theduran--2020-05-07--Greece’s Renewed Relations with Syria Further Isolates Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean

Submitted by InfoBrics , authored by Paul Antonopoulos , Research Fellow at the Center for Syncretic Studies… On Tuesday , the Greek Foreign Ministry finally announced a restoration of relations between Greece and Syria and assigned former ambassador to Syria and Russia , Tasia Athanassiou , as a Special Envoy of Greece ’ s Foreign Ministry for Syria .
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias confirmed this from his Twitter .
The appointment of Athanassiou is extremely strategic as she was Greece ’ s ambassador to Damascus from 2009 to 2012 , meaning she is already familiar with Syria and their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that contacts will be made for the “ international aspects of Syria and related humanitarian action , as well as coordination of actions in view of the ongoing efforts to rebuild Syria.
” Although the Foreign Ministry claims that the suspension of diplomatic relations “ was dictated by the security conditions , ” we know it was ordered by former Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras in December 2012 under orders from NATO and the European Union who were , and in some instances , still backing jihadists against the secular government of President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ruled by European banker , EU , and NATO puppets from 2010 onwards when on May 2 of that year , the so-called socialist government of George Papandreou signed the first of three bailout packages with the European Commission , the European Central Bank and the IMF .
This caused a 25 % contraction of the Greek economy , an unemployment rate of 27 % and skyrocketed poverty .
Any semblance of Greek independence in domestic and foreign policy was lost .
However , moving to 2020 , the economic and geopolitical situation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drastically changed .
Diplomatic sources quoted by Kathemirini , one of Greece ’ s oldest and most respected newspaper , said that the decision to appoint a Special Envoy for Syria is part of Greece ’ s steady activity in the Eastern Mediterranean and the wider region .
According to the sources , Greece ’ s increased desire in contributing to efforts in resolving the Syrian crisis was stated by Dendias in his meetings with the UN Special Envoy for Syria , Geir Otto Pedersen .
Therefore , a major reason for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ further tilt the balance of power in the East Mediterranean in Greece ’ s favor against Turkey , especially at a time when Ankara does not have a single ally in the region , with the exception of the besieged Muslim Brotherhood government in Libya that is nearly collapsed because of the Libyan National Army ’ s assault .
The reopening of relations between Athens and Damascus comes at a time when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is making a strong push for a “ Blue Homeland ” that aims to annex Greece @ @ @ @ @ @ @ space .
Turkey for nine years attempted to oust Assad from power through various means , including an unsuccessful invasion attempt of Idlib province earlier this year , as well as its continued support for terrorist organisations .
In addition , Erdoğan is propping up the Muslim Brotherhood government in Libya by importing jihadists from Syria to the North African country .
Although Erdoğan has failed in all of these endeavours , Turkey still remains a major threat , even at a time when it is facing economic catastrophe with the Turkish lira @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. dollar and Turkey ’ s three largest banks , Garanti , Akbank and İşbank , on the verge of bankruptcy .
Even with this looming economic disaster , Turkey still manages to find the funds to violate Greek airspace on a daily basis , send weapons to Libya and fund terrorist organizations in Syria .
As the Eastern Mediterranean becomes a potential major warzone because of Turkey ’ s aggression , Greece is now renewing relations with old friends .
Hafez al-Assad , previous president of Syria and father to Bashar al-Assad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to go to war with Greece , Syria would automatically open a new front in southern Turkey in support of Greece .
Athens however is not completely independent from NATO and the EU .
This suggests that although renewing relations with Syria is absolutely critical in protecting its sovereignty , perhaps Greece has gotten approval from the EU and/or NATO to do this .
Greece is perhaps the most important of the very few European countries that have maintained or reopened relations with Syria because of its history of friendly relations , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , cultural , financial and ethnic ties .
It can be suggested that as the war in Syria begins to end , continued only by Turkey ’ s refusal to stop backing terrorist organizations in Idlib , the EU wants to try and take advantage of lucrative reconstruction contracts that will be on offer and investment opportunities .
It is unlikely that European companies will win reconstruction contracts , but the reality is that Assad has survived the near 10-year efforts to have him removed , and is not going anywhere .
Greece @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the EU to open dialogue and relations with Damascus again .
This is only speculative , but what is for certain is that by reopening relations with Syria , Greece is consolidating the emerging East Mediterranean order and opposes Turkish hegemony in the region .
Greece will always have close relations with Cyprus , and has also entered a military alliance with Egypt , supports the Libyan National Army against Turkish-backed forces , and has strong military and energy ties with Israel .
Relations with Syria has essentially finalized the strangulation of Turkey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mediterranean and made it the most isolated country in the region – despite Athens ’ insistence on improving ties with Ankara if it finally abandons its aggressive foreign policy .

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…
On Tuesday, the Greek Foreign Ministry finally announced a restoration of relations between Greece and Syria and assigned former ambassador to Syria and Russia, Tasia Athanassiou, as a Special Envoy of Greece’s Foreign Ministry for Syria. Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias confirmed this from his Twitter. The appointment of Athanassiou is extremely strategic as she was Greece’s ambassador to Damascus from 2009 to 2012, meaning she is already familiar with Syria and their authorities.
The Greek Foreign Ministry said that contacts will be made for the “international aspects of Syria and related humanitarian action, as well as coordination of actions in view of the ongoing efforts to rebuild Syria.”
Although the Foreign Ministry claims that the suspension of diplomatic relations “was dictated by the security conditions,” we know it was ordered by former Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras in December 2012 under orders from NATO and the European Union who were, and in some instances, still backing jihadists against the secular government of President Bashar al-Assad.
Greece became a country ruled by European banker, EU, and NATO puppets from 2010 onwards when on May 2 of that year, the so-called socialist government of George Papandreou signed the first of three bailout packages with the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the IMF. This caused a 25% contraction of the Greek economy, an unemployment rate of 27% and skyrocketed poverty. Any semblance of Greek independence in domestic and foreign policy was lost.
However, moving to 2020, the economic and geopolitical situation in Greece and its surrounding region has drastically changed. Diplomatic sources quoted by Kathemirini, one of Greece’s oldest and most respected newspaper, said that the decision to appoint a Special Envoy for Syria is part of Greece’s steady activity in the Eastern Mediterranean and the wider region. According to the sources, Greece’s increased desire in contributing to efforts in resolving the Syrian crisis was stated by Dendias in his meetings with the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Otto Pedersen.
Therefore, a major reason for the reopening of relations with Syria is to further tilt the balance of power in the East Mediterranean in Greece’s favor against Turkey, especially at a time when Ankara does not have a single ally in the region, with the exception of the besieged Muslim Brotherhood government in Libya that is nearly collapsed because of the Libyan National Army’s assault.
The reopening of relations between Athens and Damascus comes at a time when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is making a strong push for a “Blue Homeland” that aims to annex Greece’s Eastern Aegean islands and maritime space. Turkey for nine years attempted to oust Assad from power through various means, including an unsuccessful invasion attempt of Idlib province earlier this year, as well as its continued support for terrorist organisations. In addition, Erdoğan is propping up the Muslim Brotherhood government in Libya by importing jihadists from Syria to the North African country.
Although Erdoğan has failed in all of these endeavours, Turkey still remains a major threat, even at a time when it is facing economic catastrophe with the Turkish lira at a near record low to the U.S. dollar and Turkey’s three largest banks, Garanti, Akbank and İşbank, on the verge of bankruptcy. Even with this looming economic disaster, Turkey still manages to find the funds to violate Greek airspace on a daily basis, send weapons to Libya and fund terrorist organizations in Syria.
As the Eastern Mediterranean becomes a potential major warzone because of Turkey’s aggression, Greece is now renewing relations with old friends. Hafez al-Assad, previous president of Syria and father to Bashar al-Assad, pledged that if Turkey was ever to go to war with Greece, Syria would automatically open a new front in southern Turkey in support of Greece.
Athens however is not completely independent from NATO and the EU. This suggests that although renewing relations with Syria is absolutely critical in protecting its sovereignty, perhaps Greece has gotten approval from the EU and/or NATO to do this. Greece is perhaps the most important of the very few European countries that have maintained or reopened relations with Syria because of its history of friendly relations, as well as thousands of years of religious, cultural, financial and ethnic ties.
It can be suggested that as the war in Syria begins to end, continued only by Turkey’s refusal to stop backing terrorist organizations in Idlib, the EU wants to try and take advantage of lucrative reconstruction contracts that will be on offer and investment opportunities. It is unlikely that European companies will win reconstruction contracts, but the reality is that Assad has survived the near 10-year efforts to have him removed, and is not going anywhere. Greece could be used as an outlet for the EU to open dialogue and relations with Damascus again.
This is only speculative, but what is for certain is that by reopening relations with Syria, Greece is consolidating the emerging East Mediterranean order and opposes Turkish hegemony in the region. Greece will always have close relations with Cyprus, and has also entered a military alliance with Egypt, supports the Libyan National Army against Turkish-backed forces, and has strong military and energy ties with Israel. Relations with Syria has essentially finalized the strangulation of Turkey’s attempted hegemony of the Eastern Mediterranean and made it the most isolated country in the region – despite Athens’ insistence on improving ties with Ankara if it finally abandons its aggressive foreign policy.
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theduran--2020-05-08--Who Is Brainwashing Young American Women?

