veteranstoday--2020-04-20--Minister won’t discuss country returning to work

[ Editor ’ s note : Stuart is completely correct about the Irish Sea ammo dump , my father helped dump lots of old munitions into the sea during his decades working for the MOD at a gun testing range on the Irish Sea coast .
Ian ] “ I will not comment on individual questions of why are we doing this and why aren ’ t we doing that , ” says a cabinet minister at the centre of the UK Government ’ s decision making .
That cabinet minister happens to be my MP .
And that was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sent him about getting the country safely back to work : “ Instead of pointlessly repressing ordinary people up and down the country , condemning them to idleness , placing them under house arrest and denying them even solitary exercise and recreation in wide open spaces , why aren ’ t your people revising and extending health & safety laws to ensure businesses and other organisations adopt working practices that provide necessary ‘ social distancing ’ and ‘ private protective space ’ in all office , production line and customer-facing situations ?
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him why his Government had resorted to measures so extreme as to wreck the economy for years to come and cause ruination to swathes of the population while announcing on one of its own websites that “ as of 19 March 2020 COVID-19 is no longer considered to be a high consequence infectious diseases ( HCID ) in the UK ” .
He didn ’ t reply .
Perhaps he was pissed off by my comment that the Conservatives seem no better at planning a resumption of economic activity than they were at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he didn ’ t like being told Parliamentarians themselves set an appalling example and an overhaul of the outdated work practices at Westminster was long overdue ?
Maybe it was just too much to hear from me that however cherished that 19th Century Gothic pile might be it ’ s quite unsuited to 21st Century government .
And that it was time our politicians set decent standards for others to follow instead of encouraging police to stalk dog walkers on lonely moors with drones , harass citizens quietly minding their own business @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ratting on each other .
And how imposing big city rules on rural communities was resented .
I also wanted to know why EasyJet , for example , was allowed to access £600 million of public bail-out money through the Covid Corporate Financing Facility ( CCFF ) when the passenger aviation industry , which contributes hugely to the destruction of our planet , needs scaling back .
I could also have asked why somebody left the door wide open back in January and February when our borders should have been tightly shut – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surely , in this island nation .
But that ’ s something for the post-mortem .
My MP , Alister Jack , is actually the secretary of state for Scotland so you ’ d think he ’ d be full of constructive ideas .
But his website is spectacularly uninteresting , his Facebook page equally so and hopelessly out of date .
His only claim to fame is his championing of a £20 billion Tory vanity idea to build a bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland put forward by Boris Johnson .
Except @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the deep-sea WW2 munitions dump that ’ s in the way .
As if there weren ’ t other priorities .

[Editor’s note: Stuart is completely correct about the Irish Sea ammo dump, my father helped dump lots of old munitions into the sea during his decades working for the MOD at a gun testing range on the Irish Sea coast. Ian]
“I will not comment on individual questions of why are we doing this and why aren’t we doing that,” says a cabinet minister at the centre of the UK Government’s decision making.
That cabinet minister happens to be my MP. And that was his reply to a straightforward question I sent him about getting the country safely back to work:
“Instead of pointlessly repressing ordinary people up and down the country, condemning them to idleness, placing them under house arrest and denying them even solitary exercise and recreation in wide open spaces, why aren’t your people revising and extending health & safety laws to ensure businesses and other organisations adopt working practices that provide necessary ‘social distancing’ and ‘private protective space’ in all office, production line and customer-facing situations?”
A couple of weeks earlier I asked him why his Government had resorted to measures so extreme as to wreck the economy for years to come and cause ruination to swathes of the population while announcing on one of its own websites that “as of 19 March 2020 COVID-19 is no longer considered to be a high consequence infectious diseases (HCID) in the UK”. He didn’t reply.
Perhaps he was pissed off by my comment that the Conservatives seem no better at planning a resumption of economic activity than they were at preparing for Brexit.
Could it be that he didn’t like being told Parliamentarians themselves set an appalling example and an overhaul of the outdated work practices at Westminster was long overdue?
Maybe it was just too much to hear from me that however cherished that 19th Century Gothic pile might be it’s quite unsuited to 21st Century government. And that it was time our politicians set decent standards for others to follow instead of encouraging police to stalk dog walkers on lonely moors with drones, harass citizens quietly minding their own business on park benches, and set neighbours ratting on each other. And how imposing big city rules on rural communities was resented.
I also wanted to know why EasyJet, for example, was allowed to access £600 million of public bail-out money through the Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF) when the passenger aviation industry, which contributes hugely to the destruction of our planet, needs scaling back.
I could also have asked why somebody left the door wide open back in January and February when our borders should have been tightly shut – an easy enough thing to do, surely, in this island nation. But that’s something for the post-mortem.
My MP, Alister Jack, is actually the secretary of state for Scotland so you’d think he’d be full of constructive ideas. But his website is spectacularly uninteresting, his Facebook page equally so and hopelessly out of date. His only claim to fame is his championing of a £20 billion Tory vanity idea to build a bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland put forward by Boris Johnson. Except that Mr Jack much prefers tunneling under the deep-sea WW2 munitions dump that’s in the way.
As if there weren’t other priorities.
Stuart Littlewood
17 April 2020


veteranstoday--2020-04-20--FDA: To Genesis, ‘Stop Distributing MMS,’ Unproven/Potentially Harmful Rx for Coronavirus

Health Editor ’ s Note : Profit from fear !
Do Not Purchase MMS !
Genesis II Church of Health and Healing ( Genesis ) has been selling unproven , potentially harmful treatments to treat coronavirus .
Specifically “ Miracle Mineral Solution ” ( MMS ) which is chlorine dioxide ( industrial bleach . )
Genesis has also peddled products to treat autism and Alzheimer ’ s disease , brain cancer , multiple sclerosis and HIV/AIDS .
The sale of MMS has gone on for the past 10 years .
The FDA has received reports of people having respiratory failure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ failure and electrical disorders of the heart after drinking MMS .
With coronavirus and COVID-19 all over the world , people are desperate to find and take a cure or preventative measure .
Genesis II Church of Health and Healing seeks to use this pandemic to make money despite the fact their bogus product will harm those who take and it offer no protection from or cure for COVID-19…..Carol Coronavirus ( COVID-19 ) Update : Federal judge enters temporary injunction against Genesis II Church of Health and Healing , preventing sale of Chlorine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Treat COVID-19 A federal court has entered a temporary injunction against the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing ( Genesis ) and four individuals associated with the entity requiring them to immediately stop distributing its “ Miracle Mineral Solution ” ( MMS ) , an unproven and potentially harmful treatment offered for sale to treat Coronavirus , which includes Coronavirus Disease 2019 ( COVID-19 ) and many other diseases .
In granting the government ’ s request for relief , the court found that the United States has demonstrated that Genesis and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are violating the Federal Food , Drug , and Cosmetic Act ( FD & C ) by unlawfully distributing MMS , an unapproved new drug and misbranded drug .
When combined with the included activator MMS has a chlorine dioxide content equivalent to industrial bleach .
The court also found that there is a danger that the defendants will continue violating the law without the temporary restraining order .
“ Americans expect and deserve proven medical treatments and today ’ s action is a forceful reminder that the FDA will use its legal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proven to continuously threaten the health of the American public .
It is vital that sellers of drug products comply with the FD & C Act and do not sell products with false and misleading claims , ….read entire article :

Health Editor’s Note: Profit from fear! Do Not Purchase MMS! Genesis II Church of Health and Healing (Genesis) has been selling unproven, potentially harmful treatments to treat coronavirus. Specifically “Miracle Mineral Solution” (MMS) which is chlorine dioxide (industrial bleach.)
Genesis has also peddled products to treat autism and Alzheimer’s disease, brain cancer, multiple sclerosis and HIV/AIDS. The sale of MMS has gone on for the past 10 years. The FDA has received reports of people having respiratory failure, life-threatening low blood pressure, liver failure and electrical disorders of the heart after drinking MMS.
With coronavirus and COVID-19 all over the world, people are desperate to find and take a cure or preventative measure. Genesis II Church of Health and Healing seeks to use this pandemic to make money despite the fact their bogus product will harm those who take and it offer no protection from or cure for COVID-19…..Carol
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: Federal judge enters temporary injunction against Genesis II Church of Health and Healing, preventing sale of Chlorine Dioxide Products Equivalent to Industrial Bleach to Treat COVID-19
FDA news release A federal court has entered a temporary injunction against the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing (Genesis) and four individuals associated with the entity requiring them to immediately stop distributing its “Miracle Mineral Solution” (MMS), an unproven and potentially harmful treatment offered for sale to treat Coronavirus, which includes Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and many other diseases. In granting the government’s request for relief, the court found that the United States has demonstrated that Genesis and the associated individuals named in the injunction are violating the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C) by unlawfully distributing MMS, an unapproved new drug and misbranded drug. When combined with the included activator MMS has a chlorine dioxide content equivalent to industrial bleach. The court also found that there is a danger that the defendants will continue violating the law without the temporary restraining order. “Americans expect and deserve proven medical treatments and today’s action is a forceful reminder that the FDA will use its legal authorities to quickly stop those who have proven to continuously threaten the health of the American public. It is vital that sellers of drug products comply with the FD&C Act and do not sell products with false and misleading claims, ….read entire article:
Carol graduated from Riverside White Cross School of Nursing in Columbus, Ohio and received her diploma as a registered nurse. She attended Bowling Green State University where she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and Literature. She attended the University of Toledo, College of Nursing, and received a Master’s of Nursing Science Degree as an Educator. She has traveled extensively, is a photographer, and writes on medical issues. Carol has three children RJ, Katherine, and Stephen – one daughter-in-law; Katie – two granddaughters; Isabella Marianna and Zoe Olivia – and one grandson, Alexander Paul. She also shares her life with her husband Gordon Duff, many cats, and two rescues. Carol’s Archives 2009-2013


veteranstoday--2020-04-20--Germany Testing For COVID-19 Antibodies: Seeking To Safely Leave Lockdown

Health Editor ’ s Note : Germany appears to be on the right track .
The U.S. has fallen behind other nations in testing for COVID-19 and we are seeing continued levels of infections that bring with it deaths .
Testing is the way to safely contain this pandemic so we can save lives and move towards a recovery…..Carol With Broad , Random Tests For Antibodies , Germany Seeks Path Out of Lockdown The Munich antibody study , run by the Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine at Munich University Hospital , and cofinanced by the government of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of several regional studies being rolled out in various corners of Germany .
Still , scientists caution that there is no proof yet that the detection of antibodies signals effective immunity and even if it does , it is not known how long that immunity might last .
Nationally , the Robert Koch Institute , the government ’ s central scientific institution in the field of biomedicine , is testing 5,000 samples from blood banks across the country every two weeks and 2,000 people in four hot spots who are farther along in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most ambitious project , aiming to test a nationwide random sample of 15,000 people across the country , is scheduled to begin next month .
“ In the free world , Germany is the first country looking into the future , ” said Prof. Michael Hoelscher , who heads up the Munich study , noting that a number of countries had already asked him for the protocol to be able to replicate it .
“ We are leading the thinking of what to do next .
”

Health Editor’s Note: Germany appears to be on the right track. The U.S. has fallen behind other nations in testing for COVID-19 and we are seeing continued levels of infections that bring with it deaths. Testing is the way to safely contain this pandemic so we can save lives and move towards a recovery…..Carol
With Broad, Random Tests For Antibodies, Germany Seeks Path Out of Lockdown


veteranstoday--2020-04-20--Tanzania fights CoronaVirus with Holy Mass. Churches and Mosques open for Praying

Are we really sure that Italy , Europe and the West guided by the fatous Masonic rituals of the arrogant Enlightenment can be considered the civilized world ?
When the CoronaVirus kills , without science having yet explained its true criterion and real origins , all that remains is to make the sign of the Cross as taught by the Catholic president of an African country : Tanzania .
Down below in the Black Continent , cyclically infested with epidemics often triggered by the experiments of the rich countries as seems to have happened also for Covid-19 , the “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no impediment to internal and external movements to the nation but closed schools and mandatory ban of social gatherings with the only extraordinary exception for the rites of religious cults .
Precisely to combat the pandemic that no scientist in the world has yet understood how to defeat , he trusts God with prayers .
Therefore Christian churches and mosques remain open , but with a careful respect for the distances between people as in Italy we do in supermarkets or Mail offices .
Only history will tell who has seen right !
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Moses when they were immune to the wounds of Egypt and to the exterminated angel on the eve of the Exodus which became Easter , in San Michele Arcangelo in the Gargano , in Santa Rita in Cascia and in Sant ’ Antonio in Padua when they defeated plagues .
It is the humanity ’ s story that made the truth of the apparitions of the Celestial Mother to Saint Bernadette in Lourdes triumph even in the palace of the liberal and progressive Napoleon III .
When his first-born child was healed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Grotto for the faith of his wife Eugenia the Freemason emperor , obtorto collo , reopened that cult , previously prohibited by the authorities for the imposition of blind modernist scientism also on faith more sparkling than prodigious and thaumaturgical Grace of God .
« Tanzanian compatriots , because of the pandemic , I urge you to use these three days , from April 17 to April 19 , to pray to God for His protection and healing » So the President of Tanzania John Pombe Magufuli with a message on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of prayer to ask for « the intercession of the Almighty against the new coronavirus » .
This was reported by the Fides agency of the Pontifical Mission Societies in a note released by Dar es Salaam , the commercial capital in the city of Mwanza , on the banks of Lake Victoria , in northern Kilimanjaro , the most affected area of the country where the Sars-2 pandemic balance has risen to 94 people infected and four deceased , since March 16 when the first infection occurred .
« Tanzania has not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its borders , but has suspended social meetings and ordered the closure of educational institutions » writes Fides .
« Church sources said thousands of people attended public masses after a presidential directive that allowed churches and mosques to remain open , so that people can seek spiritual comfort and material aid » the missionary news agency ’ s statement said .
« Catholic Church has taken the appropriate measures to guarantee the hygiene and safety of the faithful such as maintaining social distances and eliminating the practices that put people in contact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Pontifical organization has clearly highlighted .
The concept is simple and we expressed it in a previous article .
If you believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ Risen from the death “ not of bread alone does man live ” and , therefore , as you are entitled to do the shopping in a contingent way for the basic necessities – among which in Italy they have been included even newspapers , stamps and cigarettes by keeping newsstands and tobacconists open – you should have the full right to fulfill our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ substantial ” Sacrament of the Eucharist .
In countries founded by Freemasonry with the blood of revolutionaries and their victims , such as Italy , France , US , this has not been allowed also because the bishops themselves have not pondered in the least to devise an alternative plan such as the Holy Masses quoted in such a way similar to access to supermarkets .
In the heart of Black Africa this was instead possible… It is humanly understandable that this also happened because only 94 people were infected , but despite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those gatherings that were still allowed in Italy , complete with disco parties and football games in the stadiums , when the epidemic had already infected thousands of people in Lombardy , Veneto and Piedmont killing dozens .
Here is a clear demonstration of healthy prudence , one of the cardinal virtues for Catholics , illuminated by true faith in the Almighty God of Abraham , Isaac , Israel and of the Messiah Jesus Christ .
It is not the first time that Africa has taught Europe how to fight an epidemic .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Christian missionary is a Swiss doctor , Adrien Sechehaye , who returned home , healed hundreds of people from tuberculosis thanks to the roots of South African Geranium .
But then the synthetic vaccines came with their business and that natural remedy was put aside … Since 1956 , with the dried tuberose of that flower , the Pélargonium Sidoides , a German company has been producing an extremely effective completely herbal drug as a very powerful specific immune stimulator against diseases of the upper respiratory tract .
Despite the primary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has confirmed its certain usefulness in the prevention of CoVid-19 and its hypothetical functionality also therapeutic in integration with other drugs , as suggested by the maximum pulmonologist of the Academy of Sciences of Russia to combine to antivirals an immuno-stimulator , no health facility has started an experiment in Italy or in the rest of the world .
Although the medicine is certified and authorized by the European Medicines Agency ( EMA ) .
Meanwhile , the SARS-COV-2 continues to really kill !
It has killed more than 23,000 people in Italy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States and more than 160,000 worldwide despite ignorant and criminal conspiracy theorists claiming the existence of inflated data for what is not known as a brainy media conspiracy .
Indeed there is no better plot than that of building a concrete and serious threat , just like this lethal virus built in the laboratory also according to a Nobel Prize for Medicine , to raise the need for stricter rules to the detriment of democracy and civil and human rights .
The first patients died of respiratory failure from infectious pneumonia .
Doctors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and anti-AIDS retrovirals , in the virus there are in fact HIV inserts that prove their manipulation .
Many patients healed , others died from “ hysterical ” hyperimmune lymphocyte reactions , similar to those of organ transplant rejection , which according to an official Chinese research and an informal Italian study , developed thanks to few autposias , 70 in Italy , would have caused blood clots in the veins that cause thrombosis and massive pulmonary embolisms .
In the face of this , and of the first rare cases of reactivation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Asia and Europe , science appears truly helpless hoping , much and perhaps too much , in vaccines , which , if the virus had many different genotypes ( at least three are already established in China and by a study not yet published in the Czech Republic ) would be ineffective .
While man therefore recognizes himself as “ docile fiber of the universe ” as the great Christian poet Giuseppe Ungaretti described it , all that remains is to follow the example of the Tanzanian president : invoke the Almighty and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If it does not help us avoid contagion or heal us at least it will prepare our souls for the encounter with the Eternal .
Fabio Giuseppe Carlo Carisio © COPYRIGHT GOSPA NEWS for VETERAN TODAY only no reproduction without authorization – original version

di Fabio Giuseppe Carlo Carisio for VT Italy
VERSIONE ORIGINALE IN ITALIANO
Are we really sure that Italy, Europe and the West guided by the fatous Masonic rituals of the arrogant Enlightenment can be considered the civilized world? When the CoronaVirus kills, without science having yet explained its true criterion and real origins, all that remains is to make the sign of the Cross as taught by the Catholic president of an African country: Tanzania.
Down below in the Black Continent, cyclically infested with epidemics often triggered by the experiments of the rich countries as seems to have happened also for Covid-19, the “lockdown” is soft and spiritual: no impediment to internal and external movements to the nation but closed schools and mandatory ban of social gatherings with the only extraordinary exception for the rites of religious cults.
Precisely to combat the pandemic that no scientist in the world has yet understood how to defeat, he trusts God with prayers.
Therefore Christian churches and mosques remain open, but with a careful respect for the distances between people as in Italy we do in supermarkets or Mail offices.
Only history will tell who has seen right! That story that gave reason to Abraham and Moses when they were immune to the wounds of Egypt and to the exterminated angel on the eve of the Exodus which became Easter, in San Michele Arcangelo in the Gargano, in Santa Rita in Cascia and in Sant’Antonio in Padua when they defeated plagues.
It is the humanity’s story that made the truth of the apparitions of the Celestial Mother to Saint Bernadette in Lourdes triumph even in the palace of the liberal and progressive Napoleon III.
When his first-born child was healed by the miraculous waters of the Massabielle’s Grotto for the faith of his wife Eugenia the Freemason emperor, obtorto collo, reopened that cult, previously prohibited by the authorities for the imposition of blind modernist scientism also on faith more sparkling than prodigious and thaumaturgical Grace of God.
APPEAL FOR PRAYING BY TANZANIA’S PRESIDENT
«Tanzanian compatriots, because of the pandemic, I urge you to use these three days, from April 17 to April 19, to pray to God for His protection and healing»
So the President of Tanzania John Pombe Magufuli with a message on Twitter addressed his people invoking a triduum of prayer to ask for «the intercession of the Almighty against the new coronavirus».
This was reported by the Fides agency of the Pontifical Mission Societies in a note released by Dar es Salaam, the commercial capital in the city of Mwanza, on the banks of Lake Victoria, in northern Kilimanjaro, the most affected area of the country where the Sars-2 pandemic balance has risen to 94 people infected and four deceased, since March 16 when the first infection occurred.
«Tanzania has not imposed any restrictions on movements or closed its borders, but has suspended social meetings and ordered the closure of educational institutions» writes Fides.
«Church sources said thousands of people attended public masses after a presidential directive that allowed churches and mosques to remain open, so that people can seek spiritual comfort and material aid» the missionary news agency’s statement said.
«Catholic Church has taken the appropriate measures to guarantee the hygiene and safety of the faithful such as maintaining social distances and eliminating the practices that put people in contact with each other”, however, the Pontifical organization has clearly highlighted.
The concept is simple and we expressed it in a previous article. If you believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ Risen from the death “not of bread alone does man live” and, therefore, as you are entitled to do the shopping in a contingent way for the basic necessities – among which in Italy they have been included even newspapers, stamps and cigarettes by keeping newsstands and tobacconists open – you should have the full right to fulfill our spiritual needs too, including the “substantial” Sacrament of the Eucharist.
In countries founded by Freemasonry with the blood of revolutionaries and their victims, such as Italy, France, US, this has not been allowed also because the bishops themselves have not pondered in the least to devise an alternative plan such as the Holy Masses quoted in such a way similar to access to supermarkets. In the heart of Black Africa this was instead possible…
It is humanly understandable that this also happened because only 94 people were infected, but despite this, the Tanzanian president instead prohibited those gatherings that were still allowed in Italy, complete with disco parties and football games in the stadiums, when the epidemic had already infected thousands of people in Lombardy, Veneto and Piedmont killing dozens.
Here is a clear demonstration of healthy prudence, one of the cardinal virtues for Catholics, illuminated by true faith in the Almighty God of Abraham, Isaac, Israel and of the Messiah Jesus Christ.
SOUTH AFRICAN GERANIUM AGAINST TUBERCULOSIS
It is not the first time that Africa has taught Europe how to fight an epidemic. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Christian missionary is a Swiss doctor, Adrien Sechehaye, who returned home, healed hundreds of people from tuberculosis thanks to the roots of South African Geranium. But then the synthetic vaccines came with their business and that natural remedy was put aside …
Since 1956, with the dried tuberose of that flower, the Pélargonium Sidoides, a German company has been producing an extremely effective completely herbal drug as a very powerful specific immune stimulator against diseases of the upper respiratory tract.
Despite the primary emeritus of the Niguarda hospital in Milan has confirmed its certain usefulness in the prevention of CoVid-19 and its hypothetical functionality also therapeutic in integration with other drugs, as suggested by the maximum pulmonologist of the Academy of Sciences of Russia to combine to antivirals an immuno-stimulator, no health facility has started an experiment in Italy or in the rest of the world. Although the medicine is certified and authorized by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
Meanwhile, the SARS-COV-2 continues to really kill!
It has killed more than 23,000 people in Italy, more than 40,000 in the United States and more than 160,000 worldwide despite ignorant and criminal conspiracy theorists claiming the existence of inflated data for what is not known as a brainy media conspiracy.
Indeed there is no better plot than that of building a concrete and serious threat, just like this lethal virus built in the laboratory also according to a Nobel Prize for Medicine, to raise the need for stricter rules to the detriment of democracy and civil and human rights.
The first patients died of respiratory failure from infectious pneumonia. Doctors have successfully tested antivirals such as chlorichin and anti-AIDS retrovirals, in the virus there are in fact HIV inserts that prove their manipulation.
Many patients healed, others died from “hysterical” hyperimmune lymphocyte reactions, similar to those of organ transplant rejection, which according to an official Chinese research and an informal Italian study, developed thanks to few autposias, 70 in Italy, would have caused blood clots in the veins that cause thrombosis and massive pulmonary embolisms.
In the face of this, and of the first rare cases of reactivation of the virus in some infected in Asia and Europe, science appears truly helpless hoping, much and perhaps too much, in vaccines, which, if the virus had many different genotypes (at least three are already established in China and by a study not yet published in the Czech Republic) would be ineffective.
While man therefore recognizes himself as “docile fiber of the universe” as the great Christian poet Giuseppe Ungaretti described it, all that remains is to follow the example of the Tanzanian president: invoke the Almighty and make the sign of the Cross. If it does not help us avoid contagion or heal us at least it will prepare our souls for the encounter with the Eternal.
Fabio Giuseppe Carlo Carisio
© COPYRIGHT GOSPA NEWS for VETERAN TODAY only
no reproduction without authorization – original version
MAIN SOURCES
GOSPA NEWS – CORONAVIRUS INVESTIGATIONS
GOSPA NEWS – WEAPONS LOBBY


veteranstoday--2020-04-21--US to Begin Disarming: Two Nuclear Super-Carriers to Be Scuttled, Navy to be Gutted

Sputnik/Moscow : An internal assessment from the Office of the US Secretary of Defense reportedly recommends the US Navy remove two aircraft carriers from its fleet and enlist dozens of additional lightly manned or unmanned ships .
Documents obtained by Defense News show that amid the Pentagon ’ s review of the US Navy ’ s force structure , Secretary of Defense Mark Esper ’ s office drew up an assessment which called for the service to reduce its aircraft carrier fleet from 11 to nine ships .
This contrasts sharply with past force projections , as last year the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ withdrew the USS Harry Truman from an early retirement in an effort to reach its goal of a 355-ship force .
Eminent US policy think tank The Heritage Foundation has called for still more , saying the US Navy needs 400 ships , including 13 aircraft carriers .
The US ’ Ford-class and Nimitz-class supercarriers are by far the largest on the planet , weighing in at 100,000 tons and carrying 80 aircraft each .
Retired Navy Captain Jerry Hendrix told the outlet that deployment would have to be restructured if such a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ This would be reintroducing reality .
A move like this would signal a new pattern for the Navy ’ s deployments that moves away from presence and moves towards surge and exercise as a model for carrier employment.
” Defense News highlighted that the assessment calls for the Navy to cease expanding its large surface combatant fleet , which is currently made up of around 90 cruisers and destroyers .
“ You can build them so they ’ re optionally manned , and then , depending on the scenario or the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they can go unmanned , ” he said .
Esper ’ s calls for “ more smaller surface combatants ” were criticized in March by Forbes defense contributor Craig Hooper , who explained that US Navy ships have historically been unable to operate in extreme weather conditions , and a greater reliance on lighter ships would put more lives at risk .
“ Do [ Esper ] and other similarly minded policymakers understand that they may be arguing for a fleet that will be more effective fighting from a pier than out in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meant to secure ?
” he asked rhetorically , adding that “ as China and Russia emerge , the Navy can no longer plan on operating in calm seas.
” “ Today , as storms are becoming stronger and more frequent , the chances of a fight in higher , rougher seas will only increase , ” Hooper argued .
News of this review comes while the Navy is conducting its own force structure assessment , which Defense News notes is predicted to echo the US Marine Corps ’ previously stated desire to @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Sputnik/Moscow: An internal assessment from the Office of the US Secretary of Defense reportedly recommends the US Navy remove two aircraft carriers from its fleet and enlist dozens of additional lightly manned or unmanned ships.
Documents obtained by Defense News show that amid the Pentagon’s review of the US Navy’s force structure, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper’s office drew up an assessment which called for the service to reduce its aircraft carrier fleet from 11 to nine ships.
Furthermore, the study recommended a surface force of somewhere between 80 and 90 large combatants and 55 to 70 light combatants.
This contrasts sharply with past force projections, as last year the Navy bought two Ford-class aircraft carriers and withdrew the USS Harry Truman from an early retirement in an effort to reach its goal of a 355-ship force. Eminent US policy think tank The Heritage Foundation has called for still more, saying the US Navy needs 400 ships, including 13 aircraft carriers.
The US’ Ford-class and Nimitz-class supercarriers are by far the largest on the planet, weighing in at 100,000 tons and carrying 80 aircraft each.
Retired Navy Captain Jerry Hendrix told the outlet that deployment would have to be restructured if such a recommendation was carried out by the Navy.
“The deployment models we set – and we’re still keeping – were developed around 15 carriers, so that would all fall apart,” Hendrix said, speaking of the US’ carrier presence in the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.
“This would be reintroducing reality. A move like this would signal a new pattern for the Navy’s deployments that moves away from presence and moves towards surge and exercise as a model for carrier employment.”
Defense News highlighted that the assessment calls for the Navy to cease expanding its large surface combatant fleet, which is currently made up of around 90 cruisers and destroyers.
Esper communicated similar ideas in a previous interview with the outlet, saying that one of his visions for the future fleet would require the service to “much more aggressively” push for lightly manned ships.
“You can build them so they’re optionally manned, and then, depending on the scenario or the technology, at some point in time they can go unmanned,” he said.
Esper’s calls for “more smaller surface combatants” were criticized in March by Forbes defense contributor Craig Hooper, who explained that US Navy ships have historically been unable to operate in extreme weather conditions, and a greater reliance on lighter ships would put more lives at risk.
“Do [Esper] and other similarly minded policymakers understand that they may be arguing for a fleet that will be more effective fighting from a pier than out in the contested seas the future Navy is meant to secure?” he asked rhetorically, adding that “as China and Russia emerge, the Navy can no longer plan on operating in calm seas.”
“Today, as storms are becoming stronger and more frequent, the chances of a fight in higher, rougher seas will only increase,” Hooper argued.
News of this review comes while the Navy is conducting its own force structure assessment, which Defense News notes is predicted to echo the US Marine Corps’ previously stated desire to become more integrated with the Navy.


veteranstoday--2020-04-21--Is this god getting back at the US for blocking Iran and Venezuela from selling oil?  (probably)

Fill your gas tank , get a new car free with each tankful Trump says the Chinese did it .
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Crude Oil Price is at their lowest price level in the history. #crudeoil price is less than $1 per barrel. pic.twitter.com/MycHSIoK7c
Aunty Nirmala's knowledge on 'ECONOMICS' and price of Crude Oil are exactly the same… it's below ZERO #Crude #Crudeoilprice pic.twitter.com/XJDHtMQ9yd
The price of crude oil just went to NEGATIVE $37 lmao capitalism is so fucked pic.twitter.com/Nx9pVhOkq1
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veteranstoday--2020-04-21--Death of SS Paul Hamilton – April 20th, 1944

[ Editor ’ s Note : Below is the 2015 republished version of this tragedy .
Over the years , I have run this 7 or 8 times , and have found a 7 families and living veterans who were in the convoy of the SS Paul Hamilton .
Last year generated only one new contact .
But I will always have the memories .
One brother and sister were researching a grandfather ’ s brother and typed in a Google search for “ KIA , April 20th , 1944 ” and my article popped up .
A Coast Guard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ took a photo a few seconds after a torpedo bomber had hit the Paul Hamilton in a dusk attack .
All 505 aboard were killed instantly .
Only two bodies were recovered , although parts of bodies rained down on nearby ships .
The families of the lost servicemen had never been told the details of what had happened to the ship , as our government had classified it for 50 years to avoid having to explain why troops were being shipped on un-armored ammunition ships .
The witnesses included a radio operator @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revealed for the first time that the German torpedo planes attacking at dust from the Algiers coast were mis-identified as “ friendlies ” , which caused the destroyer screen to hold fire as the planes flew by them .
The 500+ aboard the SS Paul Hamilton had only moments to live – it was the first ship struck .
Death was instant for all , with the aerial torpedo touching off the 6000 tons of explosives aboard .
Maybe this year we can find another family…JD ] Jim 's Editor ’ s Notes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work includes research , field trips , Heritage TV Legacy archiving & more .
Thanks for helping .
Click to donate > > Note : Some photos and YouTubes are missing below due to the archive compacting that had to be done after the major hacking in early 2017 .
Flooding the site with thousands of searches that had to go through our huge archive file was our weak point .
Dear VT Readers , This is a family indulgence , republishing this SS Paul Hamilton disaster every April .
Today is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a 16-year-old WWII widow , will be 88 in June , and each time we have connected with a veteran who was in the convoy attacked , or family members who lost an ancestor , except for last year , which was a zero .
I hope for better luck this time .
There are not words to describe the satisfaction of being contacted out of the blue by a family member , where all they had to go on was KIA , April 20th , Mediterranean theater , and up pops my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me .
When I see “ SS Paul Hamilton ” in the subject line , it is always goose bump time .
It is the combined miracle of Al Gore inventing the Internet ( that is a joke ) , and VT existing that these hook ups are made .
And , as the widow of a navy seaman in the convoy had shared with me every piece of archival reporting they had gotten from several trips while Helen Jones ’ husband was alive , I pass them on to the next family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stories of VT , what we do , how , and why we do it… the lost stories… the forgotten victims .
SS Paul Hamilton – the Largest loss of lives on a Liberty Ship during WWII On this day , April 20th , 1944 , the largest loss of life on a WWII Liberty ship took place when the SS Paul Hamilton was sunk with all hands .
But these men were killed not once , but twice .
Yes , the German Junkers torpedo bombers did their work .
But as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the nearby ships of the convoy , no one knew then that details of the incident would be classified for 50 years .
All the families of these men would ever be told , for that whole time , was… ” Missing in action , presumed dead , Mediterranean Theater.
” I have a complete alphabetical KIA roster link below .
Why , do you ask ?
The brass did not want to face the families with explaining to them why they had loaded a troop ship with 7000 tons of explosives and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Leon Miller only about four months prior .
He was in the Army Air Corp…photo intelligence , and has assured her he would be behind the lines .
When the door bell rang she saw a young boy in a Western Union uniform standing with a telegram .
In those days you would rather see the devil himself .
It still had not hit her yet until he said the magic words… ” Are you Mrs. Leon Miller ?
” Everything…at that moment… changed forever .
She was sixteen years old .
Denial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ telegram moments .
She refused to accept it .
She did the best she could to push the grim reaper away , in an impressive way for a young lady , “ I am sure there is some mistake .
My husband has not even gotten over there yet.
” The young boy had been trained well , and he did his job .
He read the address to her and asked if it were correct , then again asked her again if she was Mrs Leon Miller .
And then he stretched @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ m very sorry.
” He had done this many times before .
She had not .
Stage two of denial now enters .
The young widow sees the only avenue open to her not have this really happen is to still not accept the telegram .
She insisted that he go back to the office and double check …she was sure the mistake would be discovered .
The young boy , seeming unhappy that he had failed to do his job , left .
If he could have shown her the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , she would have taken the telegram .
But mother never saw it…until last year .
The sixty two ships of convoy UGS 38 were off the coast of Algiers on the fateful evening .
The SS Paul Hamilton was headed for the Anzio bridge head which was surrounded by strong German forces .
Our troops were so hard pressed that many of the 504 Army Air Corp men aboard had been retrained in mine demolition work for the planned break out .
For more efficient shipping logistics the brass had decided to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of explosives together in the same unarmored ship , where one hot tracer round could blow them all to smithereens .
Convoys were well protected by that time in the war .
The Luftwaffe was no longer attacking them during the day because they would lose too many planes .
Their main tactic was the low level torpedo bombing attack timed to strike just after the sun went down .
They came in from the coast , using the mountains to hide their radar detection for as long as possible .
The picket @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the incoming attack but there were communications complications and most ships found out when the shooting started .
The convoy was already at general quarters as standard procedure .
There is not much for those on a troopship to do in a situation like this .
They are literally along for ride in a game of high stakes roulette .
Every man on the Hamilton knew that if they were hit no life boats would be necessary .
They did not have to suffer a long wait .
They were the first hit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ships in the post sunset darkness flares were reported being dropped by higher altitude German planes which helped the helped the torpedo bombers pick out ships to make their runs .
But the convoy commander ’ s official report has no mention of flares .
Although the first wave of planes attacked the convoy head on , the destroyers in front never opened fire on them .
I can only surmise they could not see them in the dark and the planes were by them before they could shoot .
A witness on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that an alert gunner fired a burst at a crossing plane , which then focused in on the gunner ’ s tracers .
This was actually against firing protocol where the armed freighters were only supposed to fire on planes making an attack run on them , so their tracer fire would not expose them in the darkness .
The fate of the Hamilton was sealed .
As the plane bore in all the guns the Hamilton could bring to bear blasted away .
When the plane did not go down , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If you look at this larger photo you will see all the extra gun tubs mounted fore and aft and amidships to give them a fighting chance .
The Coast Guard destroyer escort Menges was screening the the column that the Hamilton was in , a bit behind it .
Combat cameraman Art Green was at his battle station on the fantail where he had a panoramic view .
His eyes were drawn to the outgoing fire from the nearby ships , and straining to see any planes in the darken twilight .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to day .
The flash stunned everyone .
When Green ’ s eyes reopened he watched the mushroom cloud rise up from what had been the SS Paul Hamilton , and snapped his famous shot .
Within a month the photo was being used for war propaganda in American papers and magazines as an example of the risks and carnage involved in getting supplies to the front .
The families of the Paul Hamilton KIA ’ s who happened to see it never knew it was their photo .
There are not too @ @ @ @ @ @ @ morbid memento , but after sixty plus years you take what you can get .
The following link is a complete alphabetical roster of all those who died in that blinding flash : Paul Hamilton List Green recounted that the Hamilton explosion lasted six to seven seconds and then everything went dark again .
More explosions were heard as four more ships were struck .
Some of the torpedoes that missed their targets and exploded at the end of their runs were mistakenly reported as bombs .
The destroyer Lansdale was sunk , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ next day .
Both the damaged Samite M/V and Stephen F. Austen M/V were successfully towed to Algiers .
Green saw one plane go down .
The gunfire tapered off as the convoy continued on its course into the quiet night with the rear screening destroyers and tug boat assisting the damaged and sinking ships .
**** The door bell rang again .
The young widow had gathered Leon ’ s brother and wife from their work .
The wife went to the door .
Words were mumbled , and she returned to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He says he has to deliver it to you only.
” The denial time was over .
Mother went to the door .
The young boy , more tense this time , stretched out his arm with the telegram and said , “ There ’ s been no mistake .
I ’ m very sorry.
” She remembers to this day , “ He had a very sad look on his face…so sad .
I felt sorry for him.
” The telegram was hers now .
She handed it to the brother and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ WWII , ‘ ” The Secretary of the Army regrets to inform you….
” Only two bodies were recovered and are buried at the Allied cemetery in Algiers .
They were identified through fingerprints so those two families had some closure .
A search for any survivors went on for two days , the search for bodies for a week .
The photo and attack reports were flown back to Washington.The brass knew there were no survivors on the Hamilton .
They had the photo of what can happen with their hybrid troop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in action ’ first telegram was followed by the second , adding … ’ presumed dead ’ .
Later followed the obligatory condolence cards from Secretary Marshall , President Roosevelt , and a Purple Heart .
And that was that…until 1995 .
No apologies or explanations were ever forthcoming as to why the whole 50 year classification period was allowed to run .
Many of the parents of these KIAs passed away never knowing exactly how their sons died .
I personally feel it was an act of governmental cruelty to do this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have fewer living parents alive to make a stink over it .
Mother had said the government did offer transportation to Algiers and a boat ride out to the site for a wreath laying at sea .
I have no idea if anyone has ever done this , the dead parents certainly not .
Mother never mentioned going .
I never asked why , not being sure it would be anything more than driving another stake into her heart .
By that time she had collected her third flag in 2004 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Colonel , from Agent Orange related causes .
She and I did a ceremony for Sgt .
Miller the next day in an area of Arlington for stones with no bodies .
It was a beautiful setting , filtered light , and the Arlington Honor Guards are a memorable experience which I will share with you below .
This was the first shoot I did with my new JVC5100 TV camera .
These young soldiers teared up when I told them the story that she was getting this done after waiting sixty years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ceremonies back to back .
Make sure you click on 480p for the best resolution .
You are watching the most beautiful flag folding footage that I have , and I have a lot .
Mother was a shell for the next five years .
An Algeria trip was definitely not in the cards .
But I did send her a copy of my high resolution photo .
You can see tracer fire from one plane ’ s tail gunner , crazy to be exposing their position the the convoy gunners .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a destroyer seaman on the convoy .
They had made several trips to the archives to get all of the declassified records records .
Her computer literate children put it all on a CD for me…every name , every captain ’ s report , even the gunner station reports including the rounds that they fired .
They include the word for word radio transcripts of the rescue operations .
I am eternally grateful to Helen and her family .
I had trouble getting the 100 plus page file to load , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and I will be sure to let you know when that is fixed .
Mother and her VA rep Al Adams did get a copy of most of the Hamilton file following the declassification , but somehow the photo was among the missing .
Next up to share his retrospective is eye witness Merchant Marine seaman Howard Morseburg who was in the convoy .
This is the only personal witness video I have found on the Net , so a big salute to Howard for honoring his mates .
He has a big @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t miss it , another story in itself .
So there you have it from Howard .
The merchant seamen got a triple shafting .
Allow me to add another indignity to the list .
All the service men KIA families got $ 10,000 of GI life insurance .
The merchant marine families got $ 5000 .
Isn ’ t that special .
Widow ’ s benefits…zero…kids ?
…zip .
Howard did not seem bitter .
He just wanted it on the record .
I will have to see if old Howard is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I wanted to put you in the seat of the German bombers , even though it is day time , to see some actual footage of such a torpedo attack going in on a convoy .
What struck me right away is they seemed to dropping them almost like bombs , and from long distances where it seems like a wish and a prayer to hit anything .

… by Jim W. Dean, VT Editor
[ 2022 Paul Hamilton update: In the midst of the Ukraine war and the West having lost its mind thinking it is going to get Russian to destroy itself on the killing fields, the wheat fields exactly, of Ukraine.
If the situation was reversed the US would be doing basically what Russia is doing, making sure an aggressive military block with 10 to 15 times its strength moving right up to it border was a red line.
Think of Russia taking over Canada in a US type coup and then positioning first strike nuclear weapons, hypersonic ones, all along the northern border. There would be a strong reaction, with the nuclear one squarely on the table, but to what end.
There is a tie in to the Paul Hamilton tragedy, which is why I am doubling them up today. The military command classified the details of the Hamilton tragedy for 50 years so all of the command and political people would never have to explain why they were shipping troops on floating super bombs…6000 tons of bombs and explosives in an unarmored ship.
Their number one concern was covering their own asses. The people of Ukraine are, in a way, the troops riding on top of the Ukraine powder keg that could lead to destruction beyond anyone’s current imagination.
None of those responsible for it would want to accept any responsibility, hence you see the full court press, including the military, US media, to frame any disastrous outcome at Putin’s feet. It is a cheap con, especially Biden’s childish name calling vitrol.
We suffered through Trump lying to us through his teeth, with Biden denouncing him for it as threat to the country. Now we have Biden giving us his version of massive lying, including most of his government, when prosecutors are hunting the Trump conspiratiors down for sedition and insurrection. Biden seems as blind to the negative consequences as Trump did, which is one hell of an historic irony, and a bitter one for us all.
I would pose that based on what is going on now, a similar investigation will due for the Biden Regime over its having gone crazy thinking it was going to destroy the Putin government using a disposable mafia country as cannon fodder to do so, all paid for with American debt.
Biden’s thinking this will be a great accomplishment is historically going to take him down to Trump’s level, an act so stupid its almost beyond comprehension. US media, the Pentagon, the Intel agencies, the vet orgs, etc…are all cheering and waving flags on the Ukraine Titanic.
And what is their concern over steering the country toward a WWIII situation? It seems to be absolutely zero. Silly me, I would view that as a gross betrayal of the American people, and one that should incur substantial penalties to those responsible for the unecssary death and destruction.
But what planet would we have to go to to seek justice for that, and how would be get there if Elon Musk said no?
So today I salute once again the unfortunates from a long ago war, and pray that the idiots that rule over us don’t have us on a Neo-SS Paul Hamilton sailing in dangerous waters and a blindly corrupt and selfserving leadership. Thus ends my cherry missive for today…JD ]
*
[ Editor’s Note: Below is the 2015 republished version of this tragedy. Over the years, I have run this 7 or 8 times, and have found a 7 families and living veterans who were in the convoy of the SS Paul Hamilton.
Last year generated only one new contact. But I will always have the memories. One brother and sister were researching a grandfather’s brother and typed in a Google search for “KIA, April 20th, 1944” and my article popped up.
A Coast Guard photographer on one of the convoy ships took a photo a few seconds after a torpedo bomber had hit the Paul Hamilton in a dusk attack. All 505 aboard were killed instantly. Only two bodies were recovered, although parts of bodies rained down on nearby ships.
The families of the lost servicemen had never been told the details of what had happened to the ship, as our government had classified it for 50 years to avoid having to explain why troops were being shipped on un-armored ammunition ships.
The witnesses included a radio operator on one of the ships, who revealed for the first time that the German torpedo planes attacking at dust from the Algiers coast were mis-identified as “friendlies”, which caused the destroyer screen to hold fire as the planes flew by them.
The 500+ aboard the SS Paul Hamilton had only moments to live – it was the first ship struck. Death was instant for all, with the aerial torpedo touching off the 6000 tons of explosives aboard. Maybe this year we can find another family…JD ]
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Jim's work includes research, field trips, Heritage TV Legacy archiving & more. Thanks for helping. Click to donate >>
– The 2015 edition –
Note: Some photos and YouTubes are missing below due to the archive compacting that had to be done after the major hacking in early 2017. Flooding the site with thousands of searches that had to go through our huge archive file was our weak point.
Dear VT Readers, This is a family indulgence, republishing this SS Paul Hamilton disaster every April.
Today is the 5th year. Mother, who was a 16-year-old WWII widow, will be 88 in June, and each time we have connected with a veteran who was in the convoy attacked, or family members who lost an ancestor, except for last year, which was a zero. I hope for better luck this time.
There are not words to describe the satisfaction of being contacted out of the blue by a family member, where all they had to go on was KIA, April 20th, Mediterranean theater, and up pops my VT article where they can then contact me.
When I see “SS Paul Hamilton” in the subject line, it is always goose bump time. It is the combined miracle of Al Gore inventing the Internet (that is a joke), and VT existing that these hook ups are made.
And, as the widow of a navy seaman in the convoy had shared with me every piece of archival reporting they had gotten from several trips while Helen Jones’ husband was alive, I pass them on to the next family. This is just one of many stories of VT, what we do, how, and why we do it… the lost stories… the forgotten victims.
SS Paul Hamilton – the Largest loss of lives on a Liberty Ship during WWII
On this day, April 20th, 1944, the largest loss of life on a WWII Liberty ship took place when the SS Paul Hamilton was sunk with all hands. But these men were killed not once, but twice.
Yes, the German Junkers torpedo bombers did their work. But as their various body parts rained down on the nearby ships of the convoy, no one knew then that details of the incident would be classified for 50 years.
All the families of these men would ever be told, for that whole time, was…”Missing in action, presumed dead, Mediterranean Theater.” I have a complete alphabetical KIA roster link below.
Why, do you ask? The brass did not want to face the families with explaining to them why they had loaded a troop ship with 7000 tons of explosives and munitions.
My mother had married Sgt Leon Miller only about four months prior. He was in the Army Air Corp…photo intelligence, and has assured her he would be behind the lines. When the door bell rang she saw a young boy in a Western Union uniform standing with a telegram.
In those days you would rather see the devil himself. It still had not hit her yet until he said the magic words…”Are you Mrs. Leon Miller?” Everything…at that moment… changed forever. She was sixteen years old.
Denial is often the survival instinct for these telegram moments. She refused to accept it. She did the best she could to push the grim reaper away, in an impressive way for a young lady,
“I am sure there is some mistake. My husband has not even gotten over there yet.” The young boy had been trained well, and he did his job. He read the address to her and asked if it were correct, then again asked her again if she was Mrs Leon Miller.
And then he stretched out his hand and said, “I’m very sorry.” He had done this many times before. She had not.
Stage two of denial now enters. The young widow sees the only avenue open to her not have this really happen is to still not accept the telegram. She insisted that he go back to the office and double check …she was sure the mistake would be discovered.
The young boy, seeming unhappy that he had failed to do his job, left. If he could have shown her the lead photo of the Hamilton going up, she would have taken the telegram. But mother never saw it…until last year.
The sixty two ships of convoy UGS 38 were off the coast of Algiers on the fateful evening. The SS Paul Hamilton was headed for the Anzio bridge head which was surrounded by strong German forces.
Our troops were so hard pressed that many of the 504 Army Air Corp men aboard had been retrained in mine demolition work for the planned break out.
For more efficient shipping logistics the brass had decided to keep the men and their 7000 tons of explosives together in the same unarmored ship, where one hot tracer round could blow them all to smithereens.
Convoys were well protected by that time in the war. The Luftwaffe was no longer attacking them during the day because they would lose too many planes.
Their main tactic was the low level torpedo bombing attack timed to strike just after the sun went down. They came in from the coast, using the mountains to hide their radar detection for as long as possible.
The picket ships finally picked them up and reported the incoming attack but there were communications complications and most ships found out when the shooting started.
The convoy was already at general quarters as standard procedure. There is not much for those on a troopship to do in a situation like this. They are literally along for ride in a game of high stakes roulette.
Every man on the Hamilton knew that if they were hit no life boats would be necessary. They did not have to suffer a long wait. They were the first hit.
As the planes closed on the ships in the post sunset darkness flares were reported being dropped by higher altitude German planes which helped the helped the torpedo bombers pick out ships to make their runs. But the convoy commander’s official report has no mention of flares.
Although the first wave of planes attacked the convoy head on, the destroyers in front never opened fire on them. I can only surmise they could not see them in the dark and the planes were by them before they could shoot.
A witness on a ship near the Paul Hamilton reported that an alert gunner fired a burst at a crossing plane, which then focused in on the gunner’s tracers.
This was actually against firing protocol where the armed freighters were only supposed to fire on planes making an attack run on them, so their tracer fire would not expose them in the darkness. The fate of the Hamilton was sealed.
As the plane bore in all the guns the Hamilton could bring to bear blasted away. When the plane did not go down, the gunners knew what that meant…incoming torpedo. If you look at this larger photo you will see all the extra gun tubs mounted fore and aft and amidships to give them a fighting chance.
The Coast Guard destroyer escort Menges was screening the the column that the Hamilton was in, a bit behind it.
Combat cameraman Art Green was at his battle station on the fantail where he had a panoramic view. His eyes were drawn to the outgoing fire from the nearby ships, and straining to see any planes in the darken twilight. Suddenly, the sky turned from night to day.
The flash stunned everyone. When Green’s eyes reopened he watched the mushroom cloud rise up from what had been the SS Paul Hamilton, and snapped his famous shot.
Within a month the photo was being used for war propaganda in American papers and magazines as an example of the risks and carnage involved in getting supplies to the front.
Green recounted that the Hamilton explosion lasted six to seven seconds and then everything went dark again. More explosions were heard as four more ships were struck. Some of the torpedoes that missed their targets and exploded at the end of their runs were mistakenly reported as bombs.
The destroyer Lansdale was sunk, and the damaged Royal Star sank the next day. Both the damaged Samite M/V and Stephen F. Austen M/V were successfully towed to Algiers. Green saw one plane go down.
The gunfire tapered off as the convoy continued on its course into the quiet night with the rear screening destroyers and tug boat assisting the damaged and sinking ships. ****
The door bell rang again. The young widow had gathered Leon’s brother and wife from their work. The wife went to the door. Words were mumbled, and she returned to the living room to inform,
“He says he has to deliver it to you only.” The denial time was over.
Mother went to the door. The young boy, more tense this time, stretched out his arm with the telegram and said, “There’s been no mistake. I’m very sorry.” She remembers to this day,
“He had a very sad look on his face…so sad. I felt sorry for him.” The telegram was hers now. She handed it to the brother and soon heard the next worst sentence in WWII, ‘”The Secretary of the Army regrets to inform you….”
Only two bodies were recovered and are buried at the Allied cemetery in Algiers. They were identified through fingerprints so those two families had some closure.
A search for any survivors went on for two days, the search for bodies for a week. The photo and attack reports were flown back to Washington.The brass knew there were no survivors on the Hamilton. They had the photo of what can happen with their hybrid troop and ammo ships.
The ‘missing in action’ first telegram was followed by the second, adding …’presumed dead’. Later followed the obligatory condolence cards from Secretary Marshall, President Roosevelt, and a Purple Heart. And that was that…until 1995.
No apologies or explanations were ever forthcoming as to why the whole 50 year classification period was allowed to run. Many of the parents of these KIAs passed away never knowing exactly how their sons died.
I personally feel it was an act of governmental cruelty to do this. It served no other purpose than to have fewer living parents alive to make a stink over it. Mother had said the government did offer transportation to Algiers and a boat ride out to the site for a wreath laying at sea.
I have no idea if anyone has ever done this, the dead parents certainly not. Mother never mentioned going. I never asked why, not being sure it would be anything more than driving another stake into her heart.
By that time she had collected her third flag in 2004, burying a son, an Army Ranger Colonel, from Agent Orange related causes. She and I did a ceremony for Sgt. Miller the next day in an area of Arlington for stones with no bodies.
It was a beautiful setting, filtered light, and the Arlington Honor Guards are a memorable experience which I will share with you below. This was the first shoot I did with my new JVC5100 TV camera.
These young soldiers teared up when I told them the story that she was getting this done after waiting sixty years. I was proud of her…two Arlington ceremonies back to back.
Make sure you click on 480p for the best resolution. You are watching the most beautiful flag folding footage that I have, and I have a lot.
Note: Below is a video clip of the ceremony for Sgt. Miller for my mother that we were able to set up for the day after we buried by brother with the full blown horse drawn wagon and honor guard. I had beautiful filtered light. Eventually I will get the top quality full version up. This was my first use of my new JVC 5100, my first real TV camera purchase, about what a good used car cost back then. Mother and I were the only attendees, with everyone else doing the tourist thing even though this ceremony took ten minutes. ]
Mother was a shell for the next five years. An Algeria trip was definitely not in the cards. But I did send her a copy of my high resolution photo. You can see tracer fire from one plane’s tail gunner, crazy to be exposing their position the the convoy gunners.
I met Helen Jones online, the widow of a destroyer seaman on the convoy. They had made several trips to the archives to get all of the declassified records records. Her computer literate children put it all on a CD for me…every name, every captain’s report, even the gunner station reports including the rounds that they fired.
They include the word for word radio transcripts of the rescue operations. I am eternally grateful to Helen and her family. I had trouble getting the 100 plus page file to load, but leave me a note in the comments and I will be sure to let you know when that is fixed.
Mother and her VA rep Al Adams did get a copy of most of the Hamilton file following the declassification, but somehow the photo was among the missing.
Next up to share his retrospective is eye witness Merchant Marine seaman Howard Morseburg who was in the convoy.
This is the only personal witness video I have found on the Net, so a big salute to Howard for honoring his mates. He has a big punchline at the end. Don’t miss it, another story in itself.
So there you have it from Howard. The merchant seamen got a triple shafting. Allow me to add another indignity to the list. All the service men KIA families got $10,000 of GI life insurance.
The merchant marine families got $5000. Isn’t that special. Widow’s benefits…zero…kids?…zip.
Howard did not seem bitter. He just wanted it on the record. I will have to see if old Howard is still around. For this last video I wanted to put you in the seat of the German bombers, even though it is day time, to see some actual footage of such a torpedo attack going in on a convoy.
What struck me right away is they seemed to dropping them almost like bombs, and from long distances where it seems like a wish and a prayer to hit anything.
From Naval archives…the ship dispositions before the attack
**
Chuck Wales ran a website for a while on the Hamilton where he found these family members.


veteranstoday--2020-04-20--US oil collapses to -$37.63 a barrel (they pay you to take the oil) while gas gouging continues

West Texas Intermediate oil prices have gone negative in a record low for the US benchmark , as the market continues to crater amid the general economic collapse .
Vanishing demand and a glut of supply have combined to heavily impact the US benchmark fuel , with prices dropping from $ 18.27 to close at - $ 37.63 a barrel on Monday – down over 300 percent from the previous day ’ s close .
It ’ s the first time the crude oil futures contract has ever traded in the negative since the New York Mercantile Exchange ( NYMEX @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The collapse in oil markets comes amid a generalized economic downturn , with the coronavirus pandemic plunging most of the world ’ s economies into a downward spiral many believe will be the deepest since the Great Depression of the 1930s .
Global oil storage is currently reaching its limits , and while OPEC recently secured a 9.7 million barrel per day cut in production , the US Department of Energy is nevertheless weighing the idea of paying domestic producers to simply leave the oil in the ground so as not to further @ @ @ @ @ @ @ futures contracts set to expire on Tuesday , investors are scrambling to unload their positions , eyeing the already-glutted market and concerned about being left with a valueless commodity .
As the futures contracts hovered at record lows , oil tankers are reportedly languishing at sea , unable to find places to store their bounty onshore .
Demand for the commodity has dropped an estimated 30 percent worldwide amid the coronavirus crisis .
[ Editor ’ s Note : Gordon saw this coming a week ago .
All land based storage facilities were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the floating storage option , pushing super tankers up to $ 35,000 a day tankers .
Downward prices are pushed not only with over production , but by storage facilities being filled , as when demand comes back , the storage facilities can fill the supply , depressing well head purchasing .
Some big gambles are being made on grabbing cheap oil to resell later , one hell of a wild bet in my book .
The production cuts came , and Trump was right for a change when the first 10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with another 10 million the following week .
In a way , that was a no brainer based on how long producers can keep pumping oil when there is no place to put it .
Hence , we have the $ 11 per barrel West Texas price today .
Those who are the most financially leveraged are going to lose big time .
Those who can ride things out to the bottom , to buy in at the low and catch the rebound , will be able to buy a bigger yacht .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ensue , with wealth more centralized than it was , a strong hint as to who some of the perpetrators of this event might have been… Jim W. Dean ] Jim 's Editor ’ s Notes are solely crowdfunded via PayPal Jim 's work includes research , field trips , Heritage TV Legacy archiving & more .
Thanks for helping .
Click to donate > > US oil prices dived to 22-year lows at just $ 11 Monday after crashing almost 40 percent in a market flooded with crude and slammed by evaporating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic .
Just before 1200 GMT , the US benchmark West Texas Intermediate ( WTI ) crude for May delivery tanked to $ 11.04 — the lowest level since 1998 .
Trade , however , was also technically driven as investors closed out their positions ahead of the May contract expiry Monday .
The June contract was down 11.9 percent at $ 22.06 .
“ The real problem of the global supply-demand imbalance has started to really manifest itself in prices , ” said Rystad Energy analyst Bjornar Tonhaugen .
“ As production @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up by the day .
The world is using less and less oil and producers now feel how this translates in prices.
” The European benchmark contract , London Brent North Sea oil for June delivery , was down 6.1 percent at $ 26.38 per barrel .
Signs that the coronavirus may have peaked in Europe and the United States failed to lift Asian and European financial markets generally .
Traders are instead becoming more and more concerned that oil storage facilities are reaching their limits , as stockpiles continue to build owing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the COVID-19 pandemic .
Analysts said this month ’ s agreement between OPEC and its peers to slash output by 10 million barrels a day was having little impact because of the virus lockdowns and travel restrictions that are keeping billions of people at home .
WTI was hit particularly hard as its main US storage facilities in Cushing , Oklahoma , were filling up , with Trifecta Consultants analyst Sukrit Vijayakar saying refineries were not processing crude fast enough .
There are also plenty of supplies from the Middle East with no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” , he told AFP .
AxiCorp ’ s Stephen Innes added : “ It ’ s a dump at all cost as no one… wants delivery of oil , with Cushing storage facilities filling by the minute .
“ It hasn ’ t taken long for the market to recognise that the OPEC+ deal will not , in its present form , be enough to balance oil markets.
” Stock markets were mostly lower despite governments starting to consider how and when to ease the lockdowns that have crippled the global economy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Britain reported drops in daily death tolls and slowing infection rates , while Germany began allowing some shops to reopen and Norway restarted nurseries .
In the US , Andrew Cuomo , governor of badly hit New York state , said the disease was “ on the descent ” , though he cautioned it was “ no time to get cocky ” .
Mounting evidence suggests that the lockdowns and social distancing are slowing the spread of the virus .
That has intensified planning in many countries to begin loosening curbs on movement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economies .
Investors are keeping an eye on Washington , where Congress and the White House are working towards a $ 450 billion economic relief plan for small business to add to the trillions already pledged to support the economy .
Big-name companies including IBM , Netflix and Coca-Cola are also due to deliver their earnings reports .
West Texas Intermediate : DOWN 38 percent at $ 11.04 per barrel Brent North Sea crude : DOWN 6.1 percent at $ 26.38 per barrel New York – Dow : UP 3.0 percent at 24,242.49 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at $ 1.0876 from $ 1.0875 at 2100 GMT Friday Dollar/yen : UP at 107.72 yen from 107.54 Pound/dollar : DOWN at $ 1.2454 from $ 1.2499 Euro/pound : UP at 87.31 pence from 87.01 pence

West Texas Intermediate oil prices have gone negative in a record low for the US benchmark, as the market continues to crater amid the general economic collapse.
Vanishing demand and a glut of supply have combined to heavily impact the US benchmark fuel, with prices dropping from $18.27 to close at -$37.63 a barrel on Monday – down over 300 percent from the previous day’s close. It’s the first time the crude oil futures contract has ever traded in the negative since the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) started trading it in 1983.
The collapse in oil markets comes amid a generalized economic downturn, with the coronavirus pandemic plunging most of the world’s economies into a downward spiral many believe will be the deepest since the Great Depression of the 1930s. ALSO ON RT.COMDow drops 500 points amid coronavirus concerns & oil price collapse Global oil storage is currently reaching its limits, and while OPEC recently secured a 9.7 million barrel per day cut in production, the US Department of Energy is nevertheless weighing the idea of paying domestic producers to simply leave the oil in the ground so as not to further depress prices.
With May’s futures contracts set to expire on Tuesday, investors are scrambling to unload their positions, eyeing the already-glutted market and concerned about being left with a valueless commodity. As the futures contracts hovered at record lows, oil tankers are reportedly languishing at sea, unable to find places to store their bounty onshore. Demand for the commodity has dropped an estimated 30 percent worldwide amid the coronavirus crisis. ALSO ON RT.COM
…from PressTV, Tehran
[ Editor’s Note: Gordon saw this coming a week ago. All land based storage facilities were filled up, which triggered a scramble for the floating storage option, pushing super tankers up to $35,000 a day tankers.
Downward prices are pushed not only with over production, but by storage facilities being filled, as when demand comes back, the storage facilities can fill the supply, depressing well head purchasing.
Some big gambles are being made on grabbing cheap oil to resell later, one hell of a wild bet in my book. The production cuts came, and Trump was right for a change when the first 10 million barrel a day cut was followed with another 10 million the following week.
In a way, that was a no brainer based on how long producers can keep pumping oil when there is no place to put it. Hence, we have the $11 per barrel West Texas price today. Those who are the most financially leveraged are going to lose big time.
Those who can ride things out to the bottom, to buy in at the low and catch the rebound, will be able to buy a bigger yacht. An overall path of economic devastation will ensue, with wealth more centralized than it was, a strong hint as to who some of the perpetrators of this event might have been… Jim W. Dean ]
Jim's Editor’s Notes are solely crowdfunded via PayPal
Jim's work includes research, field trips, Heritage TV Legacy archiving & more. Thanks for helping. Click to donate >>
– First published ... April 20, 2020 –
US oil prices dived to 22-year lows at just $11 Monday after crashing almost 40 percent in a market flooded with crude and slammed by evaporating demand in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
Just before 1200 GMT, the US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude for May delivery tanked to $11.04 — the lowest level since 1998.
Trade, however, was also technically driven as investors closed out their positions ahead of the May contract expiry Monday. The June contract was down 11.9 percent at $22.06.
“The real problem of the global supply-demand imbalance has started to really manifest itself in prices,” said Rystad Energy analyst Bjornar Tonhaugen.
“As production continues relatively unscathed, storage is filling up by the day. The world is using less and less oil and producers now feel how this translates in prices.”
The European benchmark contract, London Brent North Sea oil for June delivery, was down 6.1 percent at $26.38 per barrel. Signs that the coronavirus may have peaked in Europe and the United States failed to lift Asian and European financial markets generally.
Traders are instead becoming more and more concerned that oil storage facilities are reaching their limits, as stockpiles continue to build owing to the crash in demand caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Analysts said this month’s agreement between OPEC and its peers to slash output by 10 million barrels a day was having little impact because of the virus lockdowns and travel restrictions that are keeping billions of people at home.
WTI was hit particularly hard as its main US storage facilities in Cushing, Oklahoma, were filling up, with Trifecta Consultants analyst Sukrit Vijayakar saying refineries were not processing crude fast enough.
There are also plenty of supplies from the Middle East with no buyers as “freight costs are high”, he told AFP.
AxiCorp’s Stephen Innes added: “It’s a dump at all cost as no one… wants delivery of oil, with Cushing storage facilities filling by the minute. “It hasn’t taken long for the market to recognise that the OPEC+ deal will not, in its present form, be enough to balance oil markets.”
Stock markets were mostly lower despite governments starting to consider how and when to ease the lockdowns that have crippled the global economy.
Italy, Spain, France and Britain reported drops in daily death tolls and slowing infection rates, while Germany began allowing some shops to reopen and Norway restarted nurseries.
‘No time to get cocky’
In the US, Andrew Cuomo, governor of badly hit New York state, said the disease was “on the descent”, though he cautioned it was “no time to get cocky”.
Mounting evidence suggests that the lockdowns and social distancing are slowing the spread of the virus. That has intensified planning in many countries to begin loosening curbs on movement and easing the crushing pressure on national economies.
Investors are keeping an eye on Washington, where Congress and the White House are working towards a $450 billion economic relief plan for small business to add to the trillions already pledged to support the economy.
Big-name companies including IBM, Netflix and Coca-Cola are also due to deliver their earnings reports.
Key figures around 1200 GMT
West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 38 percent at $11.04 per barrel
Brent North Sea crude: DOWN 6.1 percent at $26.38 per barrel
London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.8 percent at 5,740.37 points
Frankfurt – DAX 30: DOWN 1.4 percent at 10,479.39
Paris – CAC 40: DOWN 1.3 percent at 4,439.88
Milan – FTSE MIB: DOWN 1.4 percent at 16,824.83
Madrid – IBEX 35: DOWN 2.1 percent at 6,733.70
EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 1.4 percent at 2,848.16
Tokyo – Nikkei 225: DOWN 1.2 percent at 19,669.12 (close)
Hong Kong – Hang Seng: DOWN 0.2 percent at 24,330.02 (close)
Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.5 percent at 2,852.55 (close)
New York – Dow: UP 3.0 percent at 24,242.49 (Friday close)
Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0876 from $1.0875 at 2100 GMT Friday
Dollar/yen: UP at 107.72 yen from 107.54
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2454 from $1.2499
Euro/pound: UP at 87.31 pence from 87.01 pence
(Source: AFP)


veteranstoday--2020-04-21--Why were pro-Western militants arrested in Hong Kong?

It has all been evolving in accordance with the script penned in Washington , London , and other Western capitals : pro-Western militants were first identified , then recruited .
Riots were financed and supported ; society , at least to some extent , destabilized .
When the government could not just stand by and watch , when it finally acted , the Western media went into overdrive , attacking it ferociously for ‘ violating rights ’ and for ‘ acting undemocratically ’ .
Nothing new , really .
Tens , perhaps hundreds of governments have already been overthrown , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help of this ‘ libretto ’ .
It is always done “ in the name of freedom and democracy ” , at least on paper .
In reality , the burlesque and cheap tragi-comedy is performed for one and only reason : to keep power in the hands of Western governments , particularly Washington .
It goes without saying that the West never really cared about the lives of non-Westerners .
In virtually all parts of the world , including China , the lives of ‘ The Others ’ have been continuously sacrificed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Western empires .
Hong Kong is no exception .
And it takes great discipline not to see and understand it .
All that has been done in 2019 and 2020 , is to harm the most populous and greatly successful socialist country – China .
And the reason why China is , among a few other nations on Earth , singled out for smearing and continuous attacks , is because it has managed to develop and implement a much more prosperous political , economic and above all , social system , than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first , and it is relentlessly searching for novel concepts which bring benefits to its population of 1.4 billion , and to the entire world .
The more successful China gets , the more endangered the Western regime becomes .
Washington , London and others , have already tried to infiltrate Mainland China with propaganda , with countless hostile NGOs and an entire army of ‘ academics ’ and journalists .
But they have squarely and patently failed .
Subversions and interference in China ’ s domestic affairs have been detected , confronted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ identified as the “ soft spot ” or “ Achilles Heel ” .
The West has thrown tremendous resources into the territory , first in 2014 ( during the so-called “ Umbrella Revolution ” ) , and later in 2019 .
On both occasions , it recruited mostly young people who have been frustrated with the fundamentalist capitalism , corruption and prohibitive cost of living .
Highly professional Western propagandists made sure of totally twisting the reality , directing the wrath of some uninformed and unsatisfied people towards socialist Beijing , instead of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which had been injected into Hong Kong by the British colonialists .
But even this approach and strategy , which has been so ‘ successful ’ in countless countries worldwide , has failed again .
With great determination , China ( including Hong Kong ) , defeated COVID-19 , all over its vast territory .
While the West has clearly failed its people , and instead of fighting the virus , resorted to ugly propaganda and the cheapest imaginable disinformation tricks , snapping at China , Russia and other confident and socialist countries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ given up : Hong Kong , until now is still designated as the place to be destabilized .
This is how Reuters began its report , reprinted by The Globe and Mail , and many other publications , on 19 April , 2020 : “ Suppressing Hong Kong ’ s democracy movement is a priority for China , even in the midst of the coronavirus crisis , a top pro-democracy leader said on Sunday , a day after police arrested him and 14 others in a surprise crackdown .
The United States and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on charges of organizing and participating in anti-government protests last year , the biggest crackdown on the pro-democracy movement since the outbreak of the protests almost a year ago .
“ This is all happening while we are in midst of a pandemic , ” pro-democracy activist Avery Ng told Reuters by telephone.
” This is how propaganda works .
Instead of reporting the news first , or quoting official Chinese or Hong Kong sources ( as would be the case if the arrests , including of such dissidents like Mr. Assange , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) , Reuters opens its piece with some quote from a militant .
Not only is this bad journalism , but it goes against all norms of ‘ objective ’ reporting .
But all gloves are obviously off , and reporters seem to be paid not just by the number of words they produce , but by how much they succeed in smearing China .
The logic of such articles is obviously pitiful .
It can , and should be thrown back to its source , and read : “ Suppressing democracy all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Washington , even in the midst of the coronavirus crises , which so far has infected 755 , 533 people in the United States ( by 19 April , 2020 ) , while claiming 33,903 lives.
” On top of it , the proposed Hong Kong Extradition Bill ( from 2019 ) has never clearly been explained to anybody by the Western mass media .
The Bill was actually designed to protect the people of Hong Kong from the oligarchy , corruption and the safeguards erected exclusively for the elites , at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ point will be addressed by me , as well as documented , in detail , during and after my next visit to Hong Kong .
The 15 people who were recently arrested , actually broke the laws of Hong Kong , interfered in the due legislative process of their own territory , and helped to ignite violence which threw their amazing city onto its knees .
All this was done under the British and UK colonialist flags , and under the banners of the U.S. and Germany .
All this , while the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blasted from the portable speakers of rioters .
Public property was destroyed and people were injured , some killed .
The Police which reacted in extremely restrained , mild manner , was shamelessly smeared by countless Western media outlets .
I witnessed this violence , reported on it , and documented it .
As was noted above , the script has already damaged countless countries .
But it is an old script .
And it no longer inspires almost anyone , except those in the old and new imperialist countries of the West @ @ @ @ @ @ @ novelist , filmmaker and investigative journalist .
He has covered wars and conflicts in dozens of countries .
Five of his latest books are “ China Belt and Road Initiative ” , “ China and Ecological Civilization ” with John B. Cobb , Jr. , “ Revolutionary Optimism , Western Nihilism ” , a revolutionary novel “ Aurora ” and a bestselling work of political non-fiction : “ Exposing Lies Of The Empire ” .
View his other books here .
Watch Rwanda Gambit , his groundbreaking documentary about Rwanda and DRCongo and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Western Terrorism ” .
Vltchek presently resides in East Asia and Latin America , and continues to work around the world .
He can be reached through his website , his and his Patreon

Andre Vltchek for VT
It has all been evolving in accordance with the script penned in Washington, London, and other Western capitals: pro-Western militants were first identified, then recruited. Riots were financed and supported; society, at least to some extent, destabilized. When the government could not just stand by and watch, when it finally acted, the Western media went into overdrive, attacking it ferociously for ‘violating rights’ and for ‘acting undemocratically’.
Nothing new, really. Tens, perhaps hundreds of governments have already been overthrown, all over the world, with the help of this ‘libretto’.
It is always done “in the name of freedom and democracy”, at least on paper. In reality, the burlesque and cheap tragi-comedy is performed for one and only reason: to keep power in the hands of Western governments, particularly Washington. It goes without saying that the West never really cared about the lives of non-Westerners. In virtually all parts of the world, including China, the lives of ‘The Others’ have been continuously sacrificed for the mercantile and other pragmatic interests of Western empires.
Hong Kong is no exception. And it takes great discipline not to see and understand it.
All that has been done in 2019 and 2020, is to harm the most populous and greatly successful socialist country – China. And the reason why China is, among a few other nations on Earth, singled out for smearing and continuous attacks, is because it has managed to develop and implement a much more prosperous political, economic and above all, social system, than the West. It puts its people first, and it is relentlessly searching for novel concepts which bring benefits to its population of 1.4 billion, and to the entire world.
The more successful China gets, the more endangered the Western regime becomes.
Washington, London and others, have already tried to infiltrate Mainland China with propaganda, with countless hostile NGOs and an entire army of ‘academics’ and journalists. But they have squarely and patently failed. Subversions and interference in China’s domestic affairs have been detected, confronted and finally stopped.
Hong Kong was identified as the “soft spot” or “Achilles Heel”.
The West has thrown tremendous resources into the territory, first in 2014 (during the so-called “Umbrella Revolution”), and later in 2019. On both occasions, it recruited mostly young people who have been frustrated with the fundamentalist capitalism, corruption and prohibitive cost of living. Highly professional Western propagandists made sure of totally twisting the reality, directing the wrath of some uninformed and unsatisfied people towards socialist Beijing, instead of at the reminiscences of the perverse regime which had been injected into Hong Kong by the British colonialists.
But even this approach and strategy, which has been so ‘successful’ in countless countries worldwide, has failed again.
With great determination, China (including Hong Kong), defeated COVID-19, all over its vast territory. While the West has clearly failed its people, and instead of fighting the virus, resorted to ugly propaganda and the cheapest imaginable disinformation tricks, snapping at China, Russia and other confident and socialist countries.
But the West has never really given up: Hong Kong, until now is still designated as the place to be destabilized.
*
This is how Reuters began its report, reprinted by The Globe and Mail, and many other publications, on 19 April, 2020:
“Suppressing Hong Kong’s democracy movement is a priority for China, even in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, a top pro-democracy leader said on Sunday, a day after police arrested him and 14 others in a surprise crackdown.
The United States and others criticized the arrest of the 15 on charges of organizing and participating in anti-government protests last year, the biggest crackdown on the pro-democracy movement since the outbreak of the protests almost a year ago.
“This is all happening while we are in midst of a pandemic,” pro-democracy activist Avery Ng told Reuters by telephone.”
This is how propaganda works. Instead of reporting the news first, or quoting official Chinese or Hong Kong sources (as would be the case if the arrests, including of such dissidents like Mr. Assange, took place in London or New York), Reuters opens its piece with some quote from a militant. Not only is this bad journalism, but it goes against all norms of ‘objective’ reporting.
But all gloves are obviously off, and reporters seem to be paid not just by the number of words they produce, but by how much they succeed in smearing China.
The logic of such articles is obviously pitiful. It can, and should be thrown back to its source, and read:
“Suppressing democracy all over the world is a priority for Washington, even in the midst of the coronavirus crises, which so far has infected 755, 533 people in the United States (by 19 April, 2020), while claiming 33,903 lives.”
On top of it, the proposed Hong Kong Extradition Bill (from 2019) has never clearly been explained to anybody by the Western mass media. The Bill was actually designed to protect the people of Hong Kong from the oligarchy, corruption and the safeguards erected exclusively for the elites, at the expense of the ordinary citizens. This point will be addressed by me, as well as documented, in detail, during and after my next visit to Hong Kong.
The 15 people who were recently arrested, actually broke the laws of Hong Kong, interfered in the due legislative process of their own territory, and helped to ignite violence which threw their amazing city onto its knees. All this was done under the British and UK colonialist flags, and under the banners of the U.S. and Germany. All this, while the National Anthem of the United States was blasted from the portable speakers of rioters. Public property was destroyed and people were injured, some killed. The Police which reacted in extremely restrained, mild manner, was shamelessly smeared by countless Western media outlets. I witnessed this violence, reported on it, and documented it.
As was noted above, the script has already damaged countless countries. But it is an old script. And it no longer inspires almost anyone, except those in the old and new imperialist countries of the West.
*
[Originally published by China Daily Hong Kong]