert Li Jie. According to this expert, China has demonstrated that it has sufficient capacity to end American naval supremacy in the oceans in the coming years, being able to freely sail through any area, including the Atlantic Ocean.
At first, some may think that China is provoking the US with these acts. However, in reality, it is a response. For a long time, American naval supremacy created the false idea that these areas of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans were some kind of “American territory”. This is a myth to be debunked. The oceans have their own legal status, which places them as “international territories” – areas over which no state can claim sovereignty. In addition, Washington’s maritime policies are becoming increasingly aggressive in the last years.
Not long ago, the US launched two MQ-4C Triton reconnaissance drones to the Andersen Air Force base, in Guam. The purpose of the American military with these drones is to publicly spy on the military activities of China and North Korea, capturing surveillance information that is immediately passed on to the Pentagon. “The introduction of the MQ-4C Triton in the area of Seventh Fleet operations increases the scope of maritime patrol and the reconnaissance capabilities of the US Navy in the western Pacific,” said U.S. Navy Commander Peter Garvin. These drones have a range of 13,000 kilometers and can fly for up to 24 hours, according to data from the Military Watch. Its relentless work in the peaceful zone will collect more intelligence information about China and North Korea than any other technology used so far for the same function.
Also this year, the United States sent a warship to the Spratly Islands, a disputed territory in southern China, in response to the installation of Chinese military bases in the region. The Americans call these maneuvers “freedom of navigation operations” and claim they are peaceful maritime movements. However, what would be the “peaceful interest” in sending highly equipped battleships to areas occupied by a regional power in its continental surroundings?
The distinction between a sea-based potency and a land-based potency can be clearly seen here. China claims sovereignty over a series of islands close to its territory, which make up its subcontinent. The USA, however, with its maritime geopolitics, tries to intervene in areas completely outside its continental territory and acts as a global police, monitoring the military operations of any country in the world.
At the end of last year, Beijing officially demanded that the United States cease its “freedom of navigation operations” on islands in the sea of South China, classifying such operations as provocative. Washington has arbitrarily ignored the Chinese requirement and is now dealing with a simple response from the Asian country, which, for the first time, carried out maritime operations of the same content.
What we are witnessing is the change in China’s attitude towards its geopolitics, from a terrestrial program to a program of greater attention to the seas. It is likely that in a short time Beijing will be disputing the sovereignty of the oceans with the USA and this will allow other countries to undertake projects of the same nature, creating a truly multipolar sea.
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theduran--2020-02-28--Erdoğan Unleashes New Migrant Crisis in Europe

Submitted by InfoBrics , authored by Paul Antonopoulos , Research Fellow at the Center for Syncretic Studies… At least 33 Turkish soldiers who were illegally operating in Syria ’ s Idlib province were killed and another 35 injured by a Syrian military attack on Thursday night .
The attack came just days before Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ’ s end of month deadline for the Syrian Army to forfeit the large swathes of area it has liberated from Turkish-backed jihadists and to return to positions it held at the beginning of the year .
The powerful assault suggests that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ withdraw from any positions it holds on its own land and is willing to engage the Turkish military , even under threat of a full-scale war .
Although Russia has denied any involvement in the attack , hundreds of Turks congregated at the Russian consulate in the middle of the night chanting “ Russian Killers , Putin Killer.
” Despite this , Ankara has ignored the emotions of the people and thus far has only blamed the Syrian government for the “ nefarious attack against heroic soldiers in Idlib who were there to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ described by Turkish director of communications Fahrettin Altun in a statement .
Of course , this is a long stretch to claim that Turkey is in Idlib to ensure natural security as they are the main backers of terrorist organizations like ISIS and the Al-Qaeda affiliated Al-Nusra and Turkistan Islamic Party .
Although they claim the Kurdish People ’ s Protection Units are a threat to Turkey ’ s national security , they have no presence in Idlib , meaning the notion that Turkey ’ s national security is under threat in Idlib @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is part of a project for a neo-Ottoman Empire .
Although Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu spoke to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg following the Syrian attack in the hope of invoking Article 5 and forcing NATO members into Erdoğan ’ s adventurism in Idlib , Article 6 explicitly excludes Article 5 being invoked in areas outside of NATO members territory .
As Article 5 can not be invoked , Stoltenberg made a weak condemnation against both Syria and Russia and said “ defusing the tension , all sides should prevent this terrible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from getting worse.
” Despite cold relations over the past few years , the U.S. has continued taking advantage of tense relations between Moscow and Ankara with a State Department representative saying “ We stand by our NATO Ally Turkey and continue to call for an immediate end to this despicable offensive by the Assad regime , Russia , and Iranian-backed forces.
” This was followed up by U.S. ambassador to NATO , Kay Bailey Hutchison , saying that Turkey should see “ who is their reliable partner and who isn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Erdoğan will see that we are the ally of their past and their future and they need to drop the S-400.
” Washington is taking every opportunity to firmly put Turkey back into the NATO sphere even if it is acting independent of NATO and after Ankara ’ s short-lived flirtation with multipolarity .
Even though Antonio Guterres , Secretary General of the United Nations , repeated his call for a ceasefire in Idlib following the attack , the Syrian Army are unlikely to halt their operation to clear the northwest province @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as Erdoğan ’ s deadline approaches , the Turkish president is likely to weaponize the high casualty rate of Turkish soldiers in Idlib to justify a direct war with Syria and get the general population into an emotional frenzy , bypassing any calls for a ceasefire that will likely be rejected by Syria anyway .
Although NATO made a weak response to Turkey , the EU also responded weakly by offering condolences as Erdoğan opens his country ’ s borders for 72 hours , allowing tens of thousands of illegal immigrants to flood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , violating the 2016 EU-Turkey refugee deal .
Effectively Erdoğan has once again weaponized refugees to blackmail the EU despite the latter having no involvement in Idlib .
Spearheading this migrant flow into Europe in response to the Syrian attack on Turkish soldiers is the Turkish Intelligence Agency MIT who were directly transporting illegal immigrants with buses to the border regions .
Erdoğan hopes that by flooding Europe with illegal immigrants it will force the EU to become more involved in Idlib against the Syrian government and Russia .
However , as many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is unlikely to work as frontline EU states like Greece and Bulgaria will only have more hostile relations with Turkey and are not wanting to get involved in Syria for the sake of Erdoğan ’ s dreams .
Close ally of Erdoğan , Nationalist Movement Party ( MHP ) Chairman Devlet Bahçeli , and Justice and Development ( AK ) Party Spokesman Omer Çelik , demanded overnight that NATO become involved .
But as Turkey is going to flood two NATO members with illegal migrants and violates Greek airspace on a daily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ widespread support .
Although Washington is taking every advantage of Turkey ’ s spat with Russia to mend relations , it also unlikely that the U.S. will want to risk a potential conflict with Russia over Idlib and Erdoğan , and will probably limit its support to intelligence , weapons and diplomacy if Turkey is to go to war with Syria .
But what is for certain , Turkey will not find massive support for any adventurism in Syria from NATO as it hopes to achieve and rather it will make many NATO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aggressive policy towards Syria .