Or perhaps that should be who is trying to brainwash young American women ?
First watch the video , then read the comments .
As the reader will see , this one minute wonder was uploaded to Yahoo !
( and several other websites ) on April 28 and by May 7 , late London time , had attracted well over two thousand comments , almost all of them hostile .
Like the video , the comments page has been archived through the WayBack Machine , at least the first 123 A4 pages of it have been .
You can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bottom of each page , that ’ s if it isn ’ t soon deleted out of embarrassment .
This absurd video appears to have been produced by RAINN .
If you aren ’ t familiar with the acronym , it stands for Rape , Abuse & Incest National Network .
No , that is not an invitation , rather it is what the organisation professes to lobby against , or more specifically it claims to support victims of rape and sexual abuse , including incest , throughout the United States .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ especially those in and around the sexual grievance industry , RAINN pulls statistics out of thin air in order to bolster the importance of its work , and to lobby for more funding , from the public , from trusts , from national and local government .
For example , visitors to its website are told that every 73 seconds another American is sexually assaulted .
And the evidence for this is ?
Leaving that aside , a sexual assault can be a violent rape , a drunk touching a woman ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a guy misreading the signals and putting his hand where it isn ’ t wanted .
There is much more flim-flam like that on the RAINN website , but let ’ s return to the video .
The girls and women appearing therein appear to be models .
And dumb with it .
The first one is captioned as being sexually assaulted by her boyfriend , but she didn ’ t realise it until years later .
What didn ’ t you realise ?
That the two of you were in bed together @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again – one in six women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime .
Again , what does sexually assaulted mean ?
This figure is also somewhat on the low side according to the President of the United States .
On January 22 , 2014 , he told a gathering that it had been estimated that 1 in 5 college students had been sexually assaulted during their time there .
Three years later , Barack Obama sent his eldest daughter to Harvard .
Either he didn ’ t give a stuff for her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believe these ludicrous statistics anymore than you should .
Which do you think is the most likely ?
The video tells us that trauma often causes victims to repress the memories and details of their violation .
Actually , such trauma often causes victims to fight back , to punch , kick , claw , or simply scream .
If memories can be repressed , and this is a big if , they can also be embellished or confabulated .
False memories are surprisingly common , indeed we probably all have them regularly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , misplacing one ’ s keys and looking for them in the wrong place , that sort of thing .
RAINN is clearly trying to drum up custom – and financial support – with this ludicrous video .
Now let us look at just half a dozen comments at random .
Well , not entirely at random : “ What happened ?
Did his check bounce ?
” – Shame on you , sir .
“ Never happened !
You need to report it at the time , not years later !
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all you want is attention !
” – Spot on .
“ She should go back in time and break up with him.
” – Who gave this advice , Dr Who ?
“ If your an adult ( and to be clear an adult not talking about children ) and you did not know it was assault until years later , it probably was not assault.
” – Again , spot on .
“ Guess she had to wait for the women of the liberal left Me Too movement to tell her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apparently from a woman : “ This entire movement and the expansion of the definition of sexual assault that it demands , does nothing but lessen the seriousness of true victims .
An unwelcome hand around the waist or creep comment does not , hear me now , does NOT equate to being forcibly raped/penetrated or assaulted in any other such way as to make you feel helpless and in extreme danger .
So do grow the f # % # @ up already and learn to deal with weird social situations .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ what she ’ s talking about.
” And that sums it up , the definition of sexual assault keeps expanding .
Coupled with all this ludicrous rape culture propaganda , this can not have anything but a deleterious effect on young , impressionable minds , but not thankfully on almost all the people who watched this video .
And don ’ t let ’ s forget the therapy , this can definitely help you come to terms with the sexual assault from years ago you didn ’ t think was an assault at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help you come to terms with being sexually assaulted even if you weren ’ t .
Sadly , this sort of rubbish is being peddled on both sides of the Atlantic , indeed the world over .
The screengrab above appeared in a recent mailing from Rape Crisis Scotland .
You can read a bit about this insidious outfit here .
Note at the bottom of the page , a list of 450 books for “ survivors ” , four hundred and fifty of them .
One of these books is The Courage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we can do no better than quote a comment to the RAINN video : “ So they are now going to do the false memory bit .
I knew a guy who was accused of molesting his step daughter .
It was only after a thorough investigation , testimony by his wife , and his son , my close friend , that finally revealed that the psychologist had interpreted her dreams and planted the idea in her .
But it was hell for the guy until he was vindicated.
” That ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to terrible miscarriages of justice as well as destroying innocent lives .
Teenagers of both sexes and young women can go through difficult phases .
Our lives may be a lot easier physically than those of our ancestors , but our emotional problems appear to be a great deal worse , probably because someone who went off the rails in the Eighteenth Century would end up in a bedlam , or the river .
Suicide is still a surprisingly common cause of death , including for the young ; delusions about childhood sexual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are based mostly on confabulation as in the case of Roseanne Barr .
Instead of pointing this out to young women , the sexual grievance industry seems intent on creating even more victims .
Which is yet one more reason the entire worldwide network should be totally defunded and if possible shut down .

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.
Or perhaps that should be who is trying to brainwash young American women? First watch the video, then read the comments. As the reader will see, this one minute wonder was uploaded to Yahoo! (and several other websites) on April 28 and by May 7, late London time, had attracted well over two thousand comments, almost all of them hostile. Like the video, the comments page has been archived through the WayBack Machine, at least the first 123 A4 pages of it have been. You can access the original through the link at the bottom of each page, that’s if it isn’t soon deleted out of embarrassment.
This absurd video appears to have been produced by RAINN. If you aren’t familiar with the acronym, it stands for Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. No, that is not an invitation, rather it is what the organisation professes to lobby against, or more specifically it claims to support victims of rape and sexual abuse, including incest, throughout the United States.
Like so many other campaigning organisations, especially those in and around the sexual grievance industry, RAINN pulls statistics out of thin air in order to bolster the importance of its work, and to lobby for more funding, from the public, from trusts, from national and local government. For example, visitors to its website are told that every 73 seconds another American is sexually assaulted. And the evidence for this is? Leaving that aside, a sexual assault can be a violent rape, a drunk touching a woman’s breast in a nightclub, or even a guy misreading the signals and putting his hand where it isn’t wanted.
There is much more flim-flam like that on the RAINN website, but let’s return to the video. The girls and women appearing therein appear to be models. And dumb with it. The first one is captioned as being sexually assaulted by her boyfriend, but she didn’t realise it until years later. What didn’t you realise? That the two of you were in bed together? Then we have the ludicrous statistics again – one in six women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime. Again, what does sexually assaulted mean? This figure is also somewhat on the low side according to the President of the United States. On January 22, 2014, he told a gathering that it had been estimated that 1 in 5 college students had been sexually assaulted during their time there. Three years later, Barack Obama sent his eldest daughter to Harvard. Either he didn’t give a stuff for her welfare, or he didn’t believe these ludicrous statistics anymore than you should. Which do you think is the most likely?
The video tells us that trauma often causes victims to repress the memories and details of their violation. Actually, such trauma often causes victims to fight back, to punch, kick, claw, or simply scream. If memories can be repressed, and this is a big if, they can also be embellished or confabulated. False memories are surprisingly common, indeed we probably all have them regularly, mostly they are trivial in nature, misplacing one’s keys and looking for them in the wrong place, that sort of thing.
RAINN is clearly trying to drum up custom – and financial support – with this ludicrous video. Now let us look at just half a dozen comments at random. Well, not entirely at random:
“What happened? Did his check bounce?” – Shame on you, sir.
“Never happened! You need to report it at the time, not years later! That means it didn’t happen and all you want is attention!” – Spot on.
“She should go back in time and break up with him.” – Who gave this advice, Dr Who?
“If your an adult (and to be clear an adult not talking about children) and you did not know it was assault until years later, it probably was not assault.” – Again, spot on.
“Guess she had to wait for the women of the liberal left Me Too movement to tell her was assaulted.”
And this one, apparently from a woman:
“This entire movement and the expansion of the definition of sexual assault that it demands, does nothing but lessen the seriousness of true victims. An unwelcome hand around the waist or creep comment does not, hear me now, does NOT equate to being forcibly raped/penetrated or assaulted in any other such way as to make you feel helpless and in extreme danger. So do grow the f#%#@ up already and learn to deal with weird social situations. SO over this…..sincerely, someone who knows what she’s talking about.”
And that sums it up, the definition of sexual assault keeps expanding. Coupled with all this ludicrous rape culture propaganda, this cannot have anything but a deleterious effect on young, impressionable minds, but not thankfully on almost all the people who watched this video.
And don’t let’s forget the therapy, this can definitely help you come to terms with the sexual assault from years ago you didn’t think was an assault at the time. Heck, it may help you come to terms with being sexually assaulted even if you weren’t.
Sadly, this sort of rubbish is being peddled on both sides of the Atlantic, indeed the world over. The screengrab above appeared in a recent mailing from Rape Crisis Scotland. You can read a bit about this insidious outfit here.
Note at the bottom of the page, a list of 450 books for “survivors”, four hundred and fifty of them. One of these books is The Courage To Heal, and in this connection we can do no better than quote a comment to the RAINN video:
“So they are now going to do the false memory bit. I knew a guy who was accused of molesting his step daughter. It was only after a thorough investigation, testimony by his wife, and his son, my close friend, that finally revealed that the psychologist had interpreted her dreams and planted the idea in her. But it was hell for the guy until he was vindicated.”
That’s right, this sort of hysteria leads to terrible miscarriages of justice as well as destroying innocent lives. Teenagers of both sexes and young women can go through difficult phases. Our lives may be a lot easier physically than those of our ancestors, but our emotional problems appear to be a great deal worse, probably because someone who went off the rails in the Eighteenth Century would end up in a bedlam, or the river. Suicide is still a surprisingly common cause of death, including for the young; delusions about childhood sexual abuse are also quite common, they are based mostly on confabulation as in the case of Roseanne Barr. Instead of pointing this out to young women, the sexual grievance industry seems intent on creating even more victims. Which is yet one more reason the entire worldwide network should be totally defunded and if possible shut down.
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theduran--2020-05-08--Adam Schiff’s Russiagate house of cards comes crumbling down (Video)

The Duran ’ s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss how shifty , corrupt Congressman Adam Schiff folded and had to release information from 53 declassified transcripts of witnesses that testified before Congress regarding the FBI ’ s Russia probe into the Trump campaign .
The decision for Schiff to publish the 6,000 pages of transcripts comes after a showdown with Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell , who stated in a letter on Wednesday that if Adam Schiff does not make the transcripts public then he will release them himself .
Subscribe to The Duran on YouTube – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Audio Podcast : Follow on Soundcloud – Subscribe on iTunes .
Following the standoff between Rep. Adam Schiff ( D-CA ) and Acting DNI Richard Grenell , the House Intelligence Committee published all of the Russia investigation transcripts Thursday evening .
• • None Letter from Counsel to David Kramer to HPSCI ( December 23 , 2017 ) • • None Letter from Counsel to David Kramer to HPSCI ( January 5 , 2018 ) • None Letter from Counsel to David Kramer to HPSCI ( January 10 , 2018 ) • • @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Justice ( April 30 , 2019 )

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 how shifty, corrupt Congressman Adam Schiff folded and had to release information from 53 declassified transcripts of witnesses that testified before Congress regarding the FBI’s Russia probe into the Trump campaign.
The decision for Schiff to publish the 6,000 pages of transcripts comes after a showdown with Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell, who stated in a letter on Wednesday that if Adam Schiff does not make the transcripts public then he will release them himself.
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Via Zerohedge…
Following the standoff between Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Acting DNI Richard Grenell, the House Intelligence Committee published all of the Russia investigation transcripts Thursday evening.
Interview Transcripts:
NEW: former DNI James Clapper says : "I never saw any direct empirical evidence that the Trump campaign or someone in it was plotting/ conspiring with the Russians to meddle with the election." — in transcript of interview with House Intel during its Russia probe. — Brooke Singman (@BrookeSingman) May 7, 2020
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theduran--2020-05-08--The US-Saudi relationship has changed

The US-Saudi relationship has changed

US President Trump has ordered the removal of two Patriot missile batteries from Saudi Arabia , and the withdrawal of 300 US troops .
When asked about the action , Trump replied , “ Well , I don ’ t want to talk about it , ” adding merely that his administration was “ doing some things ” and “ making a lot of moves in the Middle East and elsewhere .
We ’ re doing a lot of things all over the world militarily .
We ’ ve been taken advantage of all over the world , our military.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Henry Kissinger considered landing US troops in Saudi Arabia and dividing up the oil fields .
“ It is ridiculous that the civilized world is held up by 8 million savages , ” Kissinger declared in the face of the oil embargo which he saw as Saudi blackmail .
Now that the US is the world ’ s largest oil producer , many experts see the time is ripe for a change in the relationship .
On April 2 US President Trump phoned Saudi Arabia ’ s crown prince and delivered a humiliating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or we order a complete US troop withdrawal from the Kingdom in the sand .
This was not the first time Trump has spoken harshly and to the point .
“ But I said ‘ King – we ’ re protecting you – you might not be there for two weeks without us – you have to pay for your military , ’ ” Trump said to cheers at a rally in October 2018 .
“ Withdrawing troops placed to protect others recognizes that friendship and support is a two-way street , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legislation that would remove US troops in 30 days of enactment .
“ Why would we put 2,500 troops in harm ’ s way and a whole bunch of missile defense systems in Saudi Arabia to defend their oil when they ’ ve declared war on our oil ?
” Senator Kevin Cramer asked .
On April 20 , US oil prices went below zero for the first time in history , which prompted lawmakers in oil-producing states to accuse Saudi Arabia of waging “ economic warfare ” .
US Sen. Lisa Murkowski @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Secretary of State Pompeo that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has embarked upon economic warfare against the United States , and warned that by taking advantage of the COVID-19 crisis Saudi Arabia “ risks its bilateral relationship with the United States.
” The Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee stated that US aid and support of Saudi Arabia should never be offered perpetually and unconditionally .
Trump chose Saudi Arabia for his first foreign visit in May 2017 .
Trump and his host , King Salman bin Abdulaziz , signed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of defense equipment and services , including a second defense pact valued at up to $ 350 billion over the next 10 years .
“ The only thing holding the relationship together now is Trump—he has a peculiar affinity for Saudi Arabia , ” said Bruce Riedel , a 30-year CIA officer , an expert on Saudi Arabia , and now a director at the Brookings Institution .
“ But we don ’ t need the Saudis anymore—this comes in a very different geopolitical environment than previous crises , ” said Reidel , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this time is different.
” Madea Benjamin , co-founder of “ Code Pink ” , published a book in 2016 , “ Kingdom of the Unjust : Behind the US Saudi connection ” .
She writes about the ‘ odd-couple ’ relationship between the US and Saudi Arabia which do not have shared values .
She advocates for the re-evaluation of the ties between a democratic super-power , and the only absolute monarchy on earth , which despises religious freedom , women ’ s rights , free speech , and is the source @ @ @ @ @ @ @ changed American society .
It was the worst attack on US soil killing almost 3,000 people , and destroying the World Trade Center by an attack carried out mainly by Saudis , and it was later shown through documentation that some of the terrorists had contact with Saudi officials before the attack .
Congress unanimously passed legislation allowing the families of 9/11 victims to seek damages from Saudi Arabia .
The Crown Prince , and the virtual ruler of Saudi Arabia , is commonly known as MBS .
He was only 31 when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Saudi war against Yemen escalated in 2015 , and MBS has since expanded it .
Despite the best military hardware in the region , Saudi military incompetence has shown them to be a US security liability .
The Houthi militia is winning in Yemen , despite Saudi Arabia spending $ 4 billion a month on the war , which has killed 100,000 people in Yemen , including civilians killed by Saudi airstrikes .
About two million children under five years old are suffering from acute malnutrition and require treatment , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cholera outbreak .
MBS ordered the 2017 kidnapping of the Prime Minister of Lebanon , Saad Hariri .
Hariri ’ s political opponents inside Lebanon , such as Hezbollah and President Michel Aoun , pressured President Macron of France to personally broker Hariri ’ s release from MBS .
Hariri ’ s step-father was King Abdullah , who died in 2015 , and his relatives and associates are distrusted by MBS .
MBS imposed a sea , land , and air blockade on Qatar in 2017 , after hackers posted false statements attributed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Arabia executed 185 people in 2019 , including 37 people who were killed in a mass execution on April 23 , 2019 .
At least 13 juveniles are awaiting execution .
“ The targeting of prisoners of conscience and children confirms the retaliatory and political use ( of ) executions , ” the statement quoted Ali al-Dubisi , director of the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights , as saying .
The ‘ Roundup at the Ritz ’ in 2017 saw hundreds of Saudi royals , billionaires and senior government officials held captive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of MBS .
The detainees had to bail themselves out of the velvet-prison , which served up both psychological abuse and torture , with seventeen who were hospitalized .
The Saudi government reported they had raked in $ 106 billion from the shakedown .
The CIA in November 2018 briefed the White House that MBS ordered the killing of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018 .
The US Senate also accepted the resolution on December 13 , 2018 , that holds MBS responsible for killing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Mohammed bin Salman give a reason for a reassessment of the US-Saudi relationship .
Total foreign reserve assets fell by almost $ 24 billion in March according to the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority .
Saudi Arabia is on track to be both a debtor and an oil importer within a decade .

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.
Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator
US President Trump has ordered the removal of two Patriot missile batteries from Saudi Arabia, and the withdrawal of 300 US troops. When asked about the action, Trump replied, “Well, I don’t want to talk about it,” adding merely that his administration was “doing some things” and “making a lot of moves in the Middle East and elsewhere. We’re doing a lot of things all over the world militarily. We’ve been taken advantage of all over the world, our military.”
US troop withdrawal from Saudi Arabia
In 1973, National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger considered landing US troops in Saudi Arabia and dividing up the oil fields. “It is ridiculous that the civilized world is held up by 8 million savages,” Kissinger declared in the face of the oil embargo which he saw as Saudi blackmail. Now that the US is the world’s largest oil producer, many experts see the time is ripe for a change in the relationship.
On April 2 US President Trump phoned Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and delivered a humiliating demand: cut the oil production, or we order a complete US troop withdrawal from the Kingdom in the sand. This was not the first time Trump has spoken harshly and to the point. “But I said ‘King – we’re protecting you – you might not be there for two weeks without us – you have to pay for your military,’” Trump said to cheers at a rally in October 2018.
“Withdrawing troops placed to protect others recognizes that friendship and support is a two-way street,” said Senator Bill Cassidy, who introduced legislation that would remove US troops in 30 days of enactment.
“Why would we put 2,500 troops in harm’s way and a whole bunch of missile defense systems in Saudi Arabia to defend their oil when they’ve declared war on our oil?” Senator Kevin Cramer asked.
On April 20, US oil prices went below zero for the first time in history, which prompted lawmakers in oil-producing states to accuse Saudi Arabia of waging “economic warfare”. US Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska along with five Senators wrote Secretary of State Pompeo that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has embarked upon economic warfare against the United States, and warned that by taking advantage of the COVID-19 crisis Saudi Arabia “risks its bilateral relationship with the United States.” The Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee stated that US aid and support of Saudi Arabia should never be offered perpetually and unconditionally.
Trump chose Saudi Arabia for his first foreign visit in May 2017. Trump and his host, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, signed a nearly $110 billion agreement package of defense equipment and services, including a second defense pact valued at up to $350 billion over the next 10 years.
“The only thing holding the relationship together now is Trump—he has a peculiar affinity for Saudi Arabia,” said Bruce Riedel, a 30-year CIA officer, an expert on Saudi Arabia, and now a director at the Brookings Institution. “But we don’t need the Saudis anymore—this comes in a very different geopolitical environment than previous crises,” said Reidel, and he added, “I think this time is different.”
Madea Benjamin, co-founder of “Code Pink”, published a book in 2016, “Kingdom of the Unjust: Behind the US Saudi connection”. She writes about the ‘odd-couple’ relationship between the US and Saudi Arabia which do not have shared values. She advocates for the re-evaluation of the ties between a democratic super-power, and the only absolute monarchy on earth, which despises religious freedom, women’s rights, free speech, and is the source of funding terrorism worldwide.
9/11
9/11 fundamentally changed American society. It was the worst attack on US soil killing almost 3,000 people, and destroying the World Trade Center by an attack carried out mainly by Saudis, and it was later shown through documentation that some of the terrorists had contact with Saudi officials before the attack. Congress unanimously passed legislation allowing the families of 9/11 victims to seek damages from Saudi Arabia.
Yemen
The Crown Prince, and the virtual ruler of Saudi Arabia, is commonly known as MBS. He was only 31 when he came to power in June 2017. The Saudi war against Yemen escalated in 2015, and MBS has since expanded it. Despite the best military hardware in the region, Saudi military incompetence has shown them to be a US security liability. The Houthi militia is winning in Yemen, despite Saudi Arabia spending $4 billion a month on the war, which has killed 100,000 people in Yemen, including civilians killed by Saudi airstrikes. About two million children under five years old are suffering from acute malnutrition and require treatment, and the country faces wholesale starvation and a cholera outbreak.
Kidnapping
MBS ordered the 2017 kidnapping of the Prime Minister of Lebanon, Saad Hariri. Hariri’s political opponents inside Lebanon, such as Hezbollah and President Michel Aoun, pressured President Macron of France to personally broker Hariri’s release from MBS. Hariri’s step-father was King Abdullah, who died in 2015, and his relatives and associates are distrusted by MBS.
Blockade on Qatar
MBS imposed a sea, land, and air blockade on Qatar in 2017, after hackers posted false statements attributed to Qatar’s emir.
Human rights violations
Saudi Arabia executed 185 people in 2019, including 37 people who were killed in a mass execution on April 23, 2019. At least 13 juveniles are awaiting execution. “The targeting of prisoners of conscience and children confirms the retaliatory and political use (of) executions,” the statement quoted Ali al-Dubisi, director of the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights, as saying.
The Ritz-Carlton Prison
The ‘Roundup at the Ritz’ in 2017 saw hundreds of Saudi royals, billionaires and senior government officials held captive in the luxurious Ritz-Carlton hotel on orders of MBS. The detainees had to bail themselves out of the velvet-prison, which served up both psychological abuse and torture, with seventeen who were hospitalized. The Saudi government reported they had raked in $106 billion from the shakedown.
Khashoggi murder
The CIA in November 2018 briefed the White House that MBS ordered the killing of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018. The US Senate also accepted the resolution on December 13, 2018, that holds MBS responsible for killing Khashoggi.
The numerous crimes and blunders of Mohammed bin Salman give a reason for a reassessment of the US-Saudi relationship. Total foreign reserve assets fell by almost $24 billion in March according to the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority. Saudi Arabia is on track to be both a debtor and an oil importer within a decade.
Steven Sahiounie is an award-winning journalist
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theduran--2020-05-08--Snagged: Adam Schiff caught in his Russian collusion whopper [Video]

Liars always get caught .
It may take some time , even years or even longer .
They may even die before they get caught , but they always get caught .
Right , Adam ( Schiff ) ?
However , it is also true that liars always try to get away with their lies .
Enter one Democrat US Representative from California , Adam Schiff .
For going on three-plus years , this man has been insisting that he possesses “ direct evidence ” that Candidate Trump ’ s campaign colluded with agencies of the Russian Federation to interfere @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that this should matter , as it is now 2020 with a new presidential election on its way .
Nevertheless , despite repeated conclusions by investigative committees in the House , the Senate and other places , the Special Counsel that ran for two years , headed by a team of Trump-hating investigators , none of which were able to get anywhere close to confirming Mr. Schiff ’ s claim , he held on to it .
Of course , he also did something that many liars also do .
When asked to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , or deflects the question to give them an answer like “ I already told you how ” , when he did nothing .
Being a politician , the man is gifted with a few skills that make him surprisingly adept at the art of the lie .
He has a pleasant speaking voice .
He is slick with his rhetoric .
And best of all , he has these bug-eyes that make people either think he really is emphatic about what he says ( or that he is crazy , as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fox News released a report about 11pm Wednesday ( New York Time ) that started with this simple lede : But it gets better : This seems most evident because the article goes on to say that the hapless Schiff tried to throw this off track by investigating the acting Director of National Intelligence for being a Trump hack ( The acting DNI , Richard Grennell is a Trump supporter ) , and therefore potentially obfuscating or twisting the release of the transcripts in the President ’ s favor .
However , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so well : Sorry , Adam .
What was that thought about “ the walls closing in ” ?
Brooke Singman , who authored the Fox piece , has a solid piece here that just piles evidence on that shows that Adam Schiff appears to be in his own little world as far as his claims go .
Now , truth be told , I am a rather rabid Trump supporter .
It began because when I heard him take the government to task for being stupid , in very plain language , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ others had been saying we wished someone running would say , and of course that they would do something about it .
The President has definitely been doing as well as saying .
The chaos in Washington is evidence to that fact .
But the emotionalism behind the anti-Trump crowd comes from a lot of people who are not neccessarily rabid liberals , but people who have not come to terms with the reality of the United States at the present time .
These folks talk about wanting to feel that the government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a complete 180 from how the US government was envisioned ) , or that the Chief Executive should be “ presidential ” , rather like a nobleman in terms of how he speaks and how he acts .
Donald Trump fails on both of these counts .
While he uses the powers of the government to help people , his goal is to let people help themselves and to get the government out of their way .
This would make Americans truly free and independent once again , and that frightens a lot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ free and independent .
It means they have to risk , and fail , and risk again .
The other issue , the “ nobility ” factor , went away a long time ago .
President George W. Bush tried , very valiantly , to uphold the Office of the President as a noble office and a noble calling .
Now , of course , many geopolitical wonks will take issue with this thought , but this is not my opinion .
This was the President ’ s own opinion of how the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ particularly took issue with the prior occupants ( the Clintons ) ransacking of the White House before they left .
He wanted to bring dignity back into DC .
He failed .
Donald Trump understands reality .
He punches because he gets punched and he knows that it is very important that he win .
The people that put him in the White House expect nothing less , and he has been nothing but faithful to them .
We have reported again and again how this behavior is counter to the Washington establishment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only in serving itself .
Now , with the COVID-19 crisis in place , the government on all levels has vastly increased its level of control on American society .
The Americans generally do not like it , either .
The nanny state that some people want – well , it is here !
This is the reality : Stay at home .
Do not gather in groups .
Don ’ t go to Church , because your government deems it ‘ non-essential ’ , and so on .
Now we hear stories @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thanks to super-powerful government , the kind that Adam Schiff dreams of , perhaps , the United States is becoming Venezuela .
While the crisis is a temporary factor that may indeed require draconian measures like this ( we still do not really know ) , the evidence is amazingly clear that government control yields disaster .
The question now is which is the bigger problem : Covid illnesses or a collapsed nation ?
Trump has to fight to get the US back on a paying basis , and he is doing a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ messy ?
Absolutely .
Independence is messy business .
It is risky ?
Will his reopening of the country kill more people ?
Probably not .
The virus was transmitted around the world despite all the quarantines ( which is a subject of further investigation that is coming ) .
COVID is now part of the endemic disease landscape .
This is probably the best assumption .
Because of this assumption , it seems to be time to get up , dust ourselves off , and get back to living .
This appears @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the US , but also here , in Russia , as the reality of our situation becomes more clear .
How does this relate to Adam Schiff and his apparent Russia collusion fantasies ?
It doesn ’ t .
That is the point .
Representative Schiff seems to live in an alternate universe and while he does this , it is unlikely that he is successfully representing even the most liberal of liberals in his district in California .
His crusade against the President takes energy and time away from solving real @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of news , his efforts are shown to be more and more irrelevant .
Political inertia is very high in the US , though , so one can not be sure that he will be removed from his elected post come Election Day .
However , an informed reader here might be able to discern for themselves and decide that perhaps someone who understands reality might be better suited to elected office .
Steve Turley gives his further , excellent commentary here .

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.
Liars always get caught. It may take some time, even years or even longer. They may even die before they get caught, but they always get caught. Right, Adam (Schiff)?
However, it is also true that liars always try to get away with their lies. Enter one Democrat US Representative from California, Adam Schiff. For going on three-plus years, this man has been insisting that he possesses “direct evidence” that Candidate Trump’s campaign colluded with agencies of the Russian Federation to interfere with the 2016 presidential elections.
Not that this should matter, as it is now 2020 with a new presidential election on its way. Nevertheless, despite repeated conclusions by investigative committees in the House, the Senate and other places, the Special Counsel that ran for two years, headed by a team of Trump-hating investigators, none of which were able to get anywhere close to confirming Mr. Schiff’s claim, he held on to it.
Of course, he also did something that many liars also do. When asked to be shown the evidence, he refuses, or deflects the question to give them an answer like “I already told you how”, when he did nothing. Being a politician, the man is gifted with a few skills that make him surprisingly adept at the art of the lie. He has a pleasant speaking voice. He is slick with his rhetoric. And best of all, he has these bug-eyes that make people either think he really is emphatic about what he says (or that he is crazy, as the multitudinous memes of him show).
Fox News released a report about 11pm Wednesday (New York Time) that started with this simple lede:
Transcripts of House Intelligence Committee interviews that have been cleared for release show top law enforcement and intelligence officials affirming they had no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 election, senior administration and intelligence community officials told Fox News on Wednesday.
But it gets better:
This would align with the results of former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation — which found no evidence of illegal or criminal coordination between President Trump, the Trump campaign and Russia in 2016 — but the numerous transcribed interviews could raise further questions about committee Chairman Adam Schiff’s past statements saying that there was “direct evidence” of collusion. “Schiff is in panic mode,” a senior administration official told Fox News.
This seems most evident because the article goes on to say that the hapless Schiff tried to throw this off track by investigating the acting Director of National Intelligence for being a Trump hack (The acting DNI, Richard Grennell is a Trump supporter), and therefore potentially obfuscating or twisting the release of the transcripts in the President’s favor. However, that also did not appear to work out so well:
A day later, acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell notified Schiff, D-Calif., that the redaction and declassification process was complete, and that the records were ready for release, putting the ball in Schiff’s court. However, intelligence officials told Fox News on Wednesday that Schiff has had his subcommittee staff director reaching out to heads of intelligence community agencies asking how Grenell was involved and what role Grenell — a known Trump ally — may have played in the declassification and redaction process. Fox News is told, however, that the redactions were completed before Grenell took the helm as acting director this past February.
Sorry, Adam. What was that thought about “the walls closing in”?
Another source familiar with the transcripts told Fox News that the people interviewed by the House Intelligence Committee during its Russia probe were asked whether they had evidence that Trump, himself, or the Trump campaign conspired, colluded or coordinated with Russia during the 2016 election. Two sources familiar with the transcripts told Fox News that not one of the 53 witnesses could provide evidence of collusion. “The transcripts show a total lack of evidence, despite Schiff personally going out saying he had more than circumstantial evidence that there was collusion,” one source involved in House Russia investigations told Fox News.
Brooke Singman, who authored the Fox piece, has a solid piece here that just piles evidence on that shows that Adam Schiff appears to be in his own little world as far as his claims go.
Now, truth be told, I am a rather rabid Trump supporter. It began because when I heard him take the government to task for being stupid, in very plain language, it was what I and so many others had been saying we wished someone running would say, and of course that they would do something about it. The President has definitely been doing as well as saying. The chaos in Washington is evidence to that fact.
But the emotionalism behind the anti-Trump crowd comes from a lot of people who are not neccessarily rabid liberals, but people who have not come to terms with the reality of the United States at the present time. These folks talk about wanting to feel that the government takes care of them (which is a complete 180 from how the US government was envisioned), or that the Chief Executive should be “presidential”, rather like a nobleman in terms of how he speaks and how he acts. Donald Trump fails on both of these counts. While he uses the powers of the government to help people, his goal is to let people help themselves and to get the government out of their way.
This would make Americans truly free and independent once again, and that frightens a lot of folks who are afraid to be free and independent. It means they have to risk, and fail, and risk again.
The other issue, the “nobility” factor, went away a long time ago. President George W. Bush tried, very valiantly, to uphold the Office of the President as a noble office and a noble calling. Now, of course, many geopolitical wonks will take issue with this thought, but this is not my opinion. This was the President’s own opinion of how the Presidency ought to be approached. He particularly took issue with the prior occupants (the Clintons) ransacking of the White House before they left. He wanted to bring dignity back into DC. He failed.
Donald Trump understands reality. He punches because he gets punched and he knows that it is very important that he win. The people that put him in the White House expect nothing less, and he has been nothing but faithful to them.
We have reported again and again how this behavior is counter to the Washington establishment, which for many decades has excelled only in serving itself. Now, with the COVID-19 crisis in place, the government on all levels has vastly increased its level of control on American society. The Americans generally do not like it, either. The nanny state that some people want – well, it is here! This is the reality: Stay at home. Do not gather in groups. Don’t go to Church, because your government deems it ‘non-essential’, and so on. Now we hear stories about the food supply having difficulties.
Thanks to super-powerful government, the kind that Adam Schiff dreams of, perhaps, the United States is becoming Venezuela. While the crisis is a temporary factor that may indeed require draconian measures like this (we still do not really know), the evidence is amazingly clear that government control yields disaster. The question now is which is the bigger problem: Covid illnesses or a collapsed nation?
Trump has to fight to get the US back on a paying basis, and he is doing a good job at it. Is it messy? Absolutely. Independence is messy business. It is risky? Will his reopening of the country kill more people? Probably not. The virus was transmitted around the world despite all the quarantines (which is a subject of further investigation that is coming). COVID is now part of the endemic disease landscape. This is probably the best assumption. Because of this assumption, it seems to be time to get up, dust ourselves off, and get back to living. This appears to be the plan, not only in the US, but also here, in Russia, as the reality of our situation becomes more clear.
How does this relate to Adam Schiff and his apparent Russia collusion fantasies?
It doesn’t. That is the point. Representative Schiff seems to live in an alternate universe and while he does this, it is unlikely that he is successfully representing even the most liberal of liberals in his district in California. His crusade against the President takes energy and time away from solving real problems, and with this latest bit of news, his efforts are shown to be more and more irrelevant.
Political inertia is very high in the US, though, so one cannot be sure that he will be removed from his elected post come Election Day. However, an informed reader here might be able to discern for themselves and decide that perhaps someone who understands reality might be better suited to elected office.
Steve Turley gives his further, excellent commentary here.
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theduran--2020-11-16--Where Covid-19 Has Already Killed More Than One Person Per Thousand

As-of November 15th , more than one person per thousand had already died from the Covid-19 virus ( coronavirus-19 ) in the nations of and in the U.S. states of Here are the nations with over 5 million population that have the lowest death-rates from the disease : Here are the U.S. states with the lowest death-rates from the disease : Vermont ( 1 per 10,576 ; or .95 per ten thousand , or .095 per thousand ) Alaska ( 1 per 7,951 — the explosion of the disease started only recently there ) In order properly to understand these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in some African countries ) , an important underlying variable is the median age of the land ’ s population , because , for example , the median age for Burundi is only 17 , and , therefore , San Marino , where the median age is 44.4 , is naturally likely to have a vastly higher death-rate from this disease .
Apples should be compared with apples , not with oranges .
However , the median age in Vermont is 42.8 ( America ’ s third-highest ) , and in Maine is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and yet both states have America ’ s lowest two death-rates from this disease ; so , governmental policies and their public acceptance and enforcement can be even more important than is the physical population .
Nature isn ’ t everything ; nurture can be an even bigger determinant of success or failure .
Furthermore , all three of the highest death-rate countries have incredibly polarized and therefore dysfunctional ‘ democratic ’ governments , and this means that they are especially likely to fail to have unity — and therefore effectiveness — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this evolving event is .
Slow response and adjustment to it is then like no response , because it comes too late , in an emergency situation .
Moreover , San Marino ’ s economy is at least 50 % tourism-based , which is the sector that is the hardest hit by the pandemic , as a consequence of which , the pressures to underestimate the pandemic ’ s danger are especially large there .
As that same website which I ’ ve cited for the coronavirus death-rates also shows , worldwide the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which was 67 on 2 March 2020 , soared to 8,534 by the time of 17 April 2020 , and didn ’ t exceed that number until 4 November 2020 at 9,152 , despite the world ’ s having been taking increasing measures to reduce the spread of the disease .
However , since the global death-rate from the virus has finally broken through the initial peak of 8,534 , we can now expect either greatly increased measures to be taken against the disease ’ s spread , or else the daily death-rate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at least the near-term future .
If the daily death-rate from it will be soaring in the near-term future , then the public will become increasingly afraid to be anywhere with strangers ; and , consequently , all modes of employment that require employees to be physically near strangers will need to pay higher and higher wages in order to be able to remain in business , and the local economy will therefore be in a downward spiral unless and until that situation becomes reversed .
Consequently , the economy will likely be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ During an epidemic , harm to the economy is inevitable in the short term , regardless of whether the government acts or not .
But during the long term , carefully calibrated scientifically calculated measures to reduce the spread of the epidemic are optimal ( for the long term benefits ) , and anything that impedes this is therefore a threat against the entire public .
Whereas a threat against the general public is acceptable to a psychopath ( or “ sociopath ” ) and is consistent with pure capitalism ( “ libertarianism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is not acceptable to a democratic socialist ( “ social democratic ” ) person , or to a patriot in a country that asserts the general welfare to be among its fundamental priorities ( such as the U.S. Constitution does in its General Welfare Clause and especially in its most-fundamental passage , the Preamble , which asserts the ultimate objectives which that Constitution is directed at serving ) .
Therefore , in the latter type of country , pure capitalism is actually unpatriotic , and democratic socialism is obligatory for the Government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or not that country ’ s existing leaders adhere to it , or publicly acknowledge the fact that their Constitution is actually social-democratic , and not ( and certainly not purely ) capitalistic .
One argument that is being put forth for pure capitalism regarding this virus is “ herd immunity , ” the idea ( which has been endorsed in the neoliberal Council on Foreign Relations ’ s prestigious journal Foreign Affairs , and also by U.S. President Donald Trump ) , which is that if a sufficiently high percentage of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , then they will automatically be immune from catching the disease in the future , and so anyone else ( the never-infected ) will become less likely to catch the disease from others .
Like other libertarian ( or “ neoliberal ) thinking , it trusts to nature as being optimal , and accepts unlimited “ survival of the fittest , ” and rejects social democracy or any general-welfare constitution ( such as America has and which is being routinely violated by America ’ s own Government ) .
However , the assumption @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this virus is immune against becoming infected with it again , has not been established , and there are also many other falsehoods in applying the “ natural herd immunity ” concept to this particular virus — a virus whose epidemiological characteristics are still not yet understood .
As National Geographic recently explained , “ Banking on natural infection to control the outbreak would lead to months , if not years , of a dismaying cycle in which cases subside and then surge.
” Furthermore , even if the idea that a natural @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a nation ’ s population , would not a synthetic herd immunity from an effective vaccine be preferable — and much faster ?
It will prevent the millions of deaths , and even more millions of cases , that would be suffered until a natural herd-immunity exists — if such a natural herd immunity ever will exist .
This is the purpose of the policies in the lands that have thus far been the most effective at keeping down the amounts of disease and death from Covid-19 .
This is a holding action @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the lives of millions of people who would otherwise be unnecessarily wasted while the world waits for a vaccine .
The “ natural herd immunity ” approach isn ’ t only psychopathic , it is grossly inefficient .
A personal friend emailed me with objections against my opposition to libertarian ( or “ neoliberal ” ) policies regarding coronavirus-19 ( covid-19 ) .
He especially argued that we both share views that the Government in our own country is deeply corrupt , and I replied : That ’ s irrelevant because the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policies that countries such as China and Taiwan and Vietnam and Cambodia and Myanmar and then New Zealand and then Vermont pursued — all with strong compliance from their respective publics — have worked , and that the policies that countries such as U.S. and Brazil and Belgium and Chile pursued have failed .
Peru is an especially interesting case because its President wanted to impose the necessary measures but wasn ’ t able to , for many reasons , but especially because nothing was able to “ create this new culture of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to live with the virus ” ( as the euphemistic BBC obliquely phrased the core reality behind Peru ’ s failure ) .
The situation in Peru was the exact opposite of the situation in Vermont , where the public virtually pushed the Governor by accusing him of NOT imposing masking requirements etc .
at the very beginning , and he quickly recognized and rectified his error and as a result Vermont quickly became — and has since remained — the # 1 state in controlling the spread of this virus .
Success @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right public , and failure has resulted where either or both were lacking .
I said in response to his statement : “ I really can not sympathize with those who are fearing for their own lives because of a virus with a 99 % survival rate .
They shouldn ’ t be doing the thinking for the rest of us.
” : I couldn ’ t disagree more with that libertarian viewpoint .
Public health — especially when the issue is a communicable disease , an epidemic or a potential epidemic — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obligation of every individual in the society to NOT engage in behaviors that HELP to spread the disease .
Vaccination is an obligation and not ONLY a right in such a situation .
When a vaccine doesn ’ t yet exist , then the obligation — of every individual in the society to NOT engage in behaviors that HELP to spread the disease — isn ’ t an obligation to be vaccinated ( since that ’ s not yet even possible ) but it is instead an obligation to adhere to masking requirements @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spread of the communicable disease .
The libertarian attitude produces mass-injury , mass-death , mass-disability , and mass-unemployment , in handling a communicable disease , where the OBLIGATION to society is not recognized , but only the individual RIGHT is recognized — that is psychopathic and irresponsible .
Furthermore : you are false to say that this is only “ a virus with a 99 % survival rate ” : it is a vastly more-contagious virus than the Spanish flu which was the other mega-pandemic since 1900 , but it has a lower @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you to focus only on the latter ( the fatality-rate ) is blind to an important half of the reality regarding this virus .
Already , 251,256 Americans have died from this new virus and 11,226,038 have been diagnosed as being ill from it and many who have survived the initial illness are having potentially life-threatening organ-failures from it and tens of millions of Americans reasonably fear going to work as barbers or restaurants or hotels or medical workers etc.
, and yet you say “ I really can not sympathize with those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because of a virus with a 99 % survival rate .
They shouldn ’ t be doing the thinking for the rest of us.
” That statement isn ’ t only blind to half the reality about this virus but is callous , which I know that you are not .
So , it shocked me .
( Furthermore , already over 2 % of Americans who have been diagnosed as having this disease have died from it and that percentage keeps rising ; so whether in the final analysis this plague will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than the Spanish flu did is still an open question , and vaccines against it will largely determine the answer . )
You instead are choosing to dismiss the relevant data , which are the actual policy-outcomes in the 200+ countries throughout the world — including different policies in each of those countries .
Perhaps you think that the data that China which has 60 cases per million residents and 3 deaths per million residents from this virus and that America which has 33,725 cases per million residents and 757 deaths per million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Perhaps you think that the data that Vermont which has 4,556 cases per million residents and 95 deaths per million residents from this virus and that North Dakota which has 82,502 cases per million residents and 953 deaths per million residents from this virus should be ignored .
Those are all policy-outcomes .
Each of those lands has its own policy , and those are the outcomes from it .
I have looked at what the policies are , and , to me , the idea that those data should be ignored @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the extreme .
I am no expert in epidemiology and don ’ t pretend to be ; but your ‘ evidence ’ is nothing that I would cite , for or against anything — and certainly not for interpreting the global policy-outcomes .
I think that you are focusing on balls that aren ’ t even in this game .
You ’ re focusing on different games , and different balls .
Investigative historian Eric Zuesse is the author , most recently , of They ’ re Not Even Close : The Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and of CHRIST ’ S VENTRILOQUISTS : The Event that Created Christianity .

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.
Eric Zuesse, originally posted at Strategic Culture
As-of November 15th, more than one person per thousand had already died from the Covid-19 virus (coronavirus-19) in the nations of
San Marino (1.2 per thousand)
Belgium (1.2 per thousand)
Peru (1.1 per thousand)
and in the U.S. states of
New Jersey (1.9 per thousand)
New York (1.7 per thousand)
Massachusetts (1.5 per thousand)
Connecticut (1.3 per thousand)
Louisiana (1.3 per thousand)
Mississippi (1.2 per thousand)
Rhode Island (1.2 per thousand)
(Nationwide, the U.S. death-rate is 759 per million or .759 per thousand.)
Here are the nations with over 5 million population that have the lowest death-rates from the disease:
Cambodia (0)
Laos (0)
Burundi (1 per 12,015,509)
Taiwan (1 per 3,404,638)
Vietnam (1 per 2,790,141)
Papua (1 per 1,286,790)
Thailand (1 per 1,164,395)
Sri Lanka (1 per 487,406)
Niger (1 per 355,300)
Uganda (1 per 347,734)
Rwanda (1 per 326,650)
Mozambique (1 per 318,834)
Burkina Faso (1 per 315,011)
China (1 per 310,869)
DRC (1 per 286,454)
Benin (1 per 284548)
Singapore (1 per 209,535)
Ivory Coast (1 per 211,189)
South Sudan (1 per 190,525)
New Zealand (1 per 200,084)
Here are the U.S. states with the lowest death-rates from the disease:
Vermont (1 per 10,576; or .95 per ten thousand, or .095 per thousand)
Maine (1 per 8,617)
Alaska (1 per 7,951 — the explosion of the disease started only recently there)
Hawaii (1 per 6,378)
Oregon (1 per 5,723)
In order properly to understand these numbers (such as the low death-rates in some African countries), an important underlying variable is the median age of the land’s population, because, for example, the median age for Burundi is only 17, and, therefore, San Marino, where the median age is 44.4, is naturally likely to have a vastly higher death-rate from this disease. Apples should be compared with apples, not with oranges. However, the median age in Vermont is 42.8 (America’s third-highest), and in Maine is 44.9 (America’s highest), and yet both states have America’s lowest two death-rates from this disease; so, governmental policies and their public acceptance and enforcement can be even more important than is the physical population. Nature isn’t everything; nurture can be an even bigger determinant of success or failure.
Furthermore, all three of the highest death-rate countries have incredibly polarized and therefore dysfunctional ‘democratic’ governments, and this means that they are especially likely to fail to have unity — and therefore effectiveness — in responding to an emergency, which this evolving event is. Slow response and adjustment to it is then like no response, because it comes too late, in an emergency situation. Moreover, San Marino’s economy is at least 50% tourism-based, which is the sector that is the hardest hit by the pandemic, as a consequence of which, the pressures to underestimate the pandemic’s danger are especially large there.
As that same website which I’ve cited for the coronavirus death-rates also shows, worldwide the daily death rate from the disease, which was 67 on 2 March 2020, soared to 8,534 by the time of 17 April 2020, and didn’t exceed that number until 4 November 2020 at 9,152, despite the world’s having been taking increasing measures to reduce the spread of the disease. However, since the global death-rate from the virus has finally broken through the initial peak of 8,534, we can now expect either greatly increased measures to be taken against the disease’s spread, or else the daily death-rate from it to be soaring, in at least the near-term future.
If the daily death-rate from it will be soaring in the near-term future, then the public will become increasingly afraid to be anywhere with strangers; and, consequently, all modes of employment that require employees to be physically near strangers will need to pay higher and higher wages in order to be able to remain in business, and the local economy will therefore be in a downward spiral unless and until that situation becomes reversed.
Consequently, the economy will likely be hit hard now, either way. During an epidemic, harm to the economy is inevitable in the short term, regardless of whether the government acts or not. But during the long term, carefully calibrated scientifically calculated measures to reduce the spread of the epidemic are optimal (for the long term benefits), and anything that impedes this is therefore a threat against the entire public. Whereas a threat against the general public is acceptable to a psychopath (or “sociopath”) and is consistent with pure capitalism (“libertarianism” or “neoliberalism”), it is not acceptable to a democratic socialist (“social democratic”) person, or to a patriot in a country that asserts the general welfare to be among its fundamental priorities (such as the U.S. Constitution does in its General Welfare Clause and especially in its most-fundamental passage, the Preamble, which asserts the ultimate objectives which that Constitution is directed at serving). Therefore, in the latter type of country, pure capitalism is actually unpatriotic, and democratic socialism is obligatory for the Government to adhere to, regardless of whether or not that country’s existing leaders adhere to it, or publicly acknowledge the fact that their Constitution is actually social-democratic, and not (and certainly not purely) capitalistic.
(For examples: Abraham Lincoln said: “Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration.” So, he certainly was a social democrat. And Lincoln’s hero, Thomas Jefferson, wrote, on 12 November 1816, to his long-time friend, Dr. George Logan of Philadelphia, about the “profligacy” of England’s government, wasting resources to prop up its international corporations, which Jefferson said had brought about “the ruin of its people” in order to benefit those aristocrats. He said, “This ruin [in England] will fall heaviest, as it ought to fall, on that hereditary aristocracy which has for generations been preparing the catastrophe [meaning creating the catastrophe (by corrupting the government), not meaning to prepare for the catastrophe]. I hope we shall take warning from the [English] example [e.g., the British East India Company] and crush in it’s birth the aristocracy of our monied corporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of strength and bid defiance to the laws of our country.” So, he too was hostile toward capitalism and favorable toward democratic socialism. America’s Founders — including even its last Founder, Lincoln — supported democracy, and opposed aristocracy, or rule by the controlling owners of corporations. But today’s America — in regard to both its Democratic Party and its Republican Party — is controlled by its billionaires; and, so, this nation is now definitely an aristocracy, instead of a democracy.)
One argument that is being put forth for pure capitalism regarding this virus is “herd immunity,” the idea (which has been endorsed in the neoliberal Council on Foreign Relations’s prestigious journal Foreign Affairs, and also by U.S. President Donald Trump), which is that if a sufficiently high percentage of the population become infected with it and survive, then they will automatically be immune from catching the disease in the future, and so anyone else (the never-infected) will become less likely to catch the disease from others. Like other libertarian (or “neoliberal) thinking, it trusts to nature as being optimal, and accepts unlimited “survival of the fittest,” and rejects social democracy or any general-welfare constitution (such as America has and which is being routinely violated by America’s own Government). However, the assumption that everyone who survives an infection from this virus is immune against becoming infected with it again, has not been established, and there are also many other falsehoods in applying the “natural herd immunity” concept to this particular virus — a virus whose epidemiological characteristics are still not yet understood. As National Geographic recently explained, “Banking on natural infection to control the outbreak would lead to months, if not years, of a dismaying cycle in which cases subside and then surge.” Furthermore, even if the idea that a natural herd immunity might become able to protect a nation’s population, would not a synthetic herd immunity from an effective vaccine be preferable — and much faster? It will prevent the millions of deaths, and even more millions of cases, that would be suffered until a natural herd-immunity exists — if such a natural herd immunity ever will exist. This is the purpose of the policies in the lands that have thus far been the most effective at keeping down the amounts of disease and death from Covid-19. This is a holding action, so as to save the health and the lives of millions of people who would otherwise be unnecessarily wasted while the world waits for a vaccine. The “natural herd immunity” approach isn’t only psychopathic, it is grossly inefficient.
A personal friend emailed me with objections against my opposition to libertarian (or “neoliberal”) policies regarding coronavirus-19 (covid-19). He especially argued that we both share views that the Government in our own country is deeply corrupt, and I replied:
——
That’s irrelevant because the data convince me that the types of policies that countries such as China and Taiwan and Vietnam and Cambodia and Myanmar and then New Zealand and then Vermont pursued — all with strong compliance from their respective publics — have worked, and that the policies that countries such as U.S. and Brazil and Belgium and Chile pursued have failed. Peru is an especially interesting case because its President wanted to impose the necessary measures but wasn’t able to, for many reasons, but especially because nothing was able to “create this new culture of respect for the rules to learn how to live with the virus” (as the euphemistic BBC obliquely phrased the core reality behind Peru’s failure). The situation in Peru was the exact opposite of the situation in Vermont, where the public virtually pushed the Governor by accusing him of NOT imposing masking requirements etc. at the very beginning, and he quickly recognized and rectified his error and as a result Vermont quickly became — and has since remained — the #1 state in controlling the spread of this virus. Success needs both the right leadership and the right public, and failure has resulted where either or both were lacking.
I said in response to his statement: “I really can not sympathize with those who are fearing for their own lives because of a virus with a 99% survival rate. They shouldn’t be doing the thinking for the rest of us.”:
I couldn’t disagree more with that libertarian viewpoint. Public health — especially when the issue is a communicable disease, an epidemic or a potential epidemic — relies (above all) on the obligation of every individual in the society to NOT engage in behaviors that HELP to spread the disease. Vaccination is an obligation and not ONLY a right in such a situation. When a vaccine doesn’t yet exist, then the obligation — of every individual in the society to NOT engage in behaviors that HELP to spread the disease — isn’t an obligation to be vaccinated (since that’s not yet even possible) but it is instead an obligation to adhere to masking requirements and other necessary behaviors to minimize the spread of the communicable disease. The libertarian attitude produces mass-injury, mass-death, mass-disability, and mass-unemployment, in handling a communicable disease, where the OBLIGATION to society is not recognized, but only the individual RIGHT is recognized — that is psychopathic and irresponsible.
Furthermore: you are false to say that this is only “a virus with a 99% survival rate”: it is a vastly more-contagious virus than the Spanish flu which was the other mega-pandemic since 1900, but it has a lower mortality-rate; and, so, for you to focus only on the latter (the fatality-rate) is blind to an important half of the reality regarding this virus.
Already, 251,256 Americans have died from this new virus and 11,226,038 have been diagnosed as being ill from it and many who have survived the initial illness are having potentially life-threatening organ-failures from it and tens of millions of Americans reasonably fear going to work as barbers or restaurants or hotels or medical workers etc., and yet you say “I really can not sympathize with those who are fearing for their own lives because of a virus with a 99% survival rate. They shouldn’t be doing the thinking for the rest of us.” That statement isn’t only blind to half the reality about this virus but is callous, which I know that you are not. So, it shocked me. (Furthermore, already over 2% of Americans who have been diagnosed as having this disease have died from it and that percentage keeps rising; so whether in the final analysis this plague will kill a higher percentage of the world than the Spanish flu did is still an open question, and vaccines against it will largely determine the answer.)
You instead are choosing to dismiss the relevant data, which are the actual policy-outcomes in the 200+ countries throughout the world — including different policies in each of those countries.
Perhaps you think that the data that China which has 60 cases per million residents and 3 deaths per million residents from this virus and that America which has 33,725 cases per million residents and 757 deaths per million residents from this virus should be ignored. Perhaps you think that the data that Vermont which has 4,556 cases per million residents and 95 deaths per million residents from this virus and that North Dakota which has 82,502 cases per million residents and 953 deaths per million residents from this virus should be ignored. Those are all policy-outcomes. Each of those lands has its own policy, and those are the outcomes from it. I have looked at what the policies are, and, to me, the idea that those data should be ignored in evaluating those policies is foolish in the extreme. I am no expert in epidemiology and don’t pretend to be; but your ‘evidence’ is nothing that I would cite, for or against anything — and certainly not for interpreting the global policy-outcomes. I think that you are focusing on balls that aren’t even in this game. You’re focusing on different games, and different balls.
—————
Investigative historian Eric Zuesse is the author, most recently, of They’re Not Even Close: The Democratic vs. Republican Economic Records, 1910-2010, and of CHRIST’S VENTRILOQUISTS: The Event that Created Christianity.
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theduran--2020-11-16--Covid-19 Started in Italy, in September 2019, Not in China in December

The covid-19 , or coronavirus-19 , virus didn ’ t start in Wuhan China in December 2019 , as has been widely reported till now .
This new or “ novel ” virus was first infecting people in Italy , by no later than September 2019 , according to researchers at the Italian Association for Cancer Research , and published on November 11th , as Current Research , by the National Tumors Institute of the Italian Ministry of Health .
This study is titled “ Unexpected detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the pre-pandemic period in Italy ” .
It reports @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positive cases was identified in September-October 2019 .
Evaluation of anti-SARS-CoV-2 functional NAbs identified positive samples in CPE-based microneutralization tests already collected in October 2019 .
Given the temporal delay between infection and antibody synthesis , these results indicate that the virus circulated in Italy well before the detection of the declared index patient in February 2020 .
In addition , most of the first antibody-positive individuals lived in regions where the pandemic started.
” In other words : though the first noticed covid-19-infected Italian was in February 2020 , there were covid-19-infected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than September 2019 .
Consequently , one reason why Italy was one of the three most covid-19-infected nations as early as 1 March 2020 ( right behind China and South Korea ) , might be that China and South Korea were the first two countries that noticed this new virus .
26 February 2020 was the first date when Italy reported covid-19 cases , and there were 147 in Italy on that date .
China had started reporting cases on 23 January 2020 : 259 of them .
Within two weeks , China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intensive nationwide searches to find possible cases that they had previously missed ; so , on February 12th , there was an enormous spike in China ’ s known cases , 14,108 of them , reported on that date .
That number declined down to 573 new daily cases on February 29th .
No number even close to that number has been reported after that date in China .
Two weeks after 1 March , on 15 March 2020 , Italy had by far the world ’ s highest intensity of coronavirus infections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rate of 409.3 cases per million residents , and China had 56.2 cases per million .
( U.S. had 11.1 per million . )
However , the tiny nation of San Marino , which is surrounded within Italy , had 109 total cases , and only 34,232 population ( which was too small for that nation to have been included among the ones which were then being calculated ) ; so , that ’ s a per-million rate of 3,184 infections per million , which was actually ( and by far ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ covid-infection , at that time .
Consequently : the first person who became infected by this virus could well have been a San Marinan , instead of an Italian .
As more research is done , regarding this virus , the actual geographical source of it could turn out to be any country , because international travel and tourism are now commonplace , which was not formerly so .
In the future , global pandemics will likely be far more frequent than in earlier history , but technology ( such as vaccines ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might not be a higher percentage of the global population dying from plagues than has been so in the past .
Making predictions on the basis of the latest prior mega-pandemic , which was the Spanish flu of 1918-1920 , might not be entirely appropriate .
The Spanish flu most likely started in America , not in Spain , but , according to Wikipedia , “ To maintain morale , World War I censors minimized these early reports .
Newspapers were free to report the epidemic ’ s effects in neutral Spain , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alfonso XIII , and these stories created a false impression of Spain as especially hard hit .
This gave rise to the name ‘ Spanish ’ flu .
Historical and epidemiological data are inadequate to identify with certainty the pandemic ’ s geographic origin , with varying views as to its location.
” In other words , what the masses of the public believe at any given time can be shaped by the government and by its newspapers and broadcasters , simply by hiding facts that the people who actually control the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know .
Censorship is the core of dictatorship , and almost all countries are actually dictatorships , but the news-media there censor-out that fact , instead of publishing it .
So , the reality of censorship is , itself , hidden from the public , in order for the people who control the government to control the masses so that the nation can be called a “ democracy.
” That ’ s important for them to do in order to minimize the percentage of the population they ’ ll need to imprison .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a higher percentage of its residents in prison than does any other country ; and , so , its news-media are especially highly censored , in order to be able to prevent an outright revolution .
Forcing both the body and the mind could turn out to be too much , but apparently the individuals who are in control feel they need to go that far , in order to remain in control .
But , regardless , any politician who calls covid-19 “ the Wuhan virus ” or “ the China virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agenda , instead of anything about reality , since the actual first case of this disease could have appeared anywhere .
Investigative historian Eric Zuesse is the author , most recently , of They ’ re Not Even Close : The Democratic vs. Republican Economic Records , 1910-2010 , and of CHRIST ’ S VENTRILOQUISTS : The Event that Created Christianity .

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.
Eric Zuesse
The covid-19, or coronavirus-19, virus didn’t start in Wuhan China in December 2019, as has been widely reported till now. This new or “novel” virus was first infecting people in Italy, by no later than September 2019, according to researchers at the Italian Association for Cancer Research, and published on November 11th, as Current Research, by the National Tumors Institute of the Italian Ministry of Health.
This study is titled “Unexpected detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the pre-pandemic period in Italy”. It reports that:
“The first surge of positive cases was identified in September-October 2019. Evaluation of anti-SARS-CoV-2 functional NAbs identified positive samples in CPE-based microneutralization tests already collected in October 2019. Given the temporal delay between infection and antibody synthesis, these results indicate that the virus circulated in Italy well before the detection of the declared index patient in February 2020. In addition, most of the first antibody-positive individuals lived in regions where the pandemic started.”
In other words: though the first officially noticed covid-19-infected Italians were in February 2020, there had been covid-19-infected people in Italy starting by no later than September 2019. Consequently, one reason why Italy was one of the three most covid-19-infected nations as early as 1 March 2020 (right behind China and South Korea), might be that China and South Korea were the first two countries that noticed this new virus. On 31 January 2020, Italy suspended all flights to and from China and declared a state of emergency, but 26 February 2020 was the first date when Italy reported covid-19 cases, and there were already 147 in Italy on that date. The Italian Government explained its sudden cessation of air-flights by saying that a Chinese couple from Wuhan had arrived in Italy on January 23rd and became diagnosed with the new disease on January 30th. China had started reporting cases already a month earlier, on 23 January 2020: 259 of them. Within two weeks thereafter, China’s leaders established total lockdown and intensive nationwide searches to find possible cases that they had previously missed; so, on February 12th, there was an enormous spike in China’s known cases, 14,108 of them, reported on that date. That number declined down to 573 new daily cases on February 29th. No number even close to that number (573) has been reported after that date in China.
Two weeks after 1 March, on 15 March 2020, Italy had by far the world’s highest intensity of coronavirus infections as calculated at that time, at the rate of 409.3 cases per million residents, and China had 56.2 cases per million. (U.S. had 11.1 per million.) However, the tiny nation of San Marino, which is surrounded within Italy, had 109 total cases, and only 34,232 population (which was too small for that nation to have been included among the ones which were then being calculated); so, that’s a per-million rate of 3,184 infections per million, which was actually (and by far) the world’s highest rate of covid-infections, at that time. Consequently: the first person who became infected by this virus could well have been a San Marinan, instead of an Italian.
As more research is done, regarding this virus, the actual geographical source of it could turn out to be any country, because international travel and tourism are now commonplace, which was not formerly so. Maybe the Italian cases in September 2019 had resulted from a foreign visitor, instead of from an Italian. In the future, global pandemics will likely be far more frequent than in earlier history, but technology (such as vaccines) and the world adjusts so that there might not be a higher percentage of the global population dying from plagues than has been so in the past. Making predictions on the basis of the latest prior mega-pandemic, which was the Spanish flu of 1918-1920, might not be entirely appropriate. The Spanish flu most likely started in America, not in Spain, but, according to Wikipedia, “To maintain morale, World War I censors minimized these early reports. Newspapers were free to report the epidemic’s effects in neutral Spain, such as the grave illness of King Alfonso XIII, and these stories created a false impression of Spain as especially hard hit. This gave rise to the name ‘Spanish’ flu. Historical and epidemiological data are inadequate to identify with certainty the pandemic’s geographic origin, with varying views as to its location.” In other words, what the masses of the public believe at any given time can be shaped by the government and by its newspapers and broadcasters, simply by hiding facts that the people who actually control the country don’t want the public to know. Censorship is the core of dictatorship, and almost all countries are actually dictatorships, but the news-media there censor-out that fact, instead of publishing it. So, the reality of censorship is, itself, hidden from the public, in order for the people who control the government to control the masses so that the nation can be called a “democracy.” That’s important for them to do in order to minimize the percentage of the population they’ll need to imprison. However, the United States already has a higher percentage of its residents in prison than does any other country; and, so, its news-media are especially highly censored, in order to be able to prevent an outright revolution. Forcing both the body and the mind could turn out to be too much, but apparently the individuals who are in control feel they need to go that far, in order to remain in control.
But, regardless, any politician who calls covid-19 “the Wuhan virus” or “the China virus” is expressing that person’s agenda, instead of anything about reality, since the actual first case of this disease could have appeared anywhere.
(NOTE: The “gain-of-function” hypotheses, and evidence of Chinese bio-warfare research being funded by the Pentagon and participated in by Canada, do raise questions, which should be answered; but more basic than whether this virus was natural or instead man-made, is precisely where and how it first got released out into the public. We don’t yet really know the answer even to that extremely important question — a question which must be answered BEFORE one can even begin to address the question of whether that event was natural or instead military. This is the basic question, and its answer is still unknown. It’s the first question that must be answered before anything else can become known about how the global pandemic started.)
However, questions are being raised about the study that the Italian Government published on November 11th. On November 16th, a reporter, for the Italian-language edition of Wired, headlined “Doubts about the study that says the coronavirus arrived in Italy in 2019” or “I dubbi sullo studio che dice che il coronavirus è arrivato in Italia nel 2019″ and said that, “even if experts are quite inclined to believe that the new virus circulated well before its official recognition, they do discuss the conclusions of a study by the National Cancer Institute of Milan (Int): from analyzes on 959 samples of healthy people, collected before the outbreak of the epidemic in Italy, it was found that over 10% seem to have antibodies against Sars-Cov-2.”
In other words: The scientific world doesn’t know whether what U.S. President Trump calls “the Wuhan virus” and “the China virus” is actually the Italian Virus, or the San Marino virus — or, perhaps, from some other country, as its originating source. Lots more research needs to be done, before such a question can be answered — if it ever can be answered.
—————
Investigative historian Eric Zuesse is the author, most recently, of They’re Not Even Close: The Democratic vs. Republican Economic Records, 1910-2010, and of CHRIST’S VENTRILOQUISTS: The Event that Created Christianity.
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theduran--2020-11-16--Trump's new Defense Secretary tells Pentagon, "All wars must end"

New Defense Chief Puts DoD On Notice : “ All Wars Must End ” New Defense Chief Puts DoD On @ @ @ @ @ Must End ” Trump ’ s new Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller sent a late @ @ @ @ @ Department of Defense workforce signaling what the administration will be up to in Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ – a likely major US troop reduction , especially from the Middle East .

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