theduran--2020-02-20--Congressional Clown Show on Afghanistan

Congressional Clown Show on Afghanistan

Here , jezail.org presents you with a congressional hearing into Afghanistan after the “ Afghanistan Papers ” release that allegedly exposed that the US government has been lying about Afghanistan for decades .
It is mercifully short and is only the introduction to the hearings which are not likely to be any more interesting .
At about the same time , General Milley and SECDEF Mark Esper held a presser that basically condemned the “ Afghanistan Papers ” and declared that the policy will remain unchanged .
Basically , official Washington has thrown up a middle finger at America and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the same way as we have making only small adjustments for our benefit and not yours America .
Chairman Stephen Lynch opens up this hearing with the same gobbledygook we so often hear about the American mission in Afghanistan .
In about six and a half minutes he blows through some deeply troubling territory .
The cost of the war is acknowledged to be at perhaps one trillion dollars , ( who knew ? )
, the “ Afghanistan Papers ” reveal that the government has been lying about the war for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ send witnesses to the committee for this important hearing by some really really well informed politicians in official Washington .
Chairman Lynch then riffs into an attempt to blame Afghan policy on Donald Trump stating that he “ fears that policy is now driven by the impulses of the Commander in Chief ” .
( Isn ’ t the president supposed to be steering foreign policy ? )
He then cites Trump ’ s decision to initially abandon the Doha talks with the Taliban .
Lynch claims that this move undermined diplomats ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which they never had and never will have .
The Doha talks are a joke .
Jezail.org has written about this before .
The Taliban has never changed its ’ position and American diplomats have never had any leverage from the day the Doha talks began as a prisoner swap .
It ’ s a failure owned by the two biggest con artists of South Asia , Zalmay Khalilzad and former Ambassador Robin Raphel .
The chairman says nothing about Mark Espers ’ comment that deal or no deal , we will lower @ @ @ @ @ @ @ always , it ’ s all about Trump .
Never mind that the real picture is that the US is trading boots on the ground with tons of bombs .
In 2019 , the US dropped more bombs on Afghanistan than it ever did before .
It might be bad for Afghan civilians but is sure is great for defense heavy stock portfolios .
Funny how that works .
If they couldn ’ t get the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs or SECSTATE Mike Pompeo or SECDEF Mark Esper to appear before the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who could deliver for them the exact tortured thinking that the committee was looking for .
They simultaneously wash their hands of policy while trying to steer it in ever more idiotic and ideologic direction characterized by claims of fighting terror and crusading for women ’ s rights .
The upshot is that we will bomb and murder Afghans to help them .
All we have to do is stop the corruption…or something .
Sopko ’ s comments bear some examination : “ We must plan not just for the day after the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months and years to follow.
” How do you plan for the future when your own report indicates that you have no idea what is going on in the present or the past ?
Then he says : “ Only by doing so we can insure for the gains we have made for democracy and women ’ s rights in particular in Afghanistan are not lost .
“ What “ gains ” is he talking about ?
We have rigged the last 3 national elections and totally alienated Afghans from the very idea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off worse than the Iowa Caucus !
The only “ gains ” made for Afghan women exist inside the defensive perimeters of major Afghan cities and even there , stoning and burning women to death does still happen .
Does Mr. Sopko seriously mean to suggest that America should go to war around the world over women ’ s rights ?
Then Sopko drops this : “ It is… all the more urgent for Congress to exercise its ’ constitutional responsibility to conduct oversight of the Trump administration ’ s strategy in Afghanistan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before congress and explain its conduct and its strategies before the American people.
” Fact : the Trump administration has no more idea of what it is doing in Afghanistan than any other White House since George Bush first rushed in .
One can hardly blame them as the entire foreign policy apparatus and all of its apparatchiks obviously hate Donald Trump .
One can also credibly assert that they really don ’ t have a firm grip on the realities of Afghanistan as they don ’ t deal with much of Afghanistan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guns in any case .
At first , Trump ’ s instinct was to just get out .
He was and is right .
But his own cabinet will not let him .
Neither will his agencies , CIA , STATE or DOD .
If things go wrong , they can blame it on Trump .
If things go “ right ” they take the credit .
So Trump punted policy to his cabinet and they have been using it as a springboard for any number of other “ anti terror ” ideas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s the same way they play Iran policy .
If the Solimeini assassination goes wrong , it ’ s on Trump .
If it is looking good , Esper and Pompeo step up to the microphones and basque in the camera lights .
They are almost certainly laying more traps for Trump in Afghanistan as well .
It would be interesting to see the Congress actually begin to look into what is going on in Afghanistan .
Jezail.org thinks that there are loads of kickbacks coming out of Afghanistan and Pakistan that come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
There is certainly more than a little precedent for that .
Too bad Congressman Charlie Wilson isn ’ t still around .
The hearing is meant to make it seem as if there are members of Congress who want to know what is going on in Afghanistan .
In reality , they don ’ t want to know any more of the truth than the agencies the chairman allegedly wants to testify before them .
A congressional investigation into Afghan policy would simply be more theater .
Is there anyone who would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is that money is the music of foreign policy , not the well being of Americans .
Official Washington is K street , not the White House or the Congress .
That ’ s why , when you look at the proceedings of foreign policy hearings , it is all so weird and distorted .
All the words contained in them are cover stories and virtue signaling , not intentions or real objectives .
For more than two decades , jezail.org has been reporting the absolutely execrable Afghan and other foreign policies and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foisted on Americans .
We have been watching from well before any American ever cared about Afghanistan .
We were there in the 1980 ’ s before and during the policy stewardship of Congressman Charlie Wilson .
“ Good Times Charlie ” didn ’ t invent American corruption in the region but he certainly expanded it .
What jezail.org learned was that US policy was never about Afghanistan .
It was always about Pakistan regardless of what any president had to say .
This has been true about the Reagan Administration and every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not made in the White House .
It has always been cut in the bowels of Foggy Bottom and it has never been based on principle or what is best for for the American people .
It is based on the stock portfolios , career paths and and lines of patronage of the bureaucrats at STATE and CIA who do the cutting .
So , for example , when the Dulles brothers who were attorneys for United Fruit Co. were the stewards of STATE , the CIA and US foreign policy , America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Central America where bananas and banana republics were grown .
It was never about defeating communism .
What has been confusing is that the real policy makers have wrapped their policy decisions and directives in phony moral rhetoric and wide open expensive objectives like “ fighting terror ” .
“ Fighting terror ” is a tactic , not a well defined enemy .
It ’ s an even better open ended excuse for war than allegedly fighting than communism was .
The real South Asian objectives have always been the same : spend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ influence , get kickbacks and retirement jobs while encouraging as many suckers as possible to “ invest ” in the region to create what are called “ American interests ” .
At a think tank conferences in DC , jezail.org has actually seen a very senior US diplomat openly pitching for US investors to put their money into Pakistan .
Real or imagined , enough “ American interests ” almost invariably commit US policy to deploy or threaten to deploy our military to defend those interests .
Once that happens , you create @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the US makes a foreign military expedition , American diplomats get very excited , anticipating another boondoggle .
What is different about South Asia is that the military interests preceded any other commercial “ interests ” .
Long before regime change was an objective , there was a brisk arms sales history that defined US Pakistani relations .
American foreign policy in the region has been characterized by a brisk weapons trade with Pakistan since it was created in 1947 .
However , the arms trade is hardly a casus beli that might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even if bananas are .