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
Submitted by InfoBrics, authored by Paul Antonopoulos, Research Fellow at the Center for Syncretic Studies…
At least 33 Turkish soldiers who were illegally operating in Syria’s Idlib province were killed and another 35 injured by a Syrian military attack on Thursday night. The attack came just days before Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s end of month deadline for the Syrian Army to forfeit the large swathes of area it has liberated from Turkish-backed jihadists and to return to positions it held at the beginning of the year. The powerful assault suggests that the Syrian Army has no intentions to withdraw from any positions it holds on its own land and is willing to engage the Turkish military, even under threat of a full-scale war.
Although Russia has denied any involvement in the attack, hundreds of Turks congregated at the Russian consulate in the middle of the night chanting “Russian Killers, Putin Killer.” Despite this, Ankara has ignored the emotions of the people and thus far has only blamed the Syrian government for the “nefarious attack against heroic soldiers in Idlib who were there to ensure our national security,” as described by Turkish director of communications Fahrettin Altun in a statement.
Of course, this is a long stretch to claim that Turkey is in Idlib to ensure natural security as they are the main backers of terrorist organizations like ISIS and the Al-Qaeda affiliated Al-Nusra and Turkistan Islamic Party. Although they claim the Kurdish People’s Protection Units are a threat to Turkey’s national security, they have no presence in Idlib, meaning the notion that Turkey’s national security is under threat in Idlib has to be rejected and rather this is part of a project for a neo-Ottoman Empire.
Although Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu spoke to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg following the Syrian attack in the hope of invoking Article 5 and forcing NATO members into Erdoğan’s adventurism in Idlib, Article 6 explicitly excludes Article 5 being invoked in areas outside of NATO members territory. As Article 5 cannot be invoked, Stoltenberg made a weak condemnation against both Syria and Russia and said “defusing the tension, all sides should prevent this terrible situation and humanitarian conditions in the region from getting worse.”
Despite cold relations over the past few years, the U.S. has continued taking advantage of tense relations between Moscow and Ankara with a State Department representative saying “We stand by our NATO Ally Turkey and continue to call for an immediate end to this despicable offensive by the Assad regime, Russia, and Iranian-backed forces.” This was followed up by U.S. ambassador to NATO, Kay Bailey Hutchison, saying that Turkey should see “who is their reliable partner and who isn’t” and expressed her “hope that President Erdoğan will see that we are the ally of their past and their future and they need to drop the S-400.” Washington is taking every opportunity to firmly put Turkey back into the NATO sphere even if it is acting independent of NATO and after Ankara’s short-lived flirtation with multipolarity.
Even though Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, repeated his call for a ceasefire in Idlib following the attack, the Syrian Army are unlikely to halt their operation to clear the northwest province of Turkish-backed terrorist forces. Rather, as Erdoğan’s deadline approaches, the Turkish president is likely to weaponize the high casualty rate of Turkish soldiers in Idlib to justify a direct war with Syria and get the general population into an emotional frenzy, bypassing any calls for a ceasefire that will likely be rejected by Syria anyway.
Although NATO made a weak response to Turkey, the EU also responded weakly by offering condolences as Erdoğan opens his country’s borders for 72 hours, allowing tens of thousands of illegal immigrants to flood to the borders of Greece and Bulgaria, violating the 2016 EU-Turkey refugee deal. Effectively Erdoğan has once again weaponized refugees to blackmail the EU despite the latter having no involvement in Idlib. Spearheading this migrant flow into Europe in response to the Syrian attack on Turkish soldiers is the Turkish Intelligence Agency MIT who were directly transporting illegal immigrants with buses to the border regions. Erdoğan hopes that by flooding Europe with illegal immigrants it will force the EU to become more involved in Idlib against the Syrian government and Russia.
However, as many EU members are also NATO members, it is unlikely to work as frontline EU states like Greece and Bulgaria will only have more hostile relations with Turkey and are not wanting to get involved in Syria for the sake of Erdoğan’s dreams. Close ally of Erdoğan, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chairman Devlet Bahçeli, and Justice and Development (AK) Party Spokesman Omer Çelik, demanded overnight that NATO become involved. But as Turkey is going to flood two NATO members with illegal migrants and violates Greek airspace on a daily basis, it is unlikely to find widespread support.
Although Washington is taking every advantage of Turkey’s spat with Russia to mend relations, it also unlikely that the U.S. will want to risk a potential conflict with Russia over Idlib and Erdoğan, and will probably limit its support to intelligence, weapons and diplomacy if Turkey is to go to war with Syria. But what is for certain, Turkey will not find massive support for any adventurism in Syria from NATO as it hopes to achieve and rather it will make many NATO members criticize Turkey’s one-sided and aggressive policy towards Syria.
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theduran--2020-03-01--Tulsi BLASTS Erdogan, calls him “expansionist dictator of Turkey” (Video)

The Duran Quick Take : Episode 485 .
Tulsi Gabbard posted a video on social media , directed to US President Trump , and addressing Erdogan ’ s latest games in Syria , calling on Trump to “ make it clear to NATO and Erdogan that the United States will not be dragged into a war with Russia by the aggressive , Islamist , expansionist dictator of Turkey , a so-called ‘ NATO ’ ally.
” Subscribe to The Duran on YouTube – Find us on BitChute .
The Duran Audio Podcast : Follow on Soundcloud – Subscribe on iTunes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stubbornly keep referring to armed groups dominated by an Al-Qaeda offshoot in Syria ’ s Idlib province as ‘ rebels ’ only disgrace themselves and their country , US Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has said .
Gabbard , who is one of the Democratic Party contenders in the 2020 presidential race , castigated American mainstream media and Trump administration officials for a consistent effort to whitewash the extremists entrenched in the north-western province of Idlib – Syria ’ s last major stronghold of anti-government forces .
Such actions betray the memory of the 9/11 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tragedies in modern American history , she said .
The corporate media needs to stop referring to Al-Qaeda and their affiliated groups in Idlib as ‘ rebels ’ in a deceptive effort to make them seem like freedom fighters .
I and thousands of Americans enlisted after Al-Qaeda ’ s attack on 9/11 .
The media and the Trump administration ’ s continued labelling of these terrorists as ‘ rebels ’ is a disgrace and dishonor for all our men and women in uniform and our entire country .
In her address , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demanded that US President Donald Trump refrain from aiding Turkey in what she called its “ invasion of northern Syria , ” which she said might lead the US to a conflict with Russia .
She also called on Congress to pass her Stop Arming Terrorists Act , which would bar Washington from assisting countries supporting terrorist groups .
The US special representative , James Jeffrey , recently stated that he had not seen Hayat Tahrir al-Sham – an Al-Qaeda offshoot controlling most part of militant-held Idlib – “ planning or carrying out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ referring to a group already designated a terrorist one in the US itself , provoked an angry reaction from Moscow , which called it “ absolutely unacceptable .
”

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
The Duran Quick Take: Episode 485. Tulsi Gabbard posted a video on social media, directed to US President Trump, and addressing Erdogan’s latest games in Syria, calling on Trump to “make it clear to NATO and Erdogan that the United States will not be dragged into a war with Russia by the aggressive, Islamist, expansionist dictator of Turkey, a so-called ‘NATO’ ally.”
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Via RT…
The US media and officials who stubbornly keep referring to armed groups dominated by an Al-Qaeda offshoot in Syria’s Idlib province as ‘rebels’ only disgrace themselves and their country, US Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has said.
Gabbard, who is one of the Democratic Party contenders in the 2020 presidential race, castigated American mainstream media and Trump administration officials for a consistent effort to whitewash the extremists entrenched in the north-western province of Idlib – Syria’s last major stronghold of anti-government forces. Such actions betray the memory of the 9/11 terrorist attack, one of the worst tragedies in modern American history, she said.
The corporate media needs to stop referring to Al-Qaeda and their affiliated groups in Idlib as ‘rebels’ in a deceptive effort to make them seem like freedom fighters. I and thousands of Americans enlisted after Al-Qaeda’s attack on 9/11. The media and the Trump administration’s continued labelling of these terrorists as ‘rebels’ is a disgrace and dishonor for all our men and women in uniform and our entire country.
In her address, published on Twitter, the congresswoman also demanded that US President Donald Trump refrain from aiding Turkey in what she called its “invasion of northern Syria,” which she said might lead the US to a conflict with Russia. She also called on Congress to pass her Stop Arming Terrorists Act, which would bar Washington from assisting countries supporting terrorist groups.
The US special representative, James Jeffrey, recently stated that he had not seen Hayat Tahrir al-Sham – an Al-Qaeda offshoot controlling most part of militant-held Idlib – “planning or carrying out international terrorism attacks.” This statement, referring to a group already designated a terrorist one in the US itself, provoked an angry reaction from Moscow, which called it “absolutely unacceptable.”
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theduran--2020-03-01--Did Turkey Just Sacrifice Their Own Troops to Protect Al-Qaeda?

After 33 Turkish troops were killed in a Syrian army offensive on February 27 amidst the current Russia-backed campaign to liberate Idlib , Erdogan responded by laying the blame entirely on Russia and Syria – successfully avoiding all mention of the uncomfortable fact that Turkey has been protecting radical terror networks not only in Idlib but across Syria as a whole for years .
During this time , Islamist forces within Turkey favorable to Assad ’ s overthrow have been attempting to play a complex game of geopolitics for which they are totally unqualified .
Turkey in over its head @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NATO , Turkey had originally been preparing itself to gain entry into the European Union with the promise of being granted local control across the Middle East as a loyal member of the New World Order .
This ambition for a revived Ottoman Empire made Erdogan an enthusiastic proponent of regime change in the Middle East , and as journalist Eva Bartlett has documented for years , resulted in Turkey ’ s role as supplier of logistics , military hardware , training and monetary support to the various terrorist groups masquerading as anti-Assad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nearly resulted in Turkey being wiped off the map after shooting down a Russian jet in Syrian airspace on November 24 , 2015 ( the claims that it had flown into Turkish airspace have long been debunked ) , Erdogan began to change his tune first sending a letter of apology to Putin on June 27 , 2016 , whereby it began to change its behaviour dramatically .
For this shift in policy , Turkey was thanked by Washington with a nation-wide coup d ’ etat effort launched by followers of the strange @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2016 .
This hefty serving of humble pie brought a dose of sanity to Turkey which toned down its pro-regime change rhetoric , opened up diplomatic channels with Syria and Russia , cut down many of its ISIS supporting operations ( especially its role as primary purchaser of oil stolen by ISIS from Syrian oilfields ) , and settled with a more benign role in the region… but not entirely .
Part of the 2017 Astana negotiations ( and later Russia-Syria-Turkey-Iran negotiations in Sochi ) involved Turkey ’ s establishment of 12 military @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Turkey ’ s already significant Idlib military installations to 29 .
What they were doing there was never addressed in the western press but in 2017 Brett McGurk , Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition Against ISIL stated at a Middle East Policy forum that “ Idlib province is the largest al-Qaeda safe haven since 9/11.
” In a rare moment of cogency in 2014 even rambling Joe Biden admitted that Turkey was a major sponsor of ISIS ( for which he was duly slapped and then apologized ) .
All signs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disappeared from Biden ’ s mind , leaving Tulsi Gabbard as the only presidential figure today who has raised this uncomfortable fact .
In opposition to Ankara ’ s demands that the current anti-terrorist Idlib operation be halted going so far as to threaten war with Russia , Syrian-Russian forces have continued full speed with great success knowing that if this last zone of insurgents is cleansed then all remaining terrorist threats to the region can be properly addressed and reconstruction can begin .
It isn ’ t a secret that this reconstruction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a new partnership with Russia and China in the region which have offered billions of dollars , and engineering assistance for years guided by the Belt and Road Initiative .
The BRI ’ s designs run directly through Iran , Iraq and Syria- all of whom would be transformed by this multi-trillion dollar initiative .
In response to Ankara ’ s howling threats , Russia ’ s Foreign Ministry responded by clearly making two points : 1 ) Turkey has avoided following through on its part of the 2018 Sochi agreement on Idlib @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moderates which it entirely failed to do and 2 ) Turkish military made no effort to convey their location which is odd considering an active military operation was in place .
Either way , as Lavrov stated “ the Syria Army certainly has [ the ] full right to retaliate and suppress the terrorists.
” In response to the Turkish deaths , Ankara invoked Article 4 of NATO convening a meeting of all 29 Ambassadors of NATO allies which he hoped would result in a no-fly zone over Idlib and Patriot air defence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Erdogan even tried to blackmail NATO allies by playing the immigrant card by permitting for the first time in four years an opening of their northern frontier to the millions of Syrian refugees who wish to go to Europe by land and sea .
After the 2015-2016 immigration crisis that saw millions of refugees flood into Europe from war-torn nations of Syria and Libya , Turkey agreed to close its northern frontier in resulting in 3.7 billion Syrian refugees in camps suffering through cold winters , low sanitation levels and often food scarcity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t result in his desired outcome as NATO merely released a written message of condemnation of the offensive , but nothing more .
To this point , military analyst Scott Ritter commented that “ At a time when NATO is focused on confronting Russia in the Baltics , opening a second front against the Russians in Syria is not something the alliance was willing to support at this time.
” It is unknown how Europe will respond to this new onslaught of refugees , but the fact is there isn ’ t much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Syrian forces or sabotage the success of the Idlib operation at this point in the game .
If European countries wish to get the best results to this long drawn out game , the best thing they could possibly do is accept the flux of immigrants with open arms and ignore Ankara ’ s cries of indignation .
By giving Russia and Syria the space to properly extinguish terrorism from Idlib , the Middle East will come that much closer to genuine stabilization and full reconstruction can begin .
This in turn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and stability that would usher in a homecoming of Syrian refugees living abroad who would proudly take part in their nations ’ rebirth .
Matthew Ehret is the Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Patriot Review , a BRI Expert on Tactical talk , and has authored 3 volumes of ‘ Untold History of Canada ’ book series .
In 2019 he co-founded the Montreal-based Rising Tide Foundation and can be reached at [ email protected ]

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
From the Strategic Culture Foundation
After 33 Turkish troops were killed in a Syrian army offensive on February 27 amidst the current Russia-backed campaign to liberate Idlib, Erdogan responded by laying the blame entirely on Russia and Syria – successfully avoiding all mention of the uncomfortable fact that Turkey has been protecting radical terror networks not only in Idlib but across Syria as a whole for years.
During this time, Islamist forces within Turkey favorable to Assad’s overthrow have been attempting to play a complex game of geopolitics for which they are totally unqualified.
Turkey in over its head
One of the most wild-card members of NATO, Turkey had originally been preparing itself to gain entry into the European Union with the promise of being granted local control across the Middle East as a loyal member of the New World Order. This ambition for a revived Ottoman Empire made Erdogan an enthusiastic proponent of regime change in the Middle East, and as journalist Eva Bartlett has documented for years, resulted in Turkey’s role as supplier of logistics, military hardware, training and monetary support to the various terrorist groups masquerading as anti-Assad regime freedom fighters.
When this policy nearly resulted in Turkey being wiped off the map after shooting down a Russian jet in Syrian airspace on November 24, 2015 (the claims that it had flown into Turkish airspace have long been debunked), Erdogan began to change his tune first sending a letter of apology to Putin on June 27, 2016, whereby it began to change its behaviour dramatically. For this shift in policy, Turkey was thanked by Washington with a nation-wide coup d’etat effort launched by followers of the strange CIA-asset Fethullah Gülen on July 15, 2016.
This hefty serving of humble pie brought a dose of sanity to Turkey which toned down its pro-regime change rhetoric, opened up diplomatic channels with Syria and Russia, cut down many of its ISIS supporting operations (especially its role as primary purchaser of oil stolen by ISIS from Syrian oilfields), and settled with a more benign role in the region… but not entirely.
Part of the 2017 Astana negotiations (and later Russia-Syria-Turkey-Iran negotiations in Sochi) involved Turkey’s establishment of 12 military observation posts in Idlib province which increased Turkey’s already significant Idlib military installations to 29.
What they were doing there was never addressed in the western press but in 2017 Brett McGurk, Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition Against ISIL stated at a Middle East Policy forum that “Idlib province is the largest al-Qaeda safe haven since 9/11.” In a rare moment of cogency in 2014 even rambling Joe Biden admitted that Turkey was a major sponsor of ISIS (for which he was duly slapped and then apologized). All signs of that sort of honesty have long disappeared from Biden’s mind, leaving Tulsi Gabbard as the only presidential figure today who has raised this uncomfortable fact.
In opposition to Ankara’s demands that the current anti-terrorist Idlib operation be halted going so far as to threaten war with Russia, Syrian-Russian forces have continued full speed with great success knowing that if this last zone of insurgents is cleansed then all remaining terrorist threats to the region can be properly addressed and reconstruction can begin. It isn’t a secret that this reconstruction would be guided in large measure by a new partnership with Russia and China in the region which have offered billions of dollars, and engineering assistance for years guided by the Belt and Road Initiative. The BRI’s designs run directly through Iran, Iraq and Syria- all of whom would be transformed by this multi-trillion dollar initiative.
Returning to the crisis today
In response to Ankara’s howling threats, Russia’s Foreign Ministry responded by clearly making two points: 1) Turkey has avoided following through on its part of the 2018 Sochi agreement on Idlib which demanded a separation of terrorists from moderates which it entirely failed to do and 2) Turkish military made no effort to convey their location which is odd considering an active military operation was in place. Either way, as Lavrov stated “the Syria Army certainly has [the] full right to retaliate and suppress the terrorists.”
In response to the Turkish deaths, Ankara invoked Article 4 of NATO convening a meeting of all 29 Ambassadors of NATO allies which he hoped would result in a no-fly zone over Idlib and Patriot air defence backing. To increase the pressure, Erdogan even tried to blackmail NATO allies by playing the immigrant card by permitting for the first time in four years an opening of their northern frontier to the millions of Syrian refugees who wish to go to Europe by land and sea. After the 2015-2016 immigration crisis that saw millions of refugees flood into Europe from war-torn nations of Syria and Libya, Turkey agreed to close its northern frontier in resulting in 3.7 billion Syrian refugees in camps suffering through cold winters, low sanitation levels and often food scarcity.
Erdogan’s threats didn’t result in his desired outcome as NATO merely released a written message of condemnation of the offensive, but nothing more. To this point, military analyst Scott Ritter commented that “At a time when NATO is focused on confronting Russia in the Baltics, opening a second front against the Russians in Syria is not something the alliance was willing to support at this time.”
It is unknown how Europe will respond to this new onslaught of refugees, but the fact is there isn’t much they can do to turn back Russian and Syrian forces or sabotage the success of the Idlib operation at this point in the game. If European countries wish to get the best results to this long drawn out game, the best thing they could possibly do is accept the flux of immigrants with open arms and ignore Ankara’s cries of indignation. By giving Russia and Syria the space to properly extinguish terrorism from Idlib, the Middle East will come that much closer to genuine stabilization and full reconstruction can begin. This in turn would create a positive dynamic of growth and stability that would usher in a homecoming of Syrian refugees living abroad who would proudly take part in their nations’ rebirth.
Matthew Ehret is the Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Patriot Review , a BRI Expert on Tactical talk, and has authored 3 volumes of ‘Untold History of Canada’ book series. In 2019 he co-founded the Montreal-based Rising Tide Foundation and can be reached at matt.ehret@tutamail.com
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theduran--2020-03-01--The politics behind COVID-19 – Coronavirus (Video)

