veteranstoday--2020-03-04--NEO – From inside isolated Hong Kong – Melancholy and hope

by Andre Vltchek , …with New Eastern Outlook , Moscow , …and the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences , a research institution for the study of the countries and cultures of Asia and North Africa .
[ Editor ’ s Note : Andre Vtlchek , the Energizer Bunny international journalist with the endless travel allowance budget , has not let the CVID-19 threat keep him off the road even in Chinese Hong Kong .
He is , if nothing else , a front line guy .
I hope he has some test kits with him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which Western media and its handlers had finally tired of giving front page news , are still out in the streets rioting in an economically dying city .
When travel stops , it ’ s like a financial version of coronavirus on old people , a lot are going to get wiped out financially .
Can you imagine that rioters are protesting quarantine facilities being set up ?
These people are simple whacked out .
But from Vltchek ’ s report we now know that , despite the bad blood over the independence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lump sum cash support to all Hong Kong citizens at a time when Peking is hemorrhaging red ink .
It reminds me of a childhood ditty , “ A friend in need is a friend indeed ” .
And he gave me today a confirmation of my virus editorial position that , while the deaths themselves will be tragic for the families , the world could be primarily remembering the economic pain that those in infected areas will suffer .
Can you imagine what is going through Japan ’ s mind concerning the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ able to even send their teams ?
Could we have the games held with no stadium crowd activities ?
Would they take the chance to do that , only to find the virus spread everywhere by returning athletes ?
No Olympic host has ever had to face this , the equivalent of having a host city financially nuked .
China appears to be turning the corner on the virus , with new cases in the daily 125 range .
It has been able to contain the virus mainly in Hubei province , at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what a nationwide spread would do .
Let us pray that others can learn from its lessons and keep the lid on this until the summer heat helps kill it … 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 > > Battleground Hong Kong !
In the last 6 months I have kept on coming here , almost every month .
Nothing has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in the recent history , nothing damaged this great cosmopolitan city as much as the violent riots of pro-Western individuals , backed by the U.S. , U.K. , German , Taiwan ’ s and other anti-communist governments .
The new type of coronavirus ( COVID-19 ) has smashed almost everything that was still left standing , to pieces .
Landing at Hong Kong International Airport on February 23 , I saw countless rows of proud Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon jets grounded , blocking huge spaces between the terminals .
Grounded were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Airlines .
One of the greatest airports on Earth was empty , and so were most of the seats on high-speed trains connecting the terminals with the city .
My hotel , usually bustling with the visitors from Mainland China , was empty , too .
I was the only one checking in at the reception .
A clerk was wearing a mask .
He recognized me , welcomed me back , and then , suddenly and without warning , pulled out a high-tech thermometer , pointed it at my forehead and pressed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he just didn ’ t ask me whether I would mind or not .
I would not protest ; I ’ d definitely allow him to measure my temperature .
But like this , it was odd .
Perhaps rude .
But both of us were wearing masks .
We looked at each other , and at the end , he apologized .
“ Everything is now different , isn ’ t it ?
” I was told by one of the high-ranking police officers .
We exchanged WhatsApp messages , arranging a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arrival , a doctor , one of my reader and a friend , wrote me an email , basically trying to convince me to cancel my plans to return to the city : “ I think it is not advisable for you to come here .
And , there will be no concert… ” He was taking about the legendary choir of Prague Philharmonics .
It was scheduled to perform here on February 27 .
We had managed to reserve tickets .
But the concert got cancelled .
Everything , all over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a huge art festival , one of the most important on the Asian continent : “ The Hong Kong Arts Festival.
” The borders with Mainland China were closing down , one after another .
Tourism collapsed .
Economy was screaming .
Rioters were clashing with police , trying to prevent quarantine centers from becoming operational .
Nobody knew what the next day would bring .
Consensus was , most likely , nothing good .
A Hong Kong newspaper , which has been publishing my essays for months , could not remunerate my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked to work from home , and therefore could not get their hands on computers that might release payments .
My favorite local dive , “ New Five Dragon Congee & Noodle Restaurant ” was still open and happy to feed me .
But inside , there were hardly any customers .
Neighborhood Starbucks kept its doors open , too .
But a plenty of shops and services appeared to be hermetically shut down .
Everybody has been wearing masks : passengers on buses and trams , waitresses , and even pedestrians .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ how long can a huge , international city survive on precautions ?
Everything here is coming to a standstill .
Yet almost nothing is officially shut down .
Formally , Hong Kong ’ s economy is collapsing .
Yet there is no sense of acute emergency .
Unlike in such places like Buenos Aires , where sidewalks get covered by homeless families during the economic crisis , in Hong Kong , there are no signs of misery .
This former British colony may be , at least partially , still controlled by several @ @ @ @ @ @ @ becoming clear that Beijing ’ s rule , direct and indirect , is offering solutions and several ways out of the crisis .
The government is clearly not giving up on the city .
On February 26 , 2020 , The Los Angeles Times reported that Hong Kong unveiled a new budget package for its injured city : “ The main feature of the annual budget announced Wednesday is a payment of the U.S. equivalent of $ 1,284 to each permanent resident of the city 18 or older , aiding a population “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Financial Secretary Paul Chan said .
Chan estimated the deficit will reach a record $ 17.9 billion in the coming fiscal year.
” “ The administration of Chief Executive Carrie Lam is seeking to stop the slide of the collapsing economy , rolling out the boldest budget in recent years amid blame for government inertia .
Months of political unrest over China ’ s role in the city pushed Hong Kong last year into its first annual recession in a decade , with economists forecasting a second annual contraction in 2020 as disruptions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” It is 1,284 US $ , not HK $ , a substantial sum for the Hong Kong inhabitants .
And that is not all ; there will be several other major incentives provided in the coming months .
While Hong Kong rioters , together with their foreign handlers , are methodically smearing all that comes from Beijing , China is confidently extending helping hand , even as it faces own problems with both coronavirus and the ongoing Western attacks , including those related to trade .
While Mainland China and Hong Kong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and social impact of the crisis on the citizens , nihilist rioters are periodically attacking all potential quarantine centers , as well as hospitals where coronavirus patients are supposed to be treated .
But it appears that the city is waking up .
Protests are losing momentum and support of the citizens .
On the one hand , it is evident that solutions to the present crisis will not come from the West and its implants .
On the other hand , it is clear that both local and Chinese government are feverishly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kong is definitely going through a profound crisis .
It may even collapse , soon ; collapse as the city that we used to know , for decades .
Riots brought to surface some extremist emotions .
They were analyzed , considered for a while , and then rejected .
Coronavirus both divided and united the city .
Yes , Hong Kong may soon collapse , as we know it .
But the new city will be born .
Or at least , a new chapter in its history will start .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emergency , both , finally initiated a true return of Hong Kong to China .
It may sound a little bit paradoxical , but it is logical .
Hong Kong got a glimpse of where it would , at least hypothetically , find itself should it suddenly leave PRC .
The sentiment of the majority is clear : despite everything , we should stay where we belong – in China .
Andre Vltchek is philosopher , novelist , filmmaker and investigative journalist .
He ’ s a creator of Vltchek ’ s World @ @ @ @ @ @ @ writer that penned a number of books , including China ’ s Belt and Road Initiative : Connecting Countries Saving Millions of Lives .
He writes especially for the online magazine “ New Eastern Outlook .
”