Nobody will go to war if Pakistan refuses to buy US weapons… ( Have a good laugh over that ! )
Things began to change in the mid 90 ’ s when Ambassador Robin Raphel was moonlighting as a lobbyist for a proposed pipeline , TAPI ( Tukmanistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India ) .
Her revolving door career bought her a sizable townhouse some 3 blocks from the Pakistani embassy .
This is where the fig leaf of “ American Interests ” in South Asia was born .
No sooner did the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , than Raphel showed up in the region , trying to get them to sign a pipeline agreement with her lobbying clients , UNOCAL .
Even though the new Kabul regime had been able to capture the capitol from the Communist regime with help from the US , they did not have a warm relationship with the US as a direct result of dealing with the usual American foreign policy “ professionals ” during the Cold War .
From the start , both STATE and CIA were actively screwing the Afghan resistance by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than necessary .
In spite of the fact that the Reagan administration was avowedly pro Afghan resistance , the weapon supply to the resistance was always allowed to be a choke point controlled by Pakistan .
It was so corrupt that Afghan commanders in the field often had to pay for weapons that had already been paid for by US tax payers .
Predictably , Afghan leaders were not too keen on signing any contracts for development with the US especially with a character like Raphel who they knew well .
Madame Raphel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her clients at UNOCAL into an obscure Pashtun chauvinist fanatic , Mullah Omar and his band of merry men .
So , at the same time as the then SECSTATE Madeline Albright was condemning the Taliban for their despicable treatment of women , her immediate subordinate , Robin Raphel , was propping them up and pitching them to the Congress .
The upshot is that by the mid 90 ’ s and the Clinton administration , you have 2 important characteristics developing that still define American-Afghan policy .
The first is the invention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a dubious pipeline project whose real feasibility was and is questionable .
Second , policy was hijacked from senior STATE and White House officials without any consultation or permission by a mid level , unelected , revolving door bureaucrat .
Madeline Albright could say what she wanted ; she was not at the helm of policy and never was .
It ’ s a problem that persists to this day .
In fact , as SECSTATE Madeline Albright was being shaped as a champion of women ’ s rights , that cause was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for why America might roam the globe bombing and murdering people .
If they happen to be Muslims and even more especially if they happened to be living on land that had energy underground or was on a pipeline path from energy resources to market , their treatment of women would be subject to scrutiny .
So would their religious beliefs and governance .
All of these criteria were subject to some moral judgement by pundits and politicians .
As a moral basis for a foreign policy , it was obviously a moral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials handing out death and chaos as if they were doing their victims a favor .
As an excuse for going to war , the morality stories are meant for American consumption .
Let ’ s call that the third leg of American foreign policy or the middle finger they put in the faces of Americans who question all the wars we are currently waging .
The 3 legs of US foreign policy have been and still are arms sales , American “ interests ” and the moral cover stories our diplomats foist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This sets up a situation that students of real history will recognize .
There are real causes for war and ostensible ones .
The real reasons for the war in Afghanistan are similar to the ones that drove the Vietnam War .
It was about the Military Industrial Complex in Vietnam .
The American interest in those days was ideological in that it was a crusade against communism .
Today the TAPI pipeline goes on but there is no guarantee that it will not be a victim of attacks in Afghanistan by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it is still not complete .
It may not yet exist in reality , but from the standpoint of being an “ American interest ” , it already does exist .
It is already delivering what it was always meant to , another excuse to throw more money and death at South Asia .
By staying on in Afghanistan , we go on feeding the appetites and ambitions of US foreign policy and military “ professionals ” .
The hearing linked is just another cover story .
Regards to All , We @ @ @ @ @ @

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.
Here, jezail.org presents you with a congressional hearing into Afghanistan after the “Afghanistan Papers” release that allegedly exposed that the US government has been lying about Afghanistan for decades. It is mercifully short and is only the introduction to the hearings which are not likely to be any more interesting. At about the same time, General Milley and SECDEF Mark Esper held a presser that basically condemned the “Afghanistan Papers” and declared that the policy will remain unchanged. Basically, official Washington has thrown up a middle finger at America and said we are going to continue on in the same way as we have making only small adjustments for our benefit and not yours America. Chairman Stephen Lynch opens up this hearing with the same gobbledygook we so often hear about the American mission in Afghanistan. In about six and a half minutes he blows through some deeply troubling territory. The cost of the war is acknowledged to be at perhaps one trillion dollars, (who knew?), the “Afghanistan Papers” reveal that the government has been lying about the war for decades and STATE and DOD refuse to send witnesses to the committee for this important hearing by some really really well informed politicians in official Washington.
Chairman Lynch then riffs into an attempt to blame Afghan policy on Donald Trump stating that he “fears that policy is now driven by the impulses of the Commander in Chief”. (Isn’t the president supposed to be steering foreign policy?) He then cites Trump’s decision to initially abandon the Doha talks with the Taliban. Lynch claims that this move undermined diplomats’ position by taking away “leverage” which they never had and never will have. The Doha talks are a joke. Jezail.org has written about this before. The Taliban has never changed its’ position and American diplomats have never had any leverage from the day the Doha talks began as a prisoner swap. It’s a failure owned by the two biggest con artists of South Asia, Zalmay Khalilzad and former Ambassador Robin Raphel. The chairman says nothing about Mark Espers’ comment that deal or no deal, we will lower our force presence in Afghanistan. As always, it’s all about Trump. Never mind that the real picture is that the US is trading boots on the ground with tons of bombs. In 2019, the US dropped more bombs on Afghanistan than it ever did before. It might be bad for Afghan civilians but is sure is great for defense heavy stock portfolios. Funny how that works.
If they couldn’t get the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs or SECSTATE Mike Pompeo or SECDEF Mark Esper to appear before the committee, they could get John Sopko who could deliver for them the exact tortured thinking that the committee was looking for. They simultaneously wash their hands of policy while trying to steer it in ever more idiotic and ideologic direction characterized by claims of fighting terror and crusading for women’s rights. The upshot is that we will bomb and murder Afghans to help them. All we have to do is stop the corruption…or something. Sopko’s comments bear some examination:
He begins:
“We must plan not just for the day after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan but for the months and years to follow.”
How do you plan for the future when your own report indicates that you have no idea what is going on in the present or the past? Then he says:
“Only by doing so we can insure for the gains we have made for democracy and women’s rights in particular in Afghanistan are not lost. “
What “gains” is he talking about? We have rigged the last 3 national elections and totally alienated Afghans from the very idea of democracy. The last election went off worse than the Iowa Caucus! The only “gains” made for Afghan women exist inside the defensive perimeters of major Afghan cities and even there, stoning and burning women to death does still happen. Does Mr. Sopko seriously mean to suggest that America should go to war around the world over women’s rights? Then Sopko drops this:
“It is… all the more urgent for Congress to exercise its’ constitutional responsibility to conduct oversight of the Trump administration’s strategy in Afghanistan and for the administration to come here before congress and explain its conduct and its strategies before the American people.”
Fact: the Trump administration has no more idea of what it is doing in Afghanistan than any other White House since George Bush first rushed in. One can hardly blame them as the entire foreign policy apparatus and all of its apparatchiks obviously hate Donald Trump. One can also credibly assert that they really don’t have a firm grip on the realities of Afghanistan as they don’t deal with much of Afghanistan outside of the range of US machine guns in any case. At first, Trump’s instinct was to just get out. He was and is right. But his own cabinet will not let him. Neither will his agencies, CIA, STATE or DOD. If things go wrong, they can blame it on Trump. If things go “right” they take the credit. So Trump punted policy to his cabinet and they have been using it as a springboard for any number of other “anti terror” ideas they can cook up. It’s the same way they play Iran policy. If the Solimeini assassination goes wrong, it’s on Trump. If it is looking good, Esper and Pompeo step up to the microphones and basque in the camera lights. They are almost certainly laying more traps for Trump in Afghanistan as well.