The Duran ’ s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss the political and economic implications of the Coronavirus spread throughout the world , including a rapid uptick of cases in Europe and the United States .
Subscribe to The Duran on YouTube – Find us on BitChute .
The Duran Audio Podcast : Follow on Soundcloud – Subscribe on iTunes .
Not until well into the Democratic debate Tuesday night did the COVID-19 coronavirus come up , and it was Mike Bloomberg , not a CBS moderator , who raised it : Not 24 hours later , President Donald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the White House briefing room , flanked by the nation ’ s foremost health experts , deputizing Vice President Mike Pence to head the task force to lead America ’ s battle against the spreading disease .
Yet , by Thursday noon , the Dow Jones average was down 3,000 points on the week , a 10 % plunge from its recent all-time high .
Trillions of dollars in equity value had been wiped out .
The great bull market of the Trump presidency may be history .
Though only 60 Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and none has yet died , fear has begun to grip the nation as well as the world .
Yet , as of now , the numbers don ’ t justify the emotion .
The death toll as of Thursday was 2,800 , out of 82,000 cases of coronavirus worldwide .
The great majority of these are in China , where the virus originated , though the disease has spread to every continent , with Italy and South Korea the hardest hit outside of China .
Whatever happens medically – the mortality rate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3 % – it ’ s hard to see how the world averts a recession if COVID-19 is not soon contained and controlled .
Already , Democrats are piling on Trump for cutting funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and failing to reflect the seriousness of the threat .
And the issue does present a challenge to Trump ’ s presidency .
His handling of it may determine his stature as chief executive .
Yet the issue is also tailor-made for Trump .
First , the disease comes out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s USA .
Second , the president occupies what Theodore Roosevelt called the “ bully pulpit , ” the White House .
He can use that pulpit daily to command the airwaves and inform , lead , unite and direct the nation during what could be a months-long crisis .
And Trump alone has the power to declare a national emergency , should that be needed .
If Trump acts as a leader , urging unity in the struggle to contain the virus and discover a vaccine , the hectoring from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can come to be seen as unpatriotic .
Also , Trump ’ s probable opponent this fall , who would be in charge of preventing the coronavirus from spreading like the Spanish Flu of 1918-19 , is Bernie Sanders .
And what are Sanders ’ credentials and plans ?
Under “ Medicare for All , ” Sanders intends to nationalize the entire U.S. heath care system and abolish the private health insurance plans of 140 million Americans who now depend on them .
As for the pharmaceutical industry , uniquely situated to assist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cure for the coronavirus , Sanders will confiscate its profits and put those profiteers out of business .
Still , given the alarming news coming from countries all over the globe , there is a risk that by November , the U.S. and the world may have tumbled into a recession .
Airlines are already canceling flights to and from Asia .
Cruise ships are pulling into ports and off-loading passengers .
Travel and tourism are suffering terribly .
Schools are closing .
Chinese factories that produce essential parts for factories and finished @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Asia are shutting down .
Supply chains are being severed .
Shortages are cropping up .
The Japanese are talking of canceling the Olympics .
If the virus spreads here , the question arises : Will our two parties still hold their nominating conventions this summer in Milwaukee and Charlotte ?
The chickens of globalization are coming home to roost .
In recent decades , America ’ s economic and political elites of both parties surrendered America ’ s economic independence for globalism , a new interdependence of nations , where we Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the vital necessities of our national life .
That decision is now being exposed as the folly against which Hamilton and economic nationalists always warned .
According to The Washington Post , critical ingredients of medicines and drugs , upon which many American lives depend , are made in Chinese factories now in danger of being shut down .
In the ongoing struggle between nationalism and globalism , the globalists are taking a beating .
Like the Chinese and Japanese and Koreans , Americans are not going to be looking to the WHO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but to their own nation-states .
And if a pandemic threatens , transnationalism ’ s “ open borders ” ideology is not a policy that will bring universal acclamation .
Like Trump ’ s America , all nations , in this crisis , are going to put their own people first .
As they should .

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss the political and economic implications of the Coronavirus spread throughout the world, including a rapid uptick of cases in Europe and the United States.
Support Free Speech:
Subscribe to The Duran on YouTube – Find us on BitChute.
The Duran Audio Podcast:
Follow on Soundcloud – Subscribe on iTunes.
Authored by Patrick Buchanan via Buchanan.org…
Not until well into the Democratic debate Tuesday night did the COVID-19 coronavirus come up, and it was Mike Bloomberg, not a CBS moderator, who raised it:
“The president fired the pandemic specialist in this country two years ago,” the former New York mayor said. “There’s nobody here to figure out what the hell we should be doing. And he’s defunded the CDC.”
Not 24 hours later, President Donald Trump, home from India, was in the White House briefing room, flanked by the nation’s foremost health experts, deputizing Vice President Mike Pence to head the task force to lead America’s battle against the spreading disease.
Yet, by Thursday noon, the Dow Jones average was down 3,000 points on the week, a 10% plunge from its recent all-time high.
Trillions of dollars in equity value had been wiped out.
The great bull market of the Trump presidency may be history.
Though only 60 Americans are known to have been infected, and none has yet died, fear has begun to grip the nation as well as the world. Yet, as of now, the numbers don’t justify the emotion.
The death toll as of Thursday was 2,800, out of 82,000 cases of coronavirus worldwide. The great majority of these are in China, where the virus originated, though the disease has spread to every continent, with Italy and South Korea the hardest hit outside of China.
Whatever happens medically – the mortality rate of the virus is between 2 and 3% – it’s hard to see how the world averts a recession if COVID-19 is not soon contained and controlled.
Already, Democrats are piling on Trump for cutting funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and failing to reflect the seriousness of the threat. And the issue does present a challenge to Trump’s presidency. His handling of it may determine his stature as chief executive.
Yet the issue is also tailor-made for Trump.
First, the disease comes out of Xi Jinping’s China, not Trump’s USA.
Second, the president occupies what Theodore Roosevelt called the “bully pulpit,” the White House. He can use that pulpit daily to command the airwaves and inform, lead, unite and direct the nation during what could be a months-long crisis. And Trump alone has the power to declare a national emergency, should that be needed.
If Trump acts as a leader, urging unity in the struggle to contain the virus and discover a vaccine, the hectoring from the Democratic left, already begun, can come to be seen as unpatriotic.
Also, Trump’s probable opponent this fall, who would be in charge of preventing the coronavirus from spreading like the Spanish Flu of 1918-19, is Bernie Sanders. And what are Sanders’ credentials and plans?
Under “Medicare for All,” Sanders intends to nationalize the entire U.S. heath care system and abolish the private health insurance plans of 140 million Americans who now depend on them.
As for the pharmaceutical industry, uniquely situated to assist in the crash effort to find a cure for the coronavirus, Sanders will confiscate its profits and put those profiteers out of business.
Still, given the alarming news coming from countries all over the globe, there is a risk that by November, the U.S. and the world may have tumbled into a recession. Airlines are already canceling flights to and from Asia. Cruise ships are pulling into ports and off-loading passengers. Travel and tourism are suffering terribly. Schools are closing.
Chinese factories that produce essential parts for factories and finished products in the U.S., Europe and Asia are shutting down. Supply chains are being severed. Shortages are cropping up.
The Japanese are talking of canceling the Olympics. If the virus spreads here, the question arises: Will our two parties still hold their nominating conventions this summer in Milwaukee and Charlotte?
The chickens of globalization are coming home to roost.
In recent decades, America’s economic and political elites of both parties surrendered America’s economic independence for globalism, a new interdependence of nations, where we Americans no longer rely on ourselves alone for the vital necessities of our national life.
That decision is now being exposed as the folly against which Hamilton and economic nationalists always warned.
According to The Washington Post, critical ingredients of medicines and drugs, upon which many American lives depend, are made in Chinese factories now in danger of being shut down.
In the ongoing struggle between nationalism and globalism, the globalists are taking a beating. Like the Chinese and Japanese and Koreans, Americans are not going to be looking to the WHO or U.N. to ensure their health, but to their own nation-states. And if a pandemic threatens, transnationalism’s “open borders” ideology is not a policy that will bring universal acclamation.
Like Trump’s America, all nations, in this crisis, are going to put their own people first. As they should.
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Genocide Already Happening

“ The Chinese were all given mandatory vaccines last fall .
The vaccine contained replicating , DIGITIZED ( controllable ) RNA which were activated by 60Ghz mm 5G waves that were just turned on in Wuhan ( as well as all other Countries using 60Ghz 5G ) with the “ smart dust ” that everyone on the globe has been inhaling through chemtrails .
That ’ s why when they say someone is “ cured ” , the “ virus ” can be “ digitally ” reactivated at any time and the person can literally drop dead .
￼The Diamond @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 60Ghz 5G .
It ’ s basically remote assassination .
Americans are currently breathing in this “ smart ” dust through chemtrails .
Think of it like this….. add the combination of vaccines , chemtrails ( smart dust ) and 5G and your body becomes internally digitized and can be remotely controlled .
A person ’ s organ functions can be stopped remotely if one is deemed non-compliant .
The elite call this 60Ghz mm 5G wave the “ V ” wave ( Virus ) to mock us .
Trump has created a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weaponized technology .
We need to vehemently REJECT the attempted “ mandatory vaccine ” issue because our lives depend on it.
” The ID2020 Alliance has launched a new digital identity program at its annual summit in New York , in collaboration with the Government of Bangladesh , vaccine alliance Gavi , and new partners in gove… ID2020 and partners launch program to provide digital ID with vaccines The ID2020 Alliance has launched a new digital identity program at its annual summit in New York , in collaboration with the Government of Bangladesh @ @ @ @ @ @ @ partners in gove…

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
Genocide already happening !
Stynes Robert to Exeter STOP 5G & SMART METERS
ID2020
“The Chinese were all given mandatory vaccines last fall.
The vaccine contained replicating, DIGITIZED (controllable) RNA which were activated by 60Ghz mm 5G waves that were just turned on in Wuhan (as well as all other Countries using 60Ghz 5G ) with the “smart dust” that everyone on the globe has been inhaling through chemtrails.
That’s why when they say someone is “cured”, the “virus” can be “digitally” reactivated at any time and the person can literally drop dead. ￼The Diamond Princess Cruise ship was SPECIFICALLY equipped with 60Ghz 5G.
It’s basically remote assassination. Americans are currently breathing in this “smart” dust through chemtrails.
Think of it like this….. add the combination of vaccines, chemtrails (smart dust) and 5G and your body becomes internally digitized and can be remotely controlled.
A person’s organ functions can be stopped remotely if one is deemed non-compliant.
Wuhan was a test run for ID2020.
The elite call this 60Ghz mm 5G wave the “V” wave (Virus) to mock us.
Trump has created a space force in part to combat this weaponized technology.
We need to vehemently REJECT the attempted “mandatory vaccine” issue because our lives depend on it.”
The ID2020 Alliance has launched a new digital identity program at its annual summit in New York, in collaboration with the Government of Bangladesh, vaccine alliance Gavi, and new partners in gove…
biometricupdate.com
ID2020 and partners launch program to provide digital ID with vaccines
The ID2020 Alliance has launched a new digital identity program at its annual summit in New York, in collaboration with the Government of Bangladesh, vaccine alliance Gavi, and new partners in gove…
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theduran--2020-02-29--Top Civil Servant next to go?

Top Civil Servant next to go?

The statements , views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily @ @ @ @ @ .

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Switch to the light mode that's kinder on your eyes at day time.


theduran--2020-02-29--Share Market Meltdown Was in the Cards

Share Market Meltdown Was in the Cards

The alarming decline in world share markets may be unprecedented but is not unexpected .
In a series of articles over many months we ’ ve covered the weakness in globalist structures present for a long time , leading to a unique set of circumstances .
Since the United States treacherously reneged on its agreement with Iran and reimposed arduous sanctions versus that country , the US Treasury has imposed economic sanctions versus Russia and China too .
In 2019 US-State ’ s belligerence extended to seizure of the Grace-1 oil tanker , perhaps in response to mysterious attacks on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Things got hot with a mystery attack on Abqaiq and Khurais oil installations in Saudi Arabia with no satisfactory explanation ever given about the true origin of the attacks .
A few weeks prior , Iran shot down one US RQ-4 spy drone and the US decided against a retaliatory strike only moments before retaliation was scheduled to begin .
With Syria , Afghanistan , Libya , and Yemen burning in the background , US-State then chose to assassinate Iran ’ s top military leader in a blatant show of aggression versus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Then Washington stood down from its brinkmanship typical of the cowardly manner in which a cowardly Beltway leverages its foreign policy .
In trade , ironically Washington imposed $ 50Bn US dollars in punishing trade tariffs versus China ’ s manufacturing sector just one month prior to the US embassy opening in ‘ unified Jerusalem ’ .
According to US leader Donald Trump evidently that “ Jerusalem unity ” represents consent to the unbridled brutality of the Israeli regime against Palestinians .
Agree with the above rendition or not , in past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as realized would pose a threat to share markets at the time they happened .
But what did we see ?
Nothing of the kind .
Whenever China threatened retaliation for Trump ’ s trade war US share markets simply shrugged and marched higher .
None of the geopolitical events above signaled any sort of challenge or bound to the raging bull on Wall Street .
Even though US stocks and shares went higher day after day there were signs of trouble .
Significantly even if unremarkable to the public , a major @ @ @ @ @ @ @ registered gold reserves chart on July 10 , 2019 .
This chart shows actual gold reserves ( not paper gold ) as used by sovereigns and central banks as collateral for their most important international trade operations .
Like the end of gold forward rates ( GOFO ) in 2014 , someone somewhere – probably inside the Federal Reserve – believed that this information ( underlying the importance of physical gold in world trade ) must be obfuscated from public view .
In November/ December we saw strange accounting in the LBMA gold @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or exported ( in fact the physical bars never left their vault ) boosting physical registered reserves from an all-time low .
There is evidence that certain buyers were standing for delivery perhaps in an effort to show that control-manipulation of the market may be subject to some future threat… a threat we may face this very moment ?
The big boost in physical reserves seems analogous a bank preparing to cover a run .
Then in September the Federal Reserve began a massive injection of funds into the banking system called repos @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Fed against a bank ’ s debt instrument holding ( collateral being Treasury notes , bills , or bonds ) at rates favorable to the primary dealer bank .
It ’ s an injection of cash to keep a dealer bank afloat overnight protecting it from defacto overnight default .
The Fed began these cash injections in September 2019 to protect one or more primary banks .
Because these trades are opaque and require no accountability we can only guess which primary dealer banks are involved , and we are talking from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the banks every night .
* The Fed began its injection of cash into US equity markets in conjunction with a great reduction in China ’ s exports to the US due to the damaging trade war .
Mr Trump ’ s trade war with China has largely been ignored by US share markets until now but supply shortages have been experienced and they are accelerating .
In other words , disease contagion in China appears to be just one single factor of many in the deflation of yet another massive US share @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unexpectedly struck .
So what ’ s next ?
The Emperors of the Money Empire have a number of tools at their disposal and on Friday the 28th we likely saw a manifestation of the Exchange Stabilization Fund ( ESF ) at the end of the trading session .
The ESF is a powerful and secretive mechanism to intervene in markets headed by the US Secretary of the Treasury .
All operations of the ESF are secret and the ESF reports to no one even if its operations are ‘ approved ’ by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own secret trading desk and all trades are opaque .
No operations of the ESF may be made public .
It is also believed that the ESF works closely with the largely opaque Bank of International Settlements , which is the central bank above all central banks , based in Basel , Switzerland .
( Eric de Carbonnel** has an excellent video here on ESF operation . )
Essentially Comptroller of the world ’ s reserve currency , the Federal Reserve may also trade in any financial product via its ‘ Desk ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The difference with the ESF is that the Fed must divulge some elements of its activities but not all .
For example any foreign gold trade that the ‘ Desk ’ executes on behalf of a foreign sovereign is not reported to Congress or reported publicly — all such trades are secret .
The Fed ‘ Desk ’ and Exchange Stabilization Fund will likely play a big role in global markets in coming days should the market meltdown continue .
When the DJIA gained six hundred points in just a few closing minutes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ initial intervention by the Fed or ESF .
( Yes the Fed does trade stocks regardless of what CNBC talking heads say and write ) .
Which leads to a logical question : In times of panic when trillions disappear from US share markets where do those dollars go ?
There are only three markets capable of handling trillions in monetary volume : • Market shares not always US First consider the above is by design .
Federal Reserve notes are like a drug and enough people on one drug means they ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A less ethereal point is that right now trillions in US dollar paper is out of the stock market so where will the dollars go ?
Commodity markets can not support that volume and traders tend to stay out of commodities in a downturn .
Since the virus scare took hold we have seen a huge inversion in the US bond market not experienced since the 1950 ’ s and yields are at a record low .
In other words , metric tonnes of digitized Federal Reserve notes have been ‘ flying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The issue is that money in the bond market has a ponderous road back to the stock market depending on the performance of both .
Such a return from hundreds of billions in US bonds back to billions in US stocks is not assured .
However if the situation improves it is very likely that US dollars presently in cash will flow back to the stock market rather rapidly .
The next observation is that Mr Trump was apparently wrong-footed by this crisis .
For once he has little to say , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for billions in new virtually-minted USD to provide health care and provisions to fight the virus plays to the kind of ‘ socialist ’ action that Bernie Sanders has so passionately invoked .
Remember too that Trump chose a singular Bad Actor as Treasury Secretary – a truly horrific appointment .
Mnuchin was involved in the IndyMAC and One West scandals at the heart of Wall Street ’ s “ great recession ” thievery , so it will be interesting to see how the Treasury reacts to something as novel as the novel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found rather than scams to line trillionaire pockets .
Even so there is no doubt that panic and scare-mongering are at work here with few level heads around to assuage the public ’ s fears .
The media has been so debased and compromised there is no real trustworthy source of information and likewise leadership is lacking all around .
Indeed it is quite alarming the rapid decay and eclipse of the United States as a former world leader , seeing such decline in just twenty years .
Perhaps the irony is that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bubble .
One hope is that a voice of reason may appear to perhaps mitigate the immediate endemic scare-mongering that even health agencies seem to be promoting .
For those that believe in a true free market perhaps a safe vaccine will appear .
Meanwhile Trump ’ s apparent inability to act in this growing panic is quite striking .
Let ’ s hope he can show some leadership going forward because it is sorely needed .
As for the markets , will we see the turn to a bear market ?
Of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the damage already inflicted seems to indicate that some lasting pain has yet this way to come .
*General consensus is that the primary dealer in trouble is either HSBC or Deutsche Bank .
** Eric de Carbonnel is a real live person despite vicious rumors to the contrary !
Steve Brown is the author of “ Iraq : the Road to War ” ( Sourcewatch ) editor of “ Bush Administration War Crimes in Iraq ” ( Sourcewatch ) “ Trump ’ s Limited Hangout ” and “ Federal Reserve : Out-sourcing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oligarchs Since 1913 ” ; Steve is an antiwar activist , a published scholar on the US monetary system , and has appeared as guest contributor to The Duran , Fort Russ News , Herland Report , Lew Rockwell Report , The Ron Paul Institute , and Strategika51 .
Twitter : @ newsypaperz

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
Submitted by Steve Brown…
The alarming decline in world share markets may be unprecedented but is not unexpected. In a series of articles over many months we’ve covered the weakness in globalist structures present for a long time, leading to a unique set of circumstances.
Since the United States treacherously reneged on its agreement with Iran and reimposed arduous sanctions versus that country, the US Treasury has imposed economic sanctions versus Russia and China too. In 2019 US-State’s belligerence extended to seizure of the Grace-1 oil tanker, perhaps in response to mysterious attacks on four tankers in the Gulf of Oman. Things got hot with a mystery attack on Abqaiq and Khurais oil installations in Saudi Arabia with no satisfactory explanation ever given about the true origin of the attacks. A few weeks prior, Iran shot down one US RQ-4 spy drone and the US decided against a retaliatory strike only moments before retaliation was scheduled to begin.
With Syria, Afghanistan, Libya, and Yemen burning in the background, US-State then chose to assassinate Iran’s top military leader in a blatant show of aggression versus Iran, assassinating General Suleimani in Iraq. Then Washington stood down from its brinkmanship typical of the cowardly manner in which a cowardly Beltway leverages its foreign policy.
In trade, ironically Washington imposed $50Bn US dollars in punishing trade tariffs versus China’s manufacturing sector just one month prior to the US embassy opening in ‘unified Jerusalem’. According to US leader Donald Trump evidently that “Jerusalem unity” represents consent to the unbridled brutality of the Israeli regime against Palestinians.
Agree with the above rendition or not, in past years any one of the above events as realized would pose a threat to share markets at the time they happened. But what did we see? Nothing of the kind. Whenever China threatened retaliation for Trump’s trade war US share markets simply shrugged and marched higher. None of the geopolitical events above signaled any sort of challenge or bound to the raging bull on Wall Street.
Even though US stocks and shares went higher day after day there were signs of trouble. Significantly even if unremarkable to the public, a major gold data site quit publishing its COMEX registered gold reserves chart on July 10, 2019. This chart shows actual gold reserves (not paper gold) as used by sovereigns and central banks as collateral for their most important international trade operations. Like the end of gold forward rates (GOFO) in 2014, someone somewhere – probably inside the Federal Reserve – believed that this information (underlying the importance of physical gold in world trade) must be obfuscated from public view.
In November/ December we saw strange accounting in the LBMA gold market with billions apparently ‘sold’ or exported (in fact the physical bars never left their vault) boosting physical registered reserves from an all-time low. There is evidence that certain buyers were standing for delivery perhaps in an effort to show that control-manipulation of the market may be subject to some future threat… a threat we may face this very moment? The big boost in physical reserves seems analogous a bank preparing to cover a run.
Then in September the Federal Reserve began a massive injection of funds into the banking system called repos. These short-term loans trade dollars from the Fed against a bank’s debt instrument holding (collateral being Treasury notes, bills, or bonds) at rates favorable to the primary dealer bank. It’s an injection of cash to keep a dealer bank afloat overnight protecting it from defacto overnight default. The Fed began these cash injections in September 2019 to protect one or more primary banks. Because these trades are opaque and require no accountability we can only guess which primary dealer banks are involved, and we are talking from $50Bn to $150Bn injected into the banks every night. *
The Fed began its injection of cash into US equity markets in conjunction with a great reduction in China’s exports to the US due to the damaging trade war. Mr Trump’s trade war with China has largely been ignored by US share markets until now but supply shortages have been experienced and they are accelerating. In other words, disease contagion in China appears to be just one single factor of many in the deflation of yet another massive US share market bubble.
Disaster has apparently and unexpectedly struck. So what’s next? The Emperors of the Money Empire have a number of tools at their disposal and on Friday the 28th we likely saw a manifestation of the Exchange Stabilization Fund (ESF) at the end of the trading session. The ESF is a powerful and secretive mechanism to intervene in markets headed by the US Secretary of the Treasury. All operations of the ESF are secret and the ESF reports to no one even if its operations are ‘approved’ by the president. The ESF has its own secret trading desk and all trades are opaque. No operations of the ESF may be made public. It is also believed that the ESF works closely with the largely opaque Bank of International Settlements, which is the central bank above all central banks, based in Basel, Switzerland. (Eric de Carbonnel** has an excellent video here on ESF operation.)
Essentially Comptroller of the world’s reserve currency, the Federal Reserve may also trade in any financial product via its ‘Desk’ and can intervene in any market. The difference with the ESF is that the Fed must divulge some elements of its activities but not all. For example any foreign gold trade that the ‘Desk’ executes on behalf of a foreign sovereign is not reported to Congress or reported publicly — all such trades are secret.
The Fed ‘Desk’ and Exchange Stabilization Fund will likely play a big role in global markets in coming days should the market meltdown continue. When the DJIA gained six hundred points in just a few closing minutes on Feb 28th that was likely an initial intervention by the Fed or ESF. (Yes the Fed does trade stocks regardless of what CNBC talking heads say and write). Which leads to a logical question: In times of panic when trillions disappear from US share markets where do those dollars go? There are only three markets capable of handling trillions in monetary volume:
US debt instruments (Bonds/T Bills/T-Notes/MBS/TIPS etc )
Market shares not always US
Cash accounts
First consider the above is by design. Federal Reserve notes are like a drug and enough people on one drug means they’re loathe to get on another. A less ethereal point is that right now trillions in US dollar paper is out of the stock market so where will the dollars go? Commodity markets cannot support that volume and traders tend to stay out of commodities in a downturn. Since the virus scare took hold we have seen a huge inversion in the US bond market not experienced since the 1950’s and yields are at a record low. In other words, metric tonnes of digitized Federal Reserve notes have been ‘flying to safety’ into the US bond market.
The issue is that money in the bond market has a ponderous road back to the stock market depending on the performance of both. Such a return from hundreds of billions in US bonds back to billions in US stocks is not assured. However if the situation improves it is very likely that US dollars presently in cash will flow back to the stock market rather rapidly.
The next observation is that Mr Trump was apparently wrong-footed by this crisis. For once he has little to say, and the White House’s appeal for billions in new virtually-minted USD to provide health care and provisions to fight the virus plays to the kind of ‘socialist’ action that Bernie Sanders has so passionately invoked. Remember too that Trump chose a singular Bad Actor as Treasury Secretary – a truly horrific appointment. Mnuchin was involved in the IndyMAC and One West scandals at the heart of Wall Street’s “great recession” thievery, so it will be interesting to see how the Treasury reacts to something as novel as the novel corona virus where real solutions must be found rather than scams to line trillionaire pockets.
Even so there is no doubt that panic and scare-mongering are at work here with few level heads around to assuage the public’s fears. The media has been so debased and compromised there is no real trustworthy source of information and likewise leadership is lacking all around. Indeed it is quite alarming the rapid decay and eclipse of the United States as a former world leader, seeing such decline in just twenty years. Perhaps the irony is that it took bat soup to prick the bubble.
One hope is that a voice of reason may appear to perhaps mitigate the immediate endemic scare-mongering that even health agencies seem to be promoting. For those that believe in a true free market perhaps a safe vaccine will appear. Meanwhile Trump’s apparent inability to act in this growing panic is quite striking. Let’s hope he can show some leadership going forward because it is sorely needed. As for the markets, will we see the turn to a bear market? Of course only time will tell, but the damage already inflicted seems to indicate that some lasting pain has yet this way to come.
*General consensus is that the primary dealer in trouble is either HSBC or Deutsche Bank.
** Eric de Carbonnel is a real live person despite vicious rumors to the contrary!
Steve Brown is the author of “Iraq: the Road to War” (Sourcewatch) editor of “Bush Administration War Crimes in Iraq” (Sourcewatch) “Trump’s Limited Hangout” and “Federal Reserve: Out-sourcing the Monetary System to the Money Trust Oligarchs Since 1913”; Steve is an antiwar activist, a published scholar on the US monetary system, and has appeared as guest contributor to The Duran, Fort Russ News, Herland Report, Lew Rockwell Report, The Ron Paul Institute, and Strategika51. Twitter: @newsypaperz
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theduran--2020-02-29--One tale of an American coronavirus patient

For your consideration , we are starting to get personal accounts from people who are experiencing the illness caused by the novel coronavirus .
While there is certainly cause to be skeptical , considering all the rhetorical hyperbole versus the real effect of the outbreak on world markets and events , pieces like what follows do seem to give consistent information .
So , without further ado… This is reprinted from the original piece from the Wahington Post , as presented by the Stamford Advocate , dated 28 February 2020 : I have the coronavirus .
And it hasn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in my late 60s , and the sickest I ’ ve ever been was when I had bronchitis several years ago .
That laid me out on my back for a few days .
This has been much easier : no chills , no body aches .
I breathe easily , and I don ’ t have a stuffy nose .
My chest feels tight , and I have coughing spells .
If I were at home with similar symptoms , I probably would have gone to work as usual .
I caught @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the cruise ship that was quarantined outside Yokohama for 14 days , at the end of a 16-day cruise I took with my wife , Jeri .
When I left the ship a couple of weeks ago , I felt fine .
We checked our temperatures throughout our quarantine .
Jeri and I got a swab test for the virus .
Our temperatures were normal ; they ’ d get the swab results back in 48 hours .
Our test results had not arrived before we boarded buses for the airport , where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As we took off from Tokyo , I had a bit of a cough , but I chalked it up to the dry air in the cabin .
I felt pretty tired – but who wouldn ’ t , in our situation ?
I dozed off .
Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention came onto the plane and said that three of us who had been cordoned off would fly to Omaha ( with our spouses , if they wanted to come along ) .
The CDC had a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s hospital .
We arrived on Feb. 17 , greeted by a fleet of ambulances and police cars .
Officials put me on a stretcher and wheeled me into a van , which made for a very dramatic scene .
I easily could have walked despite my exhaustion .
On the hospital campus , they put me in a biocontainment unit .
The space was sealed off , with two double-paned windows that looked out on the hallway , and a large , heavy , insulated door .
Two cameras watched me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ computer monitors were equipped with microphones , so that the medical staff and I could communicate with CDC officials at central command down the hall .
The room had last been used for the Ebola outbreak in 2013 .
It didn ’ t scare me too badly .
I knew my number was up .
The way I saw it , I was going to get stuck in at least 14 more days of quarantine , even if I didn ’ t get the virus .
So many fellow passengers had come down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my friends , that I ’ d gotten somewhat used to the idea that I might catch it , too .
My wife , however , tested negative and headed to quarantine at a separate facility a few blocks away .
After those days being cooped up on the ship together , I think we both relished the alone time ; we still could communicate through our phones .
During the first few days , the hospital staff hooked me up to an IV , mostly as a precaution , and used it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to make sure I had plenty of vitamins .
Other than that , my treatment has consisted of what felt like gallons and gallons of Gatorade – and , when my fever rose just above 100 degrees , some ibuprofen .
The nurses came to the room every four hours or so , to check my vitals , ask if I needed anything and to draw my blood .
I got very good at unhooking all the monitors checking my oxygen level , blood pressure and heart rate so I could go to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ room a little , to get my blood flowing .
I never quite got the hang of hooking them back up without making a tangled mess .
After 10 days , I moved out of biocontainment and into the same facility as Jeri .
Now we can videochat from our separate quarantines , in neighboring rooms .
As of my most recent test , on Thursday , I am still testing positive for the virus .
But by now , I don ’ t require much medical care .
The nurses check my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blood , because I ’ ve agreed to participate in a clinical study to try to find a treatment for coronavirus .
If I test negative three days in a row , then I get to leave .
The time has passed more quickly than I would ’ ve expected .
With my laptop , I get as much work done as I can , remotely .
I catch up with friends .
I take walks around my room , trying to take a thousand more steps each day .
I also watch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to see everyone panic – news conferences , the stock market falling , school closures – about a disease I have .
It does seem likely that coronavirus will spread in the U.S. , but it won ’ t help anybody if we all panic .
Based on my experience , I ’ d recommend that everyone get a good digital thermometer , just as a comfort tool , so they can reassure themselves if their noses start running .
I have been relatively fortunate : At least six Diamond Princess passengers have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around 705 passengers who caught it .
But coronavirus doesn ’ t have to be a horrible calamity .
If you told me when I left home in January that I wouldn ’ t be back until March – that , instead , I would be confined for more than 24 days because I ’ d catch a novel virus at the center of what could become a pandemic – that would have completely freaked me out .
But now that it ’ s happening , I ’ m just taking it one @ @ @ @ @

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
For your consideration, we are starting to get personal accounts from people who are experiencing the illness caused by the novel coronavirus. While there is certainly cause to be skeptical, considering all the rhetorical hyperbole versus the real effect of the outbreak on world markets and events, pieces like what follows do seem to give consistent information. So, without further ado…
This is reprinted from the original piece from the Wahington Post, as presented by the Stamford Advocate, dated 28 February 2020:
(Carl Goldman, to the Washington Post, writes:)
I have the coronavirus. And it hasn’t been that bad.
I am in my late 60s, and the sickest I’ve ever been was when I had bronchitis several years ago. That laid me out on my back for a few days. This has been much easier: no chills, no body aches. I breathe easily, and I don’t have a stuffy nose. My chest feels tight, and I have coughing spells. If I were at home with similar symptoms, I probably would have gone to work as usual.
I caught the virus on the Diamond Princess, the cruise ship that was quarantined outside Yokohama for 14 days, at the end of a 16-day cruise I took with my wife, Jeri. When I left the ship a couple of weeks ago, I felt fine. We checked our temperatures throughout our quarantine. Jeri and I got a swab test for the virus. Our temperatures were normal; they’d get the swab results back in 48 hours. Our test results had not arrived before we boarded buses for the airport, where two U.S. government planes waited for us.
As we took off from Tokyo, I had a bit of a cough, but I chalked it up to the dry air in the cabin. I felt pretty tired – but who wouldn’t, in our situation? I dozed off.
When I woke up, I had a fever. I made my way to the back of the cargo plane, where the Air Force had set up a quarantine area cordoned off with sheets of plastic. They took my temperature. It was over 103 degrees. So I took a seat in the quarantine area and fell back asleep until we touched down in California, at Travis Air Force Base.
Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention came onto the plane and said that three of us who had been cordoned off would fly to Omaha (with our spouses, if they wanted to come along). The CDC had a quarantine location at the University of Nebraska’s hospital. We arrived on Feb. 17, greeted by a fleet of ambulances and police cars. Officials put me on a stretcher and wheeled me into a van, which made for a very dramatic scene. I easily could have walked despite my exhaustion.
On the hospital campus, they put me in a biocontainment unit. The space was sealed off, with two double-paned windows that looked out on the hallway, and a large, heavy, insulated door. Two cameras watched me at all times; a set of computer monitors were equipped with microphones, so that the medical staff and I could communicate with CDC officials at central command down the hall. The room had last been used for the Ebola outbreak in 2013.
A doctor and nurses reviewed my case with me and took a bunch of lab tests. They wore heavy-duty hazmat suits sealed with duct tape and equipped with motors that helped with air circulation. It looked like something out of “The Andromeda Strain.” When the test came back a few hours later, I wasn’t surprised to learn that I had the coronavirus. Later, the Tokyo swab confirmed the result – I had caught the virus even before I left the ship.
It didn’t scare me too badly. I knew my number was up. The way I saw it, I was going to get stuck in at least 14 more days of quarantine, even if I didn’t get the virus. So many fellow passengers had come down with the illness, including one of my friends, that I’d gotten somewhat used to the idea that I might catch it, too. My wife, however, tested negative and headed to quarantine at a separate facility a few blocks away. After those days being cooped up on the ship together, I think we both relished the alone time; we still could communicate through our phones.
During the first few days, the hospital staff hooked me up to an IV, mostly as a precaution, and used it to administer magnesium and potassium, just to make sure I had plenty of vitamins. Other than that, my treatment has consisted of what felt like gallons and gallons of Gatorade – and, when my fever rose just above 100 degrees, some ibuprofen. The nurses came to the room every four hours or so, to check my vitals, ask if I needed anything and to draw my blood. I got very good at unhooking all the monitors checking my oxygen level, blood pressure and heart rate so I could go to the bathroom or just pace around the room a little, to get my blood flowing. I never quite got the hang of hooking them back up without making a tangled mess. After 10 days, I moved out of biocontainment and into the same facility as Jeri. Now we can videochat from our separate quarantines, in neighboring rooms.
As of my most recent test, on Thursday, I am still testing positive for the virus. But by now, I don’t require much medical care. The nurses check my temperature twice a day and draw my blood, because I’ve agreed to participate in a clinical study to try to find a treatment for coronavirus. If I test negative three days in a row, then I get to leave.
The time has passed more quickly than I would’ve expected. With my laptop, I get as much work done as I can, remotely. I catch up with friends. I take walks around my room, trying to take a thousand more steps each day. I also watch the news. It’s surreal to see everyone panic – news conferences, the stock market falling, school closures – about a disease I have. It does seem likely that coronavirus will spread in the U.S., but it won’t help anybody if we all panic. Based on my experience, I’d recommend that everyone get a good digital thermometer, just as a comfort tool, so they can reassure themselves if their noses start running. I have been relatively fortunate: At least six Diamond Princess passengers have died from the virus, of the around 705 passengers who caught it. But coronavirus doesn’t have to be a horrible calamity.
If you told me when I left home in January that I wouldn’t be back until March – that, instead, I would be confined for more than 24 days because I’d catch a novel virus at the center of what could become a pandemic – that would have completely freaked me out. But now that it’s happening, I’m just taking it one day at a time.
_ _ _
As told to Washington Post editor Sophia Nguyen.
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theduran--2020-02-29--Roy Norris Goes To Meet His Maker — Or More Likely The Other Bloke

If you haven ’ t heard the name Roy Norris , that is not too surprising , because he was one of the lesser known monsters to destroy innocent young lives for the fun of it .
One of the lesser known but one of the most insidious .
California has produced more than its fair share of serial killers , and more than its fair share of “ killer couples ” .
Gerald and Charlene Gallego murdered a total of ten people – nine girls/women and one man .
He was sentenced to death but died of cancer in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , having taken a plea to testify against her husband .
Kenneth Bianchi and his cousin Angelo Buono were known initially as the Hillside Strangler .
The police had a suspicion that this monster was more than one man , a suspicion that was confirmed when Bianchi was arrested for murdering two women in Washington State and spilled the beans about the ten earlier murders .
The last murder committed by the Hillside Strangers was February 16 , 1978 ; the two murders by Bianchi were January 11 , 1979 .
Roy Norris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first victim five and a half months later ; their short but sickening spree being directly inspired by Buono and Bianchi .
If their story were not so well documented , nobody in Hollywood would even read the script , including Harvey Weinstein .
Roy Norris was born at Greeley , Colorado on February 5 , 1948 .
Lawrence Sigmund Bittaker was born at Pittsburgh on September 27 , 1940 .
He was adopted as an infant , and appears to have had a difficult childhood , dropping out of school for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a waste of talent as at one time he was said to have had the highest IQ of any prisoner in the United States .
In 1974 , Bittaker came within a whisker of lifetime incarceration when he stabbed a supermarket employee in the chest while shoplifting .
The blow narrowly missed the victim ’ s heart .
It was while incarcerated for that offence that he met Roy Norris , who was already a convicted rapist with an appalling record , and should not have been released as early as 1979 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been the first and only true friend Bittaker ever had .
There is nothing necessarily sinister about two men bonding in prison , but there was this time .
The two hatched a plan .
When they were released , they would kidnap , rape , torture and murder teenage girls .
Bittaker was released in October 1978 , and found work as a skilled machinist earning nearly a thousand dollars a week , an incredible stroke of luck for a drop-out with a long criminal history .
Norris was released in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home with his mother .
He too found a well paid job , and had the two men put their sick fantasy behind them , they might eventually have become half-decent if flawed citizens , although that would have been a tall order for Norris .
Instead , Bittaker bought a van which they kitted out for their scheme .
Initially , they made a number of practise runs in their vehicle which they called Murder Mac , one that would be immortalised in 2016 by Rich Hillen as Murder Mack .
Then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ torturing and murdering teenage girls .
Fortunately , Whitaker ’ s ego got the better of him , and he took a memento of their depravity , a tape of a girl screaming , which he played to a criminal associate .
Joseph Jackson was the father of two daughters ; he told his attorney , and the game was up .
Their arrest signalled not simply the end of their crime spree but the end of their friendship , such as it was .
Norris took a plea to avoid the death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bittaker stood trial in February 1981 , and appeared to relish the proceedings , testifying in his own defense , claiming the victims were prostitutes and trying to palm off everything on Norris .
He was convicted and sentenced to death , but shamefully that sentence was not carried out , and he died in San Quentin aged 79 on December 13 last year .
Although they were tried for only five murders , the Toolbox Killers as they would become known claimed at least one more victim .
Paul Bynum , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suicide in December 1987 aged just 39 .
Serving 45 years to life , Norris had entertained some hope of parole , but even California is not that sick .
He died in a prison medical facility on February 24 , aged 72 .
There is plenty of footage on YouTube of the Toolbox Killers including a 2008 documentary so named .
After watching that , you will never think of the # MeToo Movement in the same way again .

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
If you haven’t heard the name Roy Norris, that is not too surprising, because he was one of the lesser known monsters to destroy innocent young lives for the fun of it. One of the lesser known but one of the most insidious.
California has produced more than its fair share of serial killers, and more than its fair share of “killer couples”. Gerald and Charlene Gallego murdered a total of ten people – nine girls/women and one man. He was sentenced to death but died of cancer in 2002. She was released in 1997, having taken a plea to testify against her husband.
Kenneth Bianchi and his cousin Angelo Buono were known initially as the Hillside Strangler. The police had a suspicion that this monster was more than one man, a suspicion that was confirmed when Bianchi was arrested for murdering two women in Washington State and spilled the beans about the ten earlier murders.
The last murder committed by the Hillside Strangers was February 16, 1978; the two murders by Bianchi were January 11, 1979. Roy Norris and his partner-in-crime Lawrence Bittaker murdered their first victim five and a half months later; their short but sickening spree being directly inspired by Buono and Bianchi. If their story were not so well documented, nobody in Hollywood would even read the script, including Harvey Weinstein.
Roy Norris was born at Greeley, Colorado on February 5, 1948. Lawrence Sigmund Bittaker was born at Pittsburgh on September 27, 1940. He was adopted as an infant, and appears to have had a difficult childhood, dropping out of school for a life of petty crime. This was a waste of talent as at one time he was said to have had the highest IQ of any prisoner in the United States.
In 1974, Bittaker came within a whisker of lifetime incarceration when he stabbed a supermarket employee in the chest while shoplifting. The blow narrowly missed the victim’s heart. It was while incarcerated for that offence that he met Roy Norris, who was already a convicted rapist with an appalling record, and should not have been released as early as 1979, if ever.
Norris is thought to have been the first and only true friend Bittaker ever had. There is nothing necessarily sinister about two men bonding in prison, but there was this time. The two hatched a plan. When they were released, they would kidnap, rape, torture and murder teenage girls. Bittaker was released in October 1978, and found work as a skilled machinist earning nearly a thousand dollars a week, an incredible stroke of luck for a drop-out with a long criminal history. Norris was released in January the following year and moved back home with his mother. He too found a well paid job, and had the two men put their sick fantasy behind them, they might eventually have become half-decent if flawed citizens, although that would have been a tall order for Norris.
Instead, Bittaker bought a van which they kitted out for their scheme. Initially, they made a number of practise runs in their vehicle which they called Murder Mac, one that would be immortalised in 2016 by Rich Hillen as Murder Mack. Then they set about kidnapping, raping, torturing and murdering teenage girls.
Fortunately, Whitaker’s ego got the better of him, and he took a memento of their depravity, a tape of a girl screaming, which he played to a criminal associate. Joseph Jackson was the father of two daughters; he told his attorney, and the game was up. Their arrest signalled not simply the end of their crime spree but the end of their friendship, such as it was. Norris took a plea to avoid the death penalty, and testified against Bittaker.
Bittaker stood trial in February 1981, and appeared to relish the proceedings, testifying in his own defense, claiming the victims were prostitutes and trying to palm off everything on Norris. He was convicted and sentenced to death, but shamefully that sentence was not carried out, and he died in San Quentin aged 79 on December 13 last year.
Although they were tried for only five murders, the Toolbox Killers as they would become known claimed at least one more victim. Paul Bynum, the lead investigator on the case. committed suicide in December 1987 aged just 39.
Serving 45 years to life, Norris had entertained some hope of parole, but even California is not that sick. He died in a prison medical facility on February 24, aged 72.
There is plenty of footage on YouTube of the Toolbox Killers including a 2008 documentary so named. After watching that, you will never think of the #MeToo Movement in the same way again.
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