DISCLOSURE: Sourced from Russian government funded media
by Andre Vltchek, …with New Eastern Outlook, Moscow, …and the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a research institution for the study of the countries and cultures of Asia and North Africa.
[ Editor’s Note: Andre Vtlchek, the Energizer Bunny international journalist with the endless travel allowance budget, has not let the CVID-19 threat keep him off the road even in Chinese Hong Kong. He is, if nothing else, a front line guy. I hope he has some test kits with him.
He reports that the rioters, which Western media and its handlers had finally tired of giving front page news, are still out in the streets rioting in an economically dying city. When travel stops, it’s like a financial version of coronavirus on old people, a lot are going to get wiped out financially. Can you imagine that rioters are protesting quarantine facilities being set up? These people are simple whacked out.
But from Vltchek’s report we now know that, despite the bad blood over the independence movement, China is stepping up with lump sum cash support to all Hong Kong citizens at a time when Peking is hemorrhaging red ink.
It reminds me of a childhood ditty, “A friend in need is a friend indeed”. And he gave me today a confirmation of my virus editorial position that, while the deaths themselves will be tragic for the families, the world could be primarily remembering the economic pain that those in infected areas will suffer.
Can you imagine what is going through Japan’s mind concerning the Summer Olympics now? Will countries be able to even send their teams? Could we have the games held with no stadium crowd activities?
Would they take the chance to do that, only to find the virus spread everywhere by returning athletes? No Olympic host has ever had to face this, the equivalent of having a host city financially nuked.
China appears to be turning the corner on the virus, with new cases in the daily 125 range. It has been able to contain the virus mainly in Hubei province, at a huge cost, but nowhere near what a nationwide spread would do.
Let us pray that others can learn from its lessons and keep the lid on this until the summer heat helps kill it … 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 … March 02, 2020 –
Battleground Hong Kong! In the last 6 months I have kept on coming here, almost every month. Nothing has changed and everything has changed.
Clearly, in the recent history, nothing damaged this great cosmopolitan city as much as the violent riots of pro-Western individuals, backed by the U.S., U.K., German, Taiwan’s and other anti-communist governments. The new type of coronavirus (COVID-19) has smashed almost everything that was still left standing, to pieces.
Landing at Hong Kong International Airport on February 23, I saw countless rows of proud Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon jets grounded, blocking huge spaces between the terminals. Grounded were also airplanes of relatively new Hong Kong Airlines. One of the greatest airports on Earth was empty, and so were most of the seats on high-speed trains connecting the terminals with the city.
My hotel, usually bustling with the visitors from Mainland China, was empty, too. I was the only one checking in at the reception. A clerk was wearing a mask. He recognized me, welcomed me back, and then, suddenly and without warning, pulled out a high-tech thermometer, pointed it at my forehead and pressed the bottom.
“36.4!” He announced triumphantly. “Normal”.
I was wondering why he just didn’t ask me whether I would mind or not. I would not protest; I’d definitely allow him to measure my temperature. But like this, it was odd. Perhaps rude. But both of us were wearing masks. We looked at each other, and at the end, he apologized.
~
“Everything is now different, isn’t it?” I was told by one of the high-ranking police officers. We exchanged WhatsApp messages, arranging a meeting.
A few days before my arrival, a doctor, one of my reader and a friend, wrote me an email, basically trying to convince me to cancel my plans to return to the city:
“I think it is not advisable for you to come here. And, there will be no concert…”
He was taking about the legendary choir of Prague Philharmonics. It was scheduled to perform here on February 27. We had managed to reserve tickets. But the concert got cancelled.
Everything, all over the city, was getting cancelled, including a huge art festival, one of the most important on the Asian continent: “The Hong Kong Arts Festival.”
The borders with Mainland China were closing down, one after another. Tourism collapsed. Economy was screaming. Rioters were clashing with police, trying to prevent quarantine centers from becoming operational.
Nobody knew what the next day would bring. Consensus was, most likely, nothing good.
A Hong Kong newspaper, which has been publishing my essays for months, could not remunerate my work, because its staff have been asked to work from home, and therefore could not get their hands on computers that might release payments.
My favorite local dive, “New Five Dragon Congee & Noodle Restaurant” was still open and happy to feed me. But inside, there were hardly any customers. Neighborhood Starbucks kept its doors open, too. But a plenty of shops and services appeared to be hermetically shut down. Everybody has been wearing masks: passengers on buses and trams, waitresses, and even pedestrians.
~
Precautions, of course. But for how long can a huge, international city survive on precautions? Everything here is coming to a standstill. Yet almost nothing is officially shut down.
Formally, Hong Kong’s economy is collapsing. Yet there is no sense of acute emergency. Unlike in such places like Buenos Aires, where sidewalks get covered by homeless families during the economic crisis, in Hong Kong, there are no signs of misery.
This former British colony may be, at least partially, still controlled by several ruthless local oligarchs, but it is becoming clear that Beijing’s rule, direct and indirect, is offering solutions and several ways out of the crisis. The government is clearly not giving up on the city.
On February 26, 2020, The Los Angeles Times reported that Hong Kong unveiled a new budget package for its injured city:
“The main feature of the annual budget announced Wednesday is a payment of the U.S. equivalent of $1,284 to each permanent resident of the city 18 or older, aiding a population “overwhelmed by a heavy atmosphere,” Financial Secretary Paul Chan said. Chan estimated the deficit will reach a record $17.9 billion in the coming fiscal year.”
“The administration of Chief Executive Carrie Lam is seeking to stop the slide of the collapsing economy, rolling out the boldest budget in recent years amid blame for government inertia. Months of political unrest over China’s role in the city pushed Hong Kong last year into its first annual recession in a decade, with economists forecasting a second annual contraction in 2020 as disruptions from the coronavirus outbreak further depress output.”
It is 1,284 US$, not HK$, a substantial sum for the Hong Kong inhabitants. And that is not all; there will be several other major incentives provided in the coming months.
~
While Hong Kong rioters, together with their foreign handlers, are methodically smearing all that comes from Beijing, China is confidently extending helping hand, even as it faces own problems with both coronavirus and the ongoing Western attacks, including those related to trade.
While Mainland China and Hong Kong are fighting with great determination both coronavirus and social impact of the crisis on the citizens, nihilist rioters are periodically attacking all potential quarantine centers, as well as hospitals where coronavirus patients are supposed to be treated.
But it appears that the city is waking up. Protests are losing momentum and support of the citizens. On the one hand, it is evident that solutions to the present crisis will not come from the West and its implants. On the other hand, it is clear that both local and Chinese government are feverishly looking for the way forward.
Hong Kong is definitely going through a profound crisis. It may even collapse, soon; collapse as the city that we used to know, for decades. Riots brought to surface some extremist emotions. They were analyzed, considered for a while, and then rejected.
Coronavirus both divided and united the city. Yes, Hong Kong may soon collapse, as we know it. But the new city will be born. Or at least, a new chapter in its history will start.
I believe that the riots and the medical emergency, both, finally initiated a true return of Hong Kong to China. It may sound a little bit paradoxical, but it is logical.
Hong Kong got a glimpse of where it would, at least hypothetically, find itself should it suddenly leave PRC. The sentiment of the majority is clear: despite everything, we should stay where we belong – in China.
Andre Vltchek is philosopher, novelist, filmmaker and investigative journalist. He’s a creator of Vltchek’s World in Word and Images, and a writer that penned a number of books, including China’s Belt and Road Initiative: Connecting Countries Saving Millions of Lives. He writes especially for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook.”


veteranstoday--2020-03-04--Get Ready for Cherry Blossom Time in D.C.

Every spring , the 3,800 cherry trees along Washington , D.C. ’ s Tidal Basin burst into symphony of pink-and-white blossoms .
Because this picturesque period lasts , on average , just four to seven days , the spectacle is a much-anticipated annual event , with local horticulturalists and cherry blossom enthusiasts alike predicting the timing of peak bloom ahead of the National Park Service ’ s ( NPS ) official announcement .
This year , reports the NPS , peak bloom—when more than 70 percent of Yoshino cherry trees , the most common species in the area , open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 27 and 30 .
The floral explosion and accompanying National Cherry Blossom Festival draw more than a million visitors to the city each year .
The festival commemorates the cherry trees ’ 1912 arrival in D.C. ; Tokyo ’ s mayor , Yukio Ozaki , gifted 3,020 cherry blossoms to the capital as a symbol of friendship between the United States and Japan .
In honor of today ’ s peak bloom announcement , Smithsonian magazine has compiled a list of ten fun facts highlighted in Cherry Blossoms : Sakura Collections From the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Smithsonian Books that invites readers to learn about the trees ’ history through original artwork , artifacts and photographs .

by Lily Katzman/Smithsonianmag.com
Every spring, the 3,800 cherry trees along Washington, D.C.’s Tidal Basin burst into symphony of pink-and-white blossoms. Because this picturesque period lasts, on average, just four to seven days, the spectacle is a much-anticipated annual event, with local horticulturalists and cherry blossom enthusiasts alike predicting the timing of peak bloom ahead of the National Park Service’s (NPS) official announcement.
This year, reports the NPS, peak bloom—when more than 70 percent of Yoshino cherry trees, the most common species in the area, open their buds—is projected to begin between March 27 and 30.
The floral explosion and accompanying National Cherry Blossom Festival draw more than a million visitors to the city each year. The festival commemorates the cherry trees’ 1912 arrival in D.C.; Tokyo’s mayor, Yukio Ozaki, gifted 3,020 cherry blossoms to the capital as a symbol of friendship between the United States and Japan.
In honor of today’s peak bloom announcement, Smithsonian magazine has compiled a list of ten fun facts highlighted in Cherry Blossoms: Sakura Collections From the Library of Congress, a new offering from Smithsonian Books that invites readers to learn about the trees’ history through original artwork, artifacts and photographs.


veteranstoday--2020-03-04--#UNRIG Video (43:56): Professor Robert Dover and Former Spy Robert Steele on Intelligence (Spying) a

#UNRIG Video (43:56): Professor Robert Dover and Former Spy Robert Steele on Intelligence (Spying) and Ethics

Robert Steele , former spy and author , interviews Professor Rob Dover of England , one of the top scholars and authors on the intelligence profession , whose co-edited work Routledge Companion to Intelligence Studies is a standard in the field , and whose new book on how technology has disrupted ( and perhaps undermined ) the craft of intelligence ( spying , espionage , analysis , decision-support ) .
Together they address eight questions : 4 .
Intelligence and society — has the public lost faith in government ’ s truthfulness ?
6 .
Hybird warfare is not intelligence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ? )
8 .
What is principled intelligence ?
Is there a place for ethics in intelligence ?
reviews by robert steele of 300 non-fiction books about intelligence DISCLOSURES : All content herein is owned by author exclusively .
Expressed opinions are NOT necessarily the views of VT , authors , affiliates , advertisers , sponsors , partners or technicians .
Some content may be satirical in nature .
All images within are full responsibility of author and NOT VT. About VT - Read Full Policy Notice - Comment Policy All content herein @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opinions are NOT necessarily the views of VT , authors , affiliates , advertisers , sponsors , partners or technicians .
Some content may be satirical in nature .
All images within are full responsibility of author and NOT VT .

Robert Steele, former spy, and author interviews Professor Rob Dover of England, one of the top scholars and authors on the intelligence profession, whose co-edited work Routledge Companion to Intelligence Studies is a standard in the field, and whose new book on how technology has disrupted (and perhaps undermined) the craft of intelligence (spying, espionage, analysis, decision-support).
Together they address eight questions:


veteranstoday--2020-03-04--An Animal That Can Live An Entire Lifetime Without Oxygen