It would be interesting to see the Congress actually begin to look into what is going on in Afghanistan. Jezail.org thinks that there are loads of kickbacks coming out of Afghanistan and Pakistan that come back to the Congress and K street. There is certainly more than a little precedent for that. Too bad Congressman Charlie Wilson isn’t still around. The hearing is meant to make it seem as if there are members of Congress who want to know what is going on in Afghanistan. In reality, they don’t want to know any more of the truth than the agencies the chairman allegedly wants to testify before them. A congressional investigation into Afghan policy would simply be more theater. Is there anyone who would doubt that?
The simple overpowering truth is that money is the music of foreign policy, not the well being of Americans. Official Washington is K street, not the White House or the Congress. That’s why, when you look at the proceedings of foreign policy hearings, it is all so weird and distorted. All the words contained in them are cover stories and virtue signaling, not intentions or real objectives.
For more than two decades, jezail.org has been reporting the absolutely execrable Afghan and other foreign policies and stated objectives that the US government has foisted on Americans. We have been watching from well before any American ever cared about Afghanistan. We were there in the 1980’s before and during the policy stewardship of Congressman Charlie Wilson. “Good Times Charlie” didn’t invent American corruption in the region but he certainly expanded it. What jezail.org learned was that US policy was never about Afghanistan. It was always about Pakistan regardless of what any president had to say. This has been true about the Reagan Administration and every subsequent White House. Foreign Policy is not made in the White House. It has always been cut in the bowels of Foggy Bottom and it has never been based on principle or what is best for for the American people. It is based on the stock portfolios, career paths and and lines of patronage of the bureaucrats at STATE and CIA who do the cutting. So, for example, when the Dulles brothers who were attorneys for United Fruit Co. were the stewards of STATE, the CIA and US foreign policy, America was busy regime changing in South and Central America where bananas and banana republics were grown. It was never about defeating communism. What has been confusing is that the real policy makers have wrapped their policy decisions and directives in phony moral rhetoric and wide open expensive objectives like “fighting terror”. “Fighting terror” is a tactic, not a well defined enemy. It’s an even better open ended excuse for war than allegedly fighting than communism was.
The real South Asian objectives have always been the same: spend as much money as possible to purchase influence, get kickbacks and retirement jobs while encouraging as many suckers as possible to “invest” in the region to create what are called “American interests”. At a think tank conferences in DC, jezail.org has actually seen a very senior US diplomat openly pitching for US investors to put their money into Pakistan. Real or imagined, enough “American interests” almost invariably commit US policy to deploy or threaten to deploy our military to defend those interests. Once that happens, you create a synergy that is unstoppable. Once the US makes a foreign military expedition, American diplomats get very excited, anticipating another boondoggle. What is different about South Asia is that the military interests preceded any other commercial “interests”. Long before regime change was an objective, there was a brisk arms sales history that defined US Pakistani relations. American foreign policy in the region has been characterized by a brisk weapons trade with Pakistan since it was created in 1947. However, the arms trade is hardly a casus beli that might trigger putting US troops on the ground even if bananas are. Nobody will go to war if Pakistan refuses to buy US weapons… (Have a good laugh over that!)
Things began to change in the mid 90’s when Ambassador Robin Raphel was moonlighting as a lobbyist for a proposed pipeline, TAPI (Tukmanistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India). Her revolving door career bought her a sizable townhouse some 3 blocks from the Pakistani embassy. This is where the fig leaf of “American Interests” in South Asia was born. No sooner did the anti Soviet resistance seat itself in Kabul, than Raphel showed up in the region, trying to get them to sign a pipeline agreement with her lobbying clients, UNOCAL. Even though the new Kabul regime had been able to capture the capitol from the Communist regime with help from the US, they did not have a warm relationship with the US as a direct result of dealing with the usual American foreign policy “professionals” during the Cold War. From the start, both STATE and CIA were actively screwing the Afghan resistance by dragging the war out for years longer than necessary. In spite of the fact that the Reagan administration was avowedly pro Afghan resistance, the weapon supply to the resistance was always allowed to be a choke point controlled by Pakistan. It was so corrupt that Afghan commanders in the field often had to pay for weapons that had already been paid for by US tax payers. Predictably, Afghan leaders were not too keen on signing any contracts for development with the US especially with a character like Raphel who they knew well. Madame Raphel responded by investing some seed money from her clients at UNOCAL into an obscure Pashtun chauvinist fanatic, Mullah Omar and his band of merry men. So, at the same time as the then SECSTATE Madeline Albright was condemning the Taliban for their despicable treatment of women, her immediate subordinate, Robin Raphel, was propping them up and pitching them to the Congress. The upshot is that by the mid 90’s and the Clinton administration, you have 2 important characteristics developing that still define American-Afghan policy. The first is the invention of “American Interests” beginning with a dubious pipeline project whose real feasibility was and is questionable. Second, policy was hijacked from senior STATE and White House officials without any consultation or permission by a mid level, unelected, revolving door bureaucrat. Madeline Albright could say what she wanted; she was not at the helm of policy and never was. It’s a problem that persists to this day.
In fact, as SECSTATE Madeline Albright was being shaped as a champion of women’s rights, that cause was already being ramped up as a theme for why America might roam the globe bombing and murdering people. If they happen to be Muslims and even more especially if they happened to be living on land that had energy underground or was on a pipeline path from energy resources to market, their treatment of women would be subject to scrutiny. So would their religious beliefs and governance. All of these criteria were subject to some moral judgement by pundits and politicians. As a moral basis for a foreign policy, it was obviously a moral fig leaf and still is by American officials handing out death and chaos as if they were doing their victims a favor. As an excuse for going to war, the morality stories are meant for American consumption. Let’s call that the third leg of American foreign policy or the middle finger they put in the faces of Americans who question all the wars we are currently waging. The 3 legs of US foreign policy have been and still are arms sales, American “interests” and the moral cover stories our diplomats foist on the world with ever diminishing credibility.
This sets up a situation that students of real history will recognize. There are real causes for war and ostensible ones. The real reasons for the war in Afghanistan are similar to the ones that drove the Vietnam War. It was about the Military Industrial Complex in Vietnam. The American interest in those days was ideological in that it was a crusade against communism. Today the TAPI pipeline goes on but there is no guarantee that it will not be a victim of attacks in Afghanistan by some warring party. After 30 years, it is still not complete. It may not yet exist in reality, but from the standpoint of being an “American interest”, it already does exist. It is already delivering what it was always meant to, another excuse to throw more money and death at South Asia. By staying on in Afghanistan, we go on feeding the appetites and ambitions of US foreign policy and military “professionals”. The hearing linked is just another cover story.
Regards to All,
jezail.org on the web
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jezail.org on FaceBook
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theduran--2020-02-19--How Russia Can Improve Brazil’s Military and Economy

Submitted by InfoBrics , authored by Paul Antonopoulos , Research Fellow at the Center for Syncretic Studies… Last week the Russian ambassador to Brazil , Sergey Akopov , said that despite the acquisition of the Russian Pantsir-S1 , air defense systems not being a priority for Brasilia , Moscow continues to consider Brazil as a promising market to sell weapons and military equipment .
For the diplomat , there are good prospects for cooperation in the area to strengthen ties between the two BRICS countries .
Russia has proven it is willing to transfer sensitive technology and sell widely to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
India can manufacture the SU-30MKI fighter jet entirely itself because of technology that was passed on by Russia .
This has been possible because India , also a BRICS country , has been receptive to Russian cooperation and investment .
A major problem that Russia has in Brazil is the powerful Western lobby which somewhat attempts to prevent Brazilian companies from being interested in partnering with Russian companies .
Effectively Russian companies have difficulty carrying out projects in Latin America ’ s biggest country .
Without a Brazilian partner capable of absorbing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russia will not be able to sell to the country unless they create their own factory and manufacturing bases .
Effectively , Russia needs to create an industrial base in Brazil if it wants to sell weapons and military equipment to the country .
As Brazil is in the middle of an economic crisis , the South American giant is unlikely to reject a Russian manufacturing base in Brazil .
Although the Western lobby is strong , it has been unsuccessful in keeping Chinese interests out of Brazil , and if they tried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that they will be unsuccessful .
With Brazil ’ s unemployment rate at 11.20 % and 13.5 million people living in extreme poverty as of in November 2019 , it is unlikely that the Western lobby can influence Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro .
Bolsonaro himself was extremely critical of China ’ s investments in Brazil prior to his election before quickly changing his tune as forced by Brazil ’ s bleak economic situation and under pressure for business sectors in the country .
The Pantsir air defense system offered an opportunity to build @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of two factories and the transfer of technology , under a $ 1.5 billion contract , however , the Odebrecht subsidiary that was Russia ’ s counterpart in the country , Mectron , went out of business for legal reasons .
The best solution for Russia would be to create an industrial arms base in Brazil .
The famed Russian AK-47 assault rifles are used by Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo police and Brazilian alternatives to the same type of weaponry are not well regarded by the police because of their quality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ factory in Brazil would be a good starting point .
In addition , Russian helicopters are very well evaluated by national pilots who had the opportunity to work with this equipment and are desperately needed by the delapidating Brazilian military who need good and cheap options .
As part of modernizing Brazil ’ s military , it also needs nuclear submarines , nuclear safety control systems , and also space technology , all areas that Russia excels in and can assist Brazil with .
In November 2019 , Russian state-owned arms exporter Rosoboronexport @ @ @ @ @ @ @ integrated urban security technology and critical facilities .
The head of the corporation ’ s marketing department , Sergei Larkin , presented at the meeting of the investment forum of Russia and Brazil , held in Brasilia , the project for a safe and intelligent city .
This project is a comprehensive and scalable security system designed to identify sources of terrorist threats and illegal activities , anti-terrorism measures , law enforcement , protection of critical facilities and even coastal protection .
The project includes solutions that cover all phases , from forecasting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threats to eliminate them .
For Brazil , a country with an astronomical crime rate , the emphasis has been placed on facial recognition technologies , smart cameras for financial institutions , panic buttons and important business protection , and Russia has played a key role in bringing these technologies to the South American country .
Bolsonaro himself reached the rank of Captain in the Brazilian military , meaning the welfare of the military is one of his top priorities .
In the context of financial difficulties and the desire of the new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acquisition of the Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft defense systems is no longer considered by the Brazilian leadership as a priority project .
Despite this though , Brazil remains a promising market for selling military weapons and equipment , such as the supply and maintenance of Mi-35M combat helicopters .
Brazil is aware of the high tactical and technical characteristics of Russian armaments and equipment , and this is what can bring good prospects for cooperation in this area between the two countries .
By utilizing Bolsonaro ’ s fondness of the military , Russia invited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War , perhaps the most important non-religious celebration in Russia .
Therefore , although the West may lobby against Russo-Brazilian relations , Russia has a lot to offer Brazil , particularly regarding the military .

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…
Last week the Russian ambassador to Brazil, Sergey Akopov, said that despite the acquisition of the Russian Pantsir-S1, air defense systems not being a priority for Brasilia, Moscow continues to consider Brazil as a promising market to sell weapons and military equipment. For the diplomat, there are good prospects for cooperation in the area to strengthen ties between the two BRICS countries.
Russia has proven it is willing to transfer sensitive technology and sell widely to many different states, such as India. India can manufacture the SU-30MKI fighter jet entirely itself because of technology that was passed on by Russia. This has been possible because India, also a BRICS country, has been receptive to Russian cooperation and investment. A major problem that Russia has in Brazil is the powerful Western lobby which somewhat attempts to prevent Brazilian companies from being interested in partnering with Russian companies. Effectively Russian companies have difficulty carrying out projects in Latin America’s biggest country.
Without a Brazilian partner capable of absorbing the technology and that is reliable, Russia will not be able to sell to the country unless they create their own factory and manufacturing bases. Effectively, Russia needs to create an industrial base in Brazil if it wants to sell weapons and military equipment to the country. As Brazil is in the middle of an economic crisis, the South American giant is unlikely to reject a Russian manufacturing base in Brazil.
Although the Western lobby is strong, it has been unsuccessful in keeping Chinese interests out of Brazil, and if they tried to lobby against China, economics demands that they will be unsuccessful. With Brazil’s unemployment rate at 11.20% and 13.5 million people living in extreme poverty as of in November 2019, it is unlikely that the Western lobby can influence Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro himself was extremely critical of China’s investments in Brazil prior to his election before quickly changing his tune as forced by Brazil’s bleak economic situation and under pressure for business sectors in the country.
The Pantsir air defense system offered an opportunity to build such manufacturing in Brazil with the installation of two factories and the transfer of technology, under a $1.5 billion contract, however, the Odebrecht subsidiary that was Russia’s counterpart in the country, Mectron, went out of business for legal reasons. The best solution for Russia would be to create an industrial arms base in Brazil. The famed Russian AK-47 assault rifles are used by Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo police and Brazilian alternatives to the same type of weaponry are not well regarded by the police because of their quality and unreliability. Essentially, a Kalashnikov factory in Brazil would be a good starting point. In addition, Russian helicopters are very well evaluated by national pilots who had the opportunity to work with this equipment and are desperately needed by the delapidating Brazilian military who need good and cheap options. As part of modernizing Brazil’s military, it also needs nuclear submarines, nuclear safety control systems, and also space technology, all areas that Russia excels in and can assist Brazil with.
In November 2019, Russian state-owned arms exporter Rosoboronexport offered its potential customers in Brazil an integrated urban security technology and critical facilities. The head of the corporation’s marketing department, Sergei Larkin, presented at the meeting of the investment forum of Russia and Brazil, held in Brasilia, the project for a safe and intelligent city. This project is a comprehensive and scalable security system designed to identify sources of terrorist threats and illegal activities, anti-terrorism measures, law enforcement, protection of critical facilities and even coastal protection. The project includes solutions that cover all phases, from forecasting threats to prevent them, and finding threats to eliminate them. For Brazil, a country with an astronomical crime rate, the emphasis has been placed on facial recognition technologies, smart cameras for financial institutions, panic buttons and important business protection, and Russia has played a key role in bringing these technologies to the South American country.
Bolsonaro himself reached the rank of Captain in the Brazilian military, meaning the welfare of the military is one of his top priorities. In the context of financial difficulties and the desire of the new administration to reduce budgetary expenses, the acquisition of the Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft defense systems is no longer considered by the Brazilian leadership as a priority project. Despite this though, Brazil remains a promising market for selling military weapons and equipment, such as the supply and maintenance of Mi-35M combat helicopters.
Brazil is aware of the high tactical and technical characteristics of Russian armaments and equipment, and this is what can bring good prospects for cooperation in this area between the two countries. By utilizing Bolsonaro’s fondness of the military, Russia invited him to attend in Moscow the celebration of the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, perhaps the most important non-religious celebration in Russia. Therefore, although the West may lobby against Russo-Brazilian relations, Russia has a lot to offer Brazil, particularly regarding the military.
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theduran--2020-02-19--Seeing Through the Lies – US Edition

Seeing Through the Lies – US Edition

Seeing Through the Lies – US Edition 18 Feb , 2020 by Craig Murray [ posted here by Eric Zuesse ] The Guardian has , in a feat of some skill , contrived to give its readers the impression that Stone has been convicted for Trump/Wikileaks links , when that is in fact the precise opposite of the truth .
Stone has been convicted for fabricating the existence of Trump/Wikileaks links , of which there were none .
The oleaginous David Smith omitted to note what any half honest human being would consider a very pertinent fact – that not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all to do with Russian interference in the 2016 Presidential election , being either entirely unrelated tax and corruption matters turned up while trawling , or as with Stone being questions of process .
Stone ’ s case is unique in that not only did his conviction not relate to any Russian interference , it was for promoting precisely the same ludicrous fantasy that the Guardian is promoting .
It was illegal for Stone to persist in telling his lies on oath ; there is no legal bar to the Guardian promoting the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we have the spectacle of Julian Assange standing before a judge facing extradition to the United States and up to 175 years in jail for “ espionage ” , when everything Wikileaks has ever published has a 100 % record for truth and accuracy .
To consider those DNC leaks published by Wikileaks in which Roger Stone claimed falsely to have a part .
What the leaks did reveal was the foul play and machinations of the DNC machinery in cheating Bernie Sanders out of the nomination – including jiggling the ordering of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” , and giving Hillary debate questions in advance .
Nobody should be surprised to see the same tactics being deployed against Bernie Sanders – whom I should be clear I support strongly – yet again .
The “ muddle ” that led to CIA-linked Pete Buttigieg being able to claim victory in Iowa , for a crucial five days before the official tallies showed Bernie had in fact won was , I strongly suspect , merely a portent of what is to come .
The fact the app that “ misfired ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a company chaired by a Buttigieg team member is indicative of what we can expect over the next few months .
The right have yet to decide on their champion to thwart Bernie .
Buttigieg and Klobuchar are enjoying moments in the sun of media approval , and the DNC have now changed the rules to allow Bloomberg into future debates .
That the Clintonites who have been deriding Sanders as not a Democrat , will actually switch to support Republican billionaire Bloomberg against Sanders , is something I expect to see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it becomes clear that neither Buttigieg nor Klobuchar can stop Bernie .
Here in the UK , I predict Bloomberg supporting Guardian editorials by April .
Despite all of which , opinion polls show Bernie with a clear lead heading towards the Nevada primary .
I remain cautiously hopeful that the degree of cheating required to stop Bernie gaining the nomination would simply be too much to hide , and that the Wikileaks DNC revelations may ultimately , by showing up the dirty tricks last time , help Bernie to power this time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ underestimate the resources of the financiers and the security state which will be deployed against Bernie in the next few months .
It is going to be a fascinating year in US politics .
Either the Democrats will pick a right wing standard bearer and lose to Trump , or Bernie will become President .
I do not share the general fatalism on the left which deems the latter impossible .

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.
Seeing Through the Lies – US Edition
18 Feb, 2020 by Craig Murray [posted here by Eric Zuesse ]
The Guardian newspaper has taken the art of obfuscation , false implication and the subtler forms of journalistic lying to new heights in its very extensive coverage of the Roger Stone sentencing saga. It has now devoted fourteen articles in the last fortnight to this rather obscure episode of American political history. Yet in not one of those articles – nor in more than a dozen articles about the Stone case that preceded it over the last few months – has the Guardian informed its readers what Stone was actually convicted of doing.
Stone was convicted of giving false testimony and misleading the FBI, because he claimed to be a conduit between Wikileaks and Trump when he was not. There was no conduit between Wikileaks and Trump. Stone was also convicted of witness intimidation, because once his fantasies got him into trouble he tried to browbeat my friend Randy Credico into backing up his tale.
The Guardian has, in a feat of some skill, contrived to give its readers the impression that Stone has been convicted for Trump/Wikileaks links, when that is in fact the precise opposite of the truth.
Stone has been convicted for fabricating the existence of Trump/Wikileaks links, of which there were none.
The Guardian has hung its entire corporate personality on Clinton identity politics and its entire financial survival on building a new online customer base among the Clinton electorate in the USA. When even the New York Times had to admit the Mueller report utterly failed to substantiate Clinton’s inane claims that the Russians had caused Clinton’s election defeat, even when a judge dismissed the DNC’s lawsuit against said Russians as being supported by no viable evidence whatsoever, even when the entire world derided the Guardian’s massive front page lie about Paul Manafort visiting Assange in the Embassy, the Guardian has persisted in reporting as fact the preposterous conspiracy theory that its heroine was thwarted from attaining supreme power by the evil machinations of Vladimir Putin.
To maintain this stance in the face of all factual evidence requires great skill and dexterity from Guardian journalists. Fortunately for the Guardian it does not lack for fantasist Russophobe fabricators like Luke Harding or for more subtly corrupt spinners like David Smith, who last week wrote of Stone that “He was the sixth former Trump aide to be convicted in cases arising from the special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.”
The oleaginous David Smith omitted to note what any half honest human being would consider a very pertinent fact – that not one of those convictions had anything at all to do with Russian interference in the 2016 Presidential election, being either entirely unrelated tax and corruption matters turned up while trawling, or as with Stone being questions of process. Stone’s case is unique in that not only did his conviction not relate to any Russian interference, it was for promoting precisely the same ludicrous fantasy that the Guardian is promoting. It was illegal for Stone to persist in telling his lies on oath; there is no legal bar to the Guardian promoting the same Trump/Wikileaks/Russia fantasy ad nauseam.
Yet we have the spectacle of Julian Assange standing before a judge facing extradition to the United States and up to 175 years in jail for “espionage”, when everything Wikileaks has ever published has a 100% record for truth and accuracy.
To finish with Stone, the ludicrous vindictiveness of the prosecutors in pushing for a seven to nine year jail sentence for an offence that was really no more than wasting investigators’ time with his fanatasies, was rightly called out by Donald Trump. The notion that Roger Stone threatened witnesses is problematical. Randy Credico, the only person Stone was convicted of threatening, has written to the judge asking for Stone not to be jailed and making plain he did not feel threatened. He had known Stone for years and was used to his blustering talk, which Randy never took as intended to be a serious threat.
To consider those DNC leaks published by Wikileaks in which Roger Stone claimed falsely to have a part. What the leaks did reveal was the foul play and machinations of the DNC machinery in cheating Bernie Sanders out of the nomination – including jiggling the ordering of primaries specifically to give Hillary “momentum”, and giving Hillary debate questions in advance. Nobody should be surprised to see the same tactics being deployed against Bernie Sanders – whom I should be clear I support strongly – yet again.
The “muddle” that led to CIA-linked Pete Buttigieg being able to claim victory in Iowa, for a crucial five days before the official tallies showed Bernie had in fact won was, I strongly suspect, merely a portent of what is to come. The fact the app that “misfired” was designed by four ex-Clinton staffers working for a company chaired by a Buttigieg team member is indicative of what we can expect over the next few months. The right have yet to decide on their champion to thwart Bernie. Buttigieg and Klobuchar are enjoying moments in the sun of media approval, and the DNC have now changed the rules to allow Bloomberg into future debates. That the Clintonites who have been deriding Sanders as not a Democrat, will actually switch to support Republican billionaire Bloomberg against Sanders, is something I expect to see play out over the next month as it becomes clear that neither Buttigieg nor Klobuchar can stop Bernie.
Here in the UK, I predict Bloomberg supporting Guardian editorials by April.
Still more sinister, the zionist propaganda machine has started to ramp up its attacks on Bernie. In Iowa the AIPAC linked Democrats pressure group Democratic Majority for Israel sprayed money on TV ads attacking Bernie. It is a sign of the times that Bernie Sanders, bidding to become the first Jewish President of the United States, is attacked and undermined by extreme zionists because of his entirely reasonable views on Israel/Palestine.
Despite all of which, opinion polls show Bernie with a clear lead heading towards the Nevada primary. I remain cautiously hopeful that the degree of cheating required to stop Bernie gaining the nomination would simply be too much to hide, and that the Wikileaks DNC revelations may ultimately, by showing up the dirty tricks last time, help Bernie to power this time. We should, however, never underestimate the resources of the financiers and the security state which will be deployed against Bernie in the next few months. It is going to be a fascinating year in US politics. Either the Democrats will pick a right wing standard bearer and lose to Trump, or Bernie will become President. I do not share the general fatalism on the left which deems the latter impossible.
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theduran--2020-02-20--Opinion: Why the world should pay attention to President Trump [Video]

President Trump is a man unleashed .
After the dreadfully powerful and public failure of the Compleat Fake Impeachment Inquiry ( and Show Trial ) , Donald Trump did not put his gained political capital in his pocket .
He is instead , off and running with a vengeance not seen in modern American politics , certainly not in the fifty some odd years of my lifetime , and possibly not seen in the nation ’ s history .
To some observers who perhaps do not pay close attention to the news , or to those that pay close attention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ promulgated by most Western media outlets , it may seem exhausting that this “ rogue ” President is doing nothing but stirring up trouble everywhere he possibly can .
They may wonder why on earth he is doing this .
Everything was fine before , so why is he messing everything up for so many people now ?
The answer lies in understanding that what we see the US as in 2020 is a relatively new manifestation of “ America ” brought on by people interested only in its destruction .
America wasn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States used to be a nation content with its place as the leading nation in the Western Hemisphere .
It considered itself at most , the protector nation of all the powers in North and South America , but after that , the rest of the world could , quite frankly , go spit ( in the nicest possible way ) .
The United States was not interested in taking part in Europe and Asia and Africa ’ s problems .
It also used to be very much interested in preserving the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its citizens and for those who emigrated to the United States and followed the proper channels to become a citizen .
While there were often problems with immigrants not being able to easily assimilate into American society , their desire was to do so , and the expectation from the resident culture was that they would do that ( or go back where they came from ) .
The nation considered itself independent of the world , while participating in trade and commerce with the rest of the world .
Things became very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new Great Experiment of Globalism was launched , first with the European Common Market in terms of commerce , and NATO in terms of defense , and it indeed seemed like a good idea for Europe to try to consolidate its member nations in such a way that they could more easily act “ as one ” , both propelling the economies of all the nations ahead , and at the same time keeping Germany or any other aspiring state from launching its own plans to take over the world .
The perceived @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and China aligned the United States with Europe and many other nations to face off the possibility that the Reds would come and take over .
But then , the Soviet Union fell , and China emerged as an extraordinary capitalist / communist “ business state ” ( my term ) , which for the West was like having an incredibly large labor force waiting to be tapped .
The Chinese won from deals to make almost everything under the sun , and – very wisely – used its resources and agreements to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vying for first place with the United States .
Globalism took a different turn in the West , with the Soviet “ threat ” gone , it appears to have turned ever more inward upon itself .
With no external enemy to fight , increasingly liberal , left wing , and honestly , Marxist ideology-based policies and practices have crippled Western culture , defaced and eliminated Christianity and national identity , and attacked all manner of tradition , driven by the illusion that the past is to be destroyed and rejected , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a new utopian future .
Karl Marx would have been SO proud .
He would be even more proud knowing that that capitalist nation of all capitalist nations , the United States , was becoming the Marxist state he envisioned ( at least as far as the wealthy will allow it ) .
Yes , folks , that is glaring hypocrisy , isn ’ t it ?
After all , Karl Marx had a real bone to pick with the “ haves ” of this world , and though that the solution was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ privileged , and that somehow the non-privileged people would be elevated by this .
Not so , Karl , the privileged will only be replaced by other privileged people .
It turned out to be George Orwell who was right , “ The creatures outside looked from pig to man , and from man to pig , and from pig to man again ; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
” ( Animal Farm , chapter 10 ) The Single Commandment he derived is the only commandment that exists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leftist : This is always true , even at the beginning of any revolution in the communist or socialist direction .
And this is one of the reasons why President Trump is on fire at this time .
He is working to cut this malignancy out of his nation before it spreads any farther .
We see , for example , more clearly than ever before , the revealed nature of the left in the ideologies and policy positions expressed by all the present Democrat candidates for President .
They all believe in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been able to fix , and that the US Constitution is designed to prevent it from fixing .
Medicare for All .
Free University Education .
The Green New Deal .
Gay Marriage , and the insistence that it be normalized in all religious practices .
uncontrolled illegal immigration .
Drug legalization and total decriminalization of drug use .
Censorship of publicly expressed opinions by social media .
Gun control and confiscation .
And most of all , the idea that the United States somehow deserves NOT to exist as a nation , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ successful nation on earth over the last two hundred years .
The US Constitution was constructed as a means to sharply limited government .
Its core concepts lay in the notion that God is the Author of all Liberty , that He is God and no government should ever try to assume His role .
In making it so the federal government can do almost nothing except raise a defense force for the nation in time of attack , responsibility is placed on the citizens of the nation to live in what way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knowledge that the Real King is the one they eventually must answer to .
President Trump is working on many levels to rekindle this understanding of what America is .
She is not to be the world ’ s policeman .
Her people need not supplicate before elites from their own kind , but rather , hire people to take care of the administration of the nation as needed , and for only a short period of time .
To be free and independent of government , yet living under the grace of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the founders .
President Trump is not a messiah or a miracle worker in any regard .
He is simply an older gentleman who remembers and understands these principles as the secret to his own success .
His work is an attempt to restore America to what it was before its long stint as some sort of imperial , then decadent and back-biting , superpower .
The only other nations known to have experienced success in doing this sort of reconstruction are actually still at work on it : Russia is the biggest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most success at reclaiming its traditional culture , but it has a long way to go .
Georgia appears to be another example , as well as Serbia and Romania .
All four of these lands were decimated under Communism , and all four are dealing with major scars and damage inflicted by seventy years of atheist , utopia-seeking , secularist elite-led socialsm .
It would seem that President Trump is trying to take history ’ s lesson seriously enough to try to head the disaster of secularist globalism / socialism off before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The reader may think of this as a truly daunting task , and they would be correct .
They would be further correct if they acknowledge that history itself leaves little choice but to try to head this disaster off .
This means we can expect the excitement and political fireworks to continue and increase as President Trump carries the fight closer and closer to those people and institutions determined to tear the US apart .
He may not succeed .
But there has never been a better fighter .
Dr Steve Turley @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of President Trump ’ s efforts – his crackdown on Sanctuary Cities in the US – this in this video clip .
Enjoy .

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.
President Trump is a man unleashed. After the dreadfully powerful and public failure of the Compleat Fake Impeachment Inquiry (and Show Trial), Donald Trump did not put his gained political capital in his pocket. He is instead, off and running with a vengeance not seen in modern American politics, certainly not in the fifty some odd years of my lifetime, and possibly not seen in the nation’s history. To some observers who perhaps do not pay close attention to the news, or to those that pay close attention to the fake and false news reports promulgated by most Western media outlets, it may seem exhausting that this “rogue” President is doing nothing but stirring up trouble everywhere he possibly can.
They may wonder why on earth he is doing this. Everything was fine before, so why is he messing everything up for so many people now?
The answer lies in understanding that what we see the US as in 2020 is a relatively new manifestation of “America” brought on by people interested only in its destruction.
America wasn’t always this way.
The United States used to be a nation content with its place as the leading nation in the Western Hemisphere. It considered itself at most, the protector nation of all the powers in North and South America, but after that, the rest of the world could, quite frankly, go spit (in the nicest possible way). The United States was not interested in taking part in Europe and Asia and Africa’s problems.
It also used to be very much interested in preserving the way of life and free opportunity for its citizens and for those who emigrated to the United States and followed the proper channels to become a citizen. While there were often problems with immigrants not being able to easily assimilate into American society, their desire was to do so, and the expectation from the resident culture was that they would do that (or go back where they came from).
The nation considered itself independent of the world, while participating in trade and commerce with the rest of the world.
Things became very different after World War II. The new Great Experiment of Globalism was launched, first with the European Common Market in terms of commerce, and NATO in terms of defense, and it indeed seemed like a good idea for Europe to try to consolidate its member nations in such a way that they could more easily act “as one”, both propelling the economies of all the nations ahead, and at the same time keeping Germany or any other aspiring state from launching its own plans to take over the world. The perceived threat of Communism from the Soviet Union and China aligned the United States with Europe and many other nations to face off the possibility that the Reds would come and take over.
But then, the Soviet Union fell, and China emerged as an extraordinary capitalist / communist “business state” (my term), which for the West was like having an incredibly large labor force waiting to be tapped. The Chinese won from deals to make almost everything under the sun, and – very wisely – used its resources and agreements to propel itself to economic superpower status, vying for first place with the United States.
Globalism took a different turn in the West, with the Soviet “threat” gone, it appears to have turned ever more inward upon itself. With no external enemy to fight, increasingly liberal, left wing, and honestly, Marxist ideology-based policies and practices have crippled Western culture, defaced and eliminated Christianity and national identity, and attacked all manner of tradition, driven by the illusion that the past is to be destroyed and rejected, and that humanity can “progress” to a new utopian future.
Karl Marx would have been SO proud.
He would be even more proud knowing that that capitalist nation of all capitalist nations, the United States, was becoming the Marxist state he envisioned (at least as far as the wealthy will allow it).
Yes, folks, that is glaring hypocrisy, isn’t it? After all, Karl Marx had a real bone to pick with the “haves” of this world, and though that the solution was to strip away the privilege from the privileged, and that somehow the non-privileged people would be elevated by this. Not so, Karl, the privileged will only be replaced by other privileged people.
It turned out to be George Orwell who was right, “The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.” (Animal Farm, chapter 10)
The Single Commandment he derived is the only commandment that exists under globalism and socialism and all things leftist:
ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL
BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS (Animal Farm, Chapter 10)
This is always true, even at the beginning of any revolution in the communist or socialist direction. And this is one of the reasons why President Trump is on fire at this time.
He is working to cut this malignancy out of his nation before it spreads any farther.
We see, for example, more clearly than ever before, the revealed nature of the left in the ideologies and policy positions expressed by all the present Democrat candidates for President. They all believe in government fixing things that it has never been able to fix, and that the US Constitution is designed to prevent it from fixing. Medicare for All. Free University Education. The Green New Deal. Gay Marriage, and the insistence that it be normalized in all religious practices. uncontrolled illegal immigration. Drug legalization and total decriminalization of drug use. Censorship of publicly expressed opinions by social media. Gun control and confiscation.
And most of all, the idea that the United States somehow deserves NOT to exist as a nation, precisely because it has been the most successful nation on earth over the last two hundred years.
The US Constitution was constructed as a means to sharply limited government. Its core concepts lay in the notion that God is the Author of all Liberty, that He is God and no government should ever try to assume His role. In making it so the federal government can do almost nothing except raise a defense force for the nation in time of attack, responsibility is placed on the citizens of the nation to live in what way is best, in light of the knowledge that the Real King is the one they eventually must answer to.
President Trump is working on many levels to rekindle this understanding of what America is. She is not to be the world’s policeman. Her people need not supplicate before elites from their own kind, but rather, hire people to take care of the administration of the nation as needed, and for only a short period of time. To be free and independent of government, yet living under the grace of God – this was the America of the founders.
President Trump is not a messiah or a miracle worker in any regard. He is simply an older gentleman who remembers and understands these principles as the secret to his own success. His work is an attempt to restore America to what it was before its long stint as some sort of imperial, then decadent and back-biting, superpower.
The only other nations known to have experienced success in doing this sort of reconstruction are actually still at work on it: Russia is the biggest one, and the nation showing the most success at reclaiming its traditional culture, but it has a long way to go. Georgia appears to be another example, as well as Serbia and Romania. All four of these lands were decimated under Communism, and all four are dealing with major scars and damage inflicted by seventy years of atheist, utopia-seeking, secularist elite-led socialsm.
It would seem that President Trump is trying to take history’s lesson seriously enough to try to head the disaster of secularist globalism / socialism off before it takes the US with it.
The reader may think of this as a truly daunting task, and they would be correct. They would be further correct if they acknowledge that history itself leaves little choice but to try to head this disaster off.
This means we can expect the excitement and political fireworks to continue and increase as President Trump carries the fight closer and closer to those people and institutions determined to tear the US apart. He may not succeed. But there has never been a better fighter.
Dr Steve Turley gives his own take on one aspect of President Trump’s efforts – his crackdown on Sanctuary Cities in the US – this in this video clip. Enjoy.
Read Later Add to Favourites Add to Collection Report


theduran--2020-02-20--Greater Albania Project Is Accelerating as Kosovo’s statehood is in question

Submitted by InfoBrics , authored by Paul Antonopoulos , Research Fellow at the Center for Syncretic Studies… Clear indications have been made that there is a project for a Greater Albania and it is progressing ahead , especially as the world ’ s attention is focussed on and distracted by the coronavirus , Libya and Syria ’ s Idlib province .
The ultimate goal of Albania was to absorb Kosovo and the Preševo Valley in Serbia , southern Montenegro , Epirus in Greece and western North Macedonia into a single Greater Albania state .
Although this may not be official @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is ingrained into the Albanian mythos .
However , this has now changed with the Kosovo-born Albanian Minister-in-office for Europe and Foreign Affairs Gent Cakaj and the Foreign Minister of Kosovo Glauk Konjufca meeting yesterday to discuss the establishment of common economic space for free movement of people , goods and capital between Albania and Kosovo , as well as sharing embassies around the world which so far only exists in the Australian capital of Canberra .
Cakaj said on Twitter about “ the need to deepen cooperation between [ Albania and Kosovo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Albanian political parties in [ Serbia ’ s ] Preshevo [ Preševo ] Valley ” to the east of Kosovo .
Although the tweet just emphasizes deeper cooperation between Albania , Kosovo and the Preševo valley , it was his comments to Turkey ’ s Anadolu Agency that gives the biggest suggestion of a Greater Albania project being put into action .
Cakaj said to the agency that “ the borders between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Albania should not exist at all , they should be removed immediately and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ movement and unhindered ability to deepen economic cooperation.
” Although it may seem like that Albania and Kosovo are making strong efforts for the Greater Albania project , it rather demonstrates their desperation as Kosovo continues to lose legitimacy and countries withdraw their recognition of the quasi-independent state that illegally broke off from Serbia in 2008 .
A total of 14 countries since 2017 have withdrawn their recognition of Kosovo , meaning only 51 % of United Nation members now recognize it .
The usual norm in statehood recognition is that more and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not withdraw recognition .
If we look at the Israeli situation , since its founding in 1948 , only five states have withdrawn recognition and 162 of the 193 United Nations member states recognize it .
It is inevitable that with incentives from China and Russia more states will withdraw their recognition of Kosovo .
This brings a new question then .
Has the failings of Kosovo actually accelerated the Greater Albania project ?
The proposal by Finnish Nobel “ Peace ” Prize winning Marti Ahtisaari to establish an independent Kosovo and Kosovan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rather , Kosovo has taken on the Albanian identity openly with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti , who is currently serving as the fourth Prime Minister of Kosovo since February 3 2020 , not differentiating between nation and ethnicity as he sees Kosovo as an extension of Albania , despite the nation and the state not being the same .
Kurti also does not recognize the flag and anthem of Kosovo , as well as the Kosovar identity .
As Kosovo continues to lose legitimacy , meaning the breakaway province could return back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to avoid this situation by merging Kosovo into Albania .
It is for this reason that Cakaj says the borders between Albania and Kosovo should not exist at all and that they should both share embassies .
As Serbia ’ s position has strengthened , Albania ’ s official support for Kosovo is an attempt to parry it and jointly formulate a strategy to achieve some success .
The broader goals of merging Albania and Kosovo are multiple – to confirm Kosovo ’ s independence from Serbia ; to propagate the Greater Albania @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Serbia as well as international states to challenge Belgrade ’ s foreign policy successes .
The campaign cooperation between Albania and Kosovo demonstrates the attempts to raise the issue to a higher level and the desire to establish new mechanisms and measures , with the incumbent government in Pristina to implement a practical policy because all tactics so far have not yielded results and giving up is not an option .
Therefore , there is no reason why Serbia should give up its current policy of pushing states to withdraw their Kosovo independence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is an integral and historical part of Serbia .
Belgrade ’ s efforts have produced results and the Serbian public demand results .
Serbia should not accept any blackmail and demands from Kosovo or Albania , especially as it continues its project of reintegrating Kosovo .
Only days ago , it was announced that rail links between Belgrade and Pristina will be constructed , something that does not even exist between Kosovo and Albania .
Although Kosovo ’ s failings continue , it has also accelerated the Greater Albania project in an effort @ @ @ @ @ @ @ province back into Serbia .

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…
Clear indications have been made that there is a project for a Greater Albania and it is progressing ahead, especially as the world’s attention is focussed on and distracted by the coronavirus, Libya and Syria’s Idlib province. The ultimate goal of Albania was to absorb Kosovo and the Preševo Valley in Serbia, southern Montenegro, Epirus in Greece and western North Macedonia into a single Greater Albania state.
Although this may not be official policy of the Albanian Republic, it is ingrained into the Albanian mythos. However, this has now changed with the Kosovo-born Albanian Minister-in-office for Europe and Foreign Affairs Gent Cakaj and the Foreign Minister of Kosovo Glauk Konjufca meeting yesterday to discuss the establishment of common economic space for free movement of people, goods and capital between Albania and Kosovo, as well as sharing embassies around the world which so far only exists in the Australian capital of Canberra.
Cakaj said on Twitter about “the need to deepen cooperation between [Albania and Kosovo] and strongly support the coalition of Albanian political parties in [Serbia’s] Preshevo [Preševo] Valley” to the east of Kosovo. Although the tweet just emphasizes deeper cooperation between Albania, Kosovo and the Preševo valley, it was his comments to Turkey’s Anadolu Agency that gives the biggest suggestion of a Greater Albania project being put into action. Cakaj said to the agency that “the borders between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Albania should not exist at all, they should be removed immediately and our countries should enjoy unrestricted freedom of movement and unhindered ability to deepen economic cooperation.”
Although it may seem like that Albania and Kosovo are making strong efforts for the Greater Albania project, it rather demonstrates their desperation as Kosovo continues to lose legitimacy and countries withdraw their recognition of the quasi-independent state that illegally broke off from Serbia in 2008. A total of 14 countries since 2017 have withdrawn their recognition of Kosovo, meaning only 51% of United Nation members now recognize it. The usual norm in statehood recognition is that more and more countries overtime recognize the state, not withdraw recognition. If we look at the Israeli situation, since its founding in 1948, only five states have withdrawn recognition and 162 of the 193 United Nations member states recognize it. It is inevitable that with incentives from China and Russia more states will withdraw their recognition of Kosovo.
This brings a new question then. Has the failings of Kosovo actually accelerated the Greater Albania project?
The proposal by Finnish Nobel “Peace” Prize winning Marti Ahtisaari to establish an independent Kosovo and Kosovan identity has been an abject failure. Rather, Kosovo has taken on the Albanian identity openly with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, who is currently serving as the fourth Prime Minister of Kosovo since February 3 2020, not differentiating between nation and ethnicity as he sees Kosovo as an extension of Albania, despite the nation and the state not being the same. Kurti also does not recognize the flag and anthem of Kosovo, as well as the Kosovar identity.
As Kosovo continues to lose legitimacy, meaning the breakaway province could return back to Serbian administration, it is attempting to avoid this situation by merging Kosovo into Albania. It is for this reason that Cakaj says the borders between Albania and Kosovo should not exist at all and that they should both share embassies. As Serbia’s position has strengthened, Albania’s official support for Kosovo is an attempt to parry it and jointly formulate a strategy to achieve some success.
The broader goals of merging Albania and Kosovo are multiple – to confirm Kosovo’s independence from Serbia; to propagate the Greater Albania project; and to put pressure on Serbia as well as international states to challenge Belgrade’s foreign policy successes. The campaign cooperation between Albania and Kosovo demonstrates the attempts to raise the issue to a higher level and the desire to establish new mechanisms and measures, with the incumbent government in Pristina to implement a practical policy because all tactics so far have not yielded results and giving up is not an option.
Therefore, there is no reason why Serbia should give up its current policy of pushing states to withdraw their Kosovo independence recognition. Belgrade must maintain that Kosovo is an integral and historical part of Serbia. Belgrade’s efforts have produced results and the Serbian public demand results. Serbia should not accept any blackmail and demands from Kosovo or Albania, especially as it continues its project of reintegrating Kosovo. Only days ago, it was announced that rail links between Belgrade and Pristina will be constructed, something that does not even exist between Kosovo and Albania. Although Kosovo’s failings continue, it has also accelerated the Greater Albania project in an effort to prevent the reintegration of the breakaway province back into Serbia.
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