Health Editor ’ s Note : There has to be some advantage to being able to live without oxygen , but I do not think humans will be able to do this any time soon…Carol This Animal Doesn ’ t Need Oxygen to Survive When it comes time to build an animal , a few crucial ingredients come to mind : carbon-containing molecules , to build a body ; water , to slosh nutrients in and waste out ; and oxygen , to power each cell ’ s busy work .
Across millennia , from bumblebees to blue whales , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ For the first time , researchers have identified an animal that gets by without breathing oxygen : a parasite relative of jellyfish that appears to acquire its energy from another , still mysterious , source .
Unlike all other known multicellular organisms , this lollipop-shaped creature , called Henneguya salminicola , lacks mitochondria , subcellular structures that turn the vital gas into units of energy that power a dizzying array of essential functions .
“ There are plenty [ of animals ] that can go for extended periods without [ oxygen ] , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get through the whole life cycle , ” Nick Lane , a biologist at University College London who wasn ’ t involved in the study , tells Michael Le Page at New Scientist .
To call the finding a surprise would be an understatement….. Read More :

Health Editor’s Note: There has to be some advantage to being able to live without oxygen, but I do not think humans will be able to do this any time soon…Carol
Katherine J.Wu/Smithsonianmag.com
When it comes time to build an animal, a few crucial ingredients come to mind: carbon-containing molecules, to build a body; water, to slosh nutrients in and waste out; and oxygen, to power each cell’s busy work. Across millennia, from bumblebees to blue whales, this recipe has held true—until now.
For the first time, researchers have identified an animal that gets by without breathing oxygen: a parasite relative of jellyfish that appears to acquire its energy from another, still mysterious, source. Unlike all other known multicellular organisms, this lollipop-shaped creature, called Henneguya salminicola, lacks mitochondria, subcellular structures that turn the vital gas into units of energy that power a dizzying array of essential functions.
“There are plenty [of animals] that can go for extended periods without [oxygen], but nothing [else] that can get through the whole life cycle,” Nick Lane, a biologist at University College London who wasn’t involved in the study, tells Michael Le Page at New Scientist.
To call the finding a surprise would be an understatement…


veteranstoday--2020-03-04--Phil Giraldi takes on the Kremlim boogeyman merchants

Anonymous sources and the Guys and Gals who made the Iraq War a reality are now claiming that the Kremlin is at it again !
[ Editor ’ s Note : Phil gives on a new piece on an old problem , the public manipulation by the threat mongers .
But it is worse now .
It used to be done by individuals trying to get attention to benefit some way .
It is an industry now , one that keeps two thirds of the US annual discretionary budget going to defense and offense , leaving only a third for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bucks to the national debt tab each year .
America is obviously in a decline , which takes the risk of a dollar collapse higher , and a lower standard of living for those who are not already there .
But that is all relative .
If the US can put everybody else in the toilet first it could win by being “ the last man flushing ” , a new term I just invented for those of us that have to amuse ourselves somehow while writing about these sad topics .
While @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being foisted upon us for this election season , I have to ask you all when is the last time you have read anything about investigation of electronic vote flipping ?
I have not heard anything , when VT ( Gordon ) has written a good bit about it , and we were never challenged or contacted by anyone in an official capacity wanting to know more .
Imagine that .
When the public continues to lap up the old scams , there is no reason to invent new ones .
In real @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
You never use the same tactic twice as the first one is there in a database somewhere to be matched with to show a pattern , which you never want .
So this year ’ s election scamsters will be hiding in plain sight .
So far we are batting 1-0 .
Bloomberg crashed and burned with a horrible showing despite nearly half a billion spent .
Some would consider that a good start… Jim W. Dean ] Jim 's Editor ’ s Notes are solely crowdfunded via PayPal Jim 's work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ TV Legacy archiving & more .
Thanks for helping .
Click to donate > > Those hapless individuals who run the United States are again slipping into a fantasy world where Americans are besieged by imaginary threats coming from both inside and outside the country .
Of course , it is particularly convenient to warn of foreign threats , as it makes the people in government seem relevant and needed , but one might recommend that the tune be changed as it is getting a bit boring .
After all , there are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Russian President Vladimir Putin must pause occasionally to eat or sleep , so the plotting to destroy American democracy must be on hold at least some of the time .
Yes , anonymous sources and the guys and gals who made the Iraq war a reality are now claiming that the Kremlin is at it again !
Hints over the past year that Putin might try to replay 2016 in 2020 only do it better this time have now been confirmed !
Per one news report the enemy is already at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told lawmakers last week that Russia is interfering in the 2020 election campaign by aiming to cast doubt on the integrity of the vote and boost President Donald Trump ’ s re-election.
” And there ’ s more !
In a New York Times article headlined “ Same Goal , Different Playbook : Why Russia Would Support Trump and Sanders : Vladimir Putin is eager both to take the sheen off U.S. democracy and for a counterpart who is less likely to challenge his territorial and nuclear ambitions , ” it was revealed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help Bernie Sanders , so whichever way the election goes they win .
According to the Times Bernie has been “ warn [ ed ] … of evidence that he is the Russian president ’ s favorite Democrat.
” The article then goes on to explain , relying on its anonymous sources , that “ …to the intelligence analysts and outside experts who have spent the past three years dissecting Russian motives in the 2016 election , and who tried to limit the effect of Moscow ’ s meddling in the 2018 midterms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ perfect sense .
Mr. Trump and Mr. Sanders represent the most divergent ends of their respective parties , and both are backed by supporters known more for their passion than their policy rigor , which makes them ripe for exploitation by Russian trolls , disinformation specialists and hackers for hire seeking to widen divisions in American society.
” The Times article was written by David Sanger , the paper ’ s venerable national security correspondent .
He is reliably wedded to Establishment views of the Russian threat , as is his newspaper , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when he cites none other than “ Victoria Nuland , who in a long diplomatic career had served both Republican and Democratic administrations , and had her phone calls intercepted and broadcast by Russian intelligence services.
” Nuland , clearly the victim of a nefarious Russian intelligence operation that recorded her saying “ fuck the EU , ” opined that “ Any figures that radicalize politics and do harm to center views and unity in the United States are good for Putin ’ s Russia.
” Nuland is perhaps best known for her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. taxpayer money to overthrow the legitimate government of Ukraine .
She is married to leading neoconservative Robert Kagan , which Sanger fails to mention , and is currently a nonresident fellow at the liberal interventionist Brookings Institution .
She also works at former Clinton Secretary of State Madeleine Albright ’ s consultancy , presumably for the Benjamins .
Albright , one might recall , thought that killing 500,000 Iraqi children through U.S. sanctions was “ worth it.
” Given the fact that Russia will have very limited resources in their effort to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the way , doing a very good job of self-destruction without any outside help , how exactly will they do it ?
Sanger explains “ As they focus on evading more vigilant government agencies and technology companies trying to identify and counter malicious online activity , the Russians are boring into Iranian cyberoffense units , apparently so that they can initiate attacks that look as if they originate in Iran — which itself has shown interest in messing with the American electoral process… And , in one of the most effective twists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans on Facebook and other social media .
By seeding conspiracy theories and baseless claims on the platforms , Russians hope everyday Americans will retransmit those falsehoods from their own accounts .
That is an attempt to elude Facebook ’ s efforts to remove disinformation , which it can do more easily when it flags ‘ inauthentic activity , ’ like Russians posing as Americans .
It is much harder to ban the words of real Americans , who may be parroting a Russian story line , even unintentionally.
” So those wily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and they are planning on “ feeding disinformation ” to “ unsuspecting Americans ” consisting of “ conspiracy theories ” and “ baseless claims.
” Sounds like a plan to me as the various occupants of the White House and Congress have been doing exactly that for the past twenty years .
That we had a national election in 2016 in which a reality television personality ran against an unindicted criminal would seem to indicate that the effort to brainwash the American people has already been successful .
The usual bottom feeders are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ story .
Jane Harman , former congresswoman who once colluded with Israeli intelligence to lobby the Department of Justice to drop criminal charges against two employees of AIPAC in exchange for Israel ’ s support to make her chair of the House Intelligence Committee , warns “ How dangerous it would be if we lose the tip of the spear against those who would destroy us.
” Former CIA Director John Brennan also has something to say .
He is “ very disturbed ” by his conviction that Russia is actively meddling in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump .
He said “ We are now in a full-blown national security crisis .
By trying to prevent the flow of intelligence to Congress , Trump is abetting a Russian covert operation to keep him in office for Moscow ’ s interests , not America ’ s. ” Brennan is best known for having orchestrated the illegal campaign to vilify Trump and his associates prior to , during and after the 2016 election .
He also participated in a weekly meeting with Barack Obama where he and the president would add and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” of U.S. citizens residing overseas .
He and his boss should both be in prison , but they are instead fêted as American patriots .
Go figure .
Time to take a step back from the developing panic .
As usual , the U.S. government intelligence agencies have produced no actual evidence that Moscow is up to anything , and there are already reports that the Office of National Intelligence briefer “ overstated ” her case against the Kremlin in her briefing of the House Intelligence Committee .
Sure , the Russians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and will favor candidates like Trump and Sanders that are not outright hostile to them , but to claim as the NY Times does that Russia has incompatible “ territorial and nuclear interests ” is a stretch .
And yes , Moscow will definitely use its available intelligence resources to monitor the nomination and election process while also clandestinely doing what it can to improve the chances of those individuals they approve of .
That is what intelligence agencies do .
In American Establishment groupthink there is one standard for what Washington does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ else .
Does it shock any American to know that the United States has interfered in scores of elections all over the world ever since the Second World War , to include those in places like France and Italy well into the 1980s ?
And in somewhat more kinetic covert actions , actually removing Mohammed Mossadeq in Iran , Salvador Allende in Chile , Jacobo Arbenz in Guatemala and Mohamed Morsi in Egypt just for starters , not even considering the multiple plots to kill Fidel Castro .
And it continues to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Venezuela while also claiming hypocritically that the U.S. is “ exceptional ” and also a “ force for good.
” That anyone should be genuinely worrying about Russian proxies buying and distributing a couple of hundred thousands of dollars ’ worth of ads in an election in which many billions of dollars ’ worth of propaganda will be on the table is ridiculous .
It is time to stop blaming Russia for the failure of America ’ s ruling class to provide an honest and accountable government and one that does not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That is what the 2020 election should really be all about .

Anonymous sources and the Guys and Gals who made the Iraq War a reality are now claiming that the Kremlin is at it again!
by Phil Giraldi, …with the Unz Review
[ Editor’s Note: Phil gives on a new piece on an old problem, the public manipulation by the threat mongers. But it is worse now. It used to be done by individuals trying to get attention to benefit some way.
It is an industry now, one that keeps two thirds of the US annual discretionary budget going to defense and offense, leaving only a third for the rest, and adding a trillion bucks to the national debt tab each year. America is obviously in a decline, which takes the risk of a dollar collapse higher, and a lower standard of living for those who are not already there.
But that is all relative. If the US can put everybody else in the toilet first it could win by being “the last man flushing”, a new term I just invented for those of us that have to amuse ourselves somehow while writing about these sad topics.
While this Russian bogeyman distraction is once again being foisted upon us for this election season, I have to ask you all when is the last time you have read anything about investigation of electronic vote flipping?
I have not heard anything, when VT (Gordon) has written a good bit about it, and we were never challenged or contacted by anyone in an official capacity wanting to know more. Imagine that.
When the public continues to lap up the old scams, there is no reason to invent new ones. In real deep Intel work that does not fly. You never use the same tactic twice as the first one is there in a database somewhere to be matched with to show a pattern, which you never want.
So this year’s election scamsters will be hiding in plain sight. So far we are batting 1-0. Bloomberg crashed and burned with a horrible showing despite nearly half a billion spent. Some would consider that a good start… Jim W. Dean ]
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– First published … March 04, 2020 –
Those hapless individuals who run the United States are again slipping into a fantasy world where Americans are besieged by imaginary threats coming from both inside and outside the country.
Of course, it is particularly convenient to warn of foreign threats, as it makes the people in government seem relevant and needed, but one might recommend that the tune be changed as it is getting a bit boring.
After all, there are only so many hours in the day and Russian President Vladimir Putin must pause occasionally to eat or sleep, so the plotting to destroy American democracy must be on hold at least some of the time.
Yes, anonymous sources and the guys and gals who made the Iraq war a reality are now claiming that the Kremlin is at it again! Hints over the past year that Putin might try to replay 2016 in 2020 only do it better this time have now been confirmed! Per one news report the enemy is already at the gates:
“U.S. intelligence officials told lawmakers last week that Russia is interfering in the 2020 election campaign by aiming to cast doubt on the integrity of the vote and boost President Donald Trump’s re-election.”
And there’s more! In a New York Times article headlined “Same Goal, Different Playbook: Why Russia Would Support Trump and Sanders: Vladimir Putin is eager both to take the sheen off U.S. democracy and for a counterpart who is less likely to challenge his territorial and nuclear ambitions,” it was revealed that the Kremlin is intending to also help Bernie Sanders, so whichever way the election goes they win.
According to the Times Bernie has been “warn[ed]… of evidence that he is the Russian president’s favorite Democrat.” The article then goes on to explain, relying on its anonymous sources, that “…to the intelligence analysts and outside experts who have spent the past three years dissecting Russian motives in the 2016 election, and who tried to limit the effect of Moscow’s meddling in the 2018 midterms, what is unfolding in 2020 makes perfect sense.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Sanders represent the most divergent ends of their respective parties, and both are backed by supporters known more for their passion than their policy rigor, which makes them ripe for exploitation by Russian trolls, disinformation specialists and hackers for hire seeking to widen divisions in American society.”
The Times article was written by David Sanger, the paper’s venerable national security correspondent. He is reliably wedded to Establishment views of the Russian threat, as is his newspaper, and strikes rock bottom in his assessment when he cites none other than “Victoria Nuland, who in a long diplomatic career had served both Republican and Democratic administrations, and had her phone calls intercepted and broadcast by Russian intelligence services.”
Nuland, clearly the victim of a nefarious Russian intelligence operation that recorded her saying “fuck the EU,” opined that “Any figures that radicalize politics and do harm to center views and unity in the United States are good for Putin’s Russia.” Nuland is perhaps best known for her role in spending $5 billion in U.S. taxpayer money to overthrow the legitimate government of Ukraine.
She is married to leading neoconservative Robert Kagan, which Sanger fails to mention, and is currently a nonresident fellow at the liberal interventionist Brookings Institution. She also works at former Clinton Secretary of State Madeleine Albright’s consultancy, presumably for the Benjamins. Albright, one might recall, thought that killing 500,000 Iraqi children through U.S. sanctions was “worth it.”
Given the fact that Russia will have very limited resources in their effort to corrupt American democracy, which is, by the way, doing a very good job of self-destruction without any outside help, how exactly will they do it?
Sanger explains “As they focus on evading more vigilant government agencies and technology companies trying to identify and counter malicious online activity, the Russians are boring into Iranian cyberoffense units, apparently so that they can initiate attacks that look as if they originate in Iran — which itself has shown interest in messing with the American electoral process… And, in one of the most effective twists, they are feeding disinformation to unsuspecting Americans on Facebook and other social media.
By seeding conspiracy theories and baseless claims on the platforms, Russians hope everyday Americans will retransmit those falsehoods from their own accounts. That is an attempt to elude Facebook’s efforts to remove disinformation, which it can do more easily when it flags ‘inauthentic activity,’ like Russians posing as Americans. It is much harder to ban the words of real Americans, who may be parroting a Russian story line, even unintentionally.”
So those wily Russians are making themselves look like Iranians and they are planning on “feeding disinformation” to “unsuspecting Americans” consisting of “conspiracy theories” and “baseless claims.” Sounds like a plan to me as the various occupants of the White House and Congress have been doing exactly that for the past twenty years.
That we had a national election in 2016 in which a reality television personality ran against an unindicted criminal would seem to indicate that the effort to brainwash the American people has already been successful.
The usual bottom feeders are also piling on to the Russian interference story. Jane Harman, former congresswoman who once colluded with Israeli intelligence to lobby the Department of Justice to drop criminal charges against two employees of AIPAC in exchange for Israel’s support to make her chair of the House Intelligence Committee, warns “How dangerous it would be if we lose the tip of the spear against those who would destroy us.”
Former CIA Director John Brennan also has something to say. He is “very disturbed” by his conviction that Russia is actively meddling in the 2020 campaign in support of President Trump. He said “We are now in a full-blown national security crisis. By trying to prevent the flow of intelligence to Congress, Trump is abetting a Russian covert operation to keep him in office for Moscow’s interests, not America’s.”
Brennan is best known for having orchestrated the illegal campaign to vilify Trump and his associates prior to, during and after the 2016 election. He also participated in a weekly meeting with Barack Obama where he and the president would add and remove names from a “kill list” of U.S. citizens residing overseas. He and his boss should both be in prison, but they are instead fêted as American patriots. Go figure.
Time to take a step back from the developing panic. As usual, the U.S. government intelligence agencies have produced no actual evidence that Moscow is up to anything, and there are already reports that the Office of National Intelligence briefer “overstated” her case against the Kremlin in her briefing of the House Intelligence Committee.
Sure, the Russians have an interest in an American election and will favor candidates like Trump and Sanders that are not outright hostile to them, but to claim as the NY Times does that Russia has incompatible “territorial and nuclear interests” is a stretch.
And yes, Moscow will definitely use its available intelligence resources to monitor the nomination and election process while also clandestinely doing what it can to improve the chances of those individuals they approve of. That is what intelligence agencies do.
In American Establishment groupthink there is one standard for what Washington does and quite a different standard for everyone else. Does it shock any American to know that the United States has interfered in scores of elections all over the world ever since the Second World War, to include those in places like France and Italy well into the 1980s?
And in somewhat more kinetic covert actions, actually removing Mohammed Mossadeq in Iran, Salvador Allende in Chile, Jacobo Arbenz in Guatemala and Mohamed Morsi in Egypt just for starters, not even considering the multiple plots to kill Fidel Castro. And it continues to do so today openly in places like Iran and Venezuela while also claiming hypocritically that the U.S. is “exceptional” and also a “force for good.”
That anyone should be genuinely worrying about Russian proxies buying and distributing a couple of hundred thousands of dollars’ worth of ads in an election in which many billions of dollars’ worth of propaganda will be on the table is ridiculous.
It is time to stop blaming Russia for the failure of America’s ruling class to provide an honest and accountable government and one that does not go around the world looking for trouble. That is what the 2020 election should really be all about.


veteranstoday--2020-03-04--Natural Progress or Destruction

Natural Progress or Destruction

God and our innate God-given reason allow us to make true progress , not “ revealed ” religion and superstition .
Progress is a fundamental part of Nature and the Universe .
Henry David Thoreau did a beautiful job of expressing this when he wrote , “ The cricket , the gurgling stream , the rushing wind amid the trees , all speak to me soberly yet encouragingly of the steady onward progress of the universe.
” Since people are a part of Nature and the Universe , we need to also strive to make progress in our individual lives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obstacle to progress by humanity are the “ revealed ” religions .
They keep us pinned under Bronze Age myths and superstitions , which severely hinder progress .
A clear example of the harmful mindset the “ revealed ” religions infect believers with in our world today is seen in the Israeli and Palestinian conflict .
Based on the myths and superstitions of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament , religious Jews believe God gave land in the Middle East to the Jews for their Jewish state of Israel to have “ forever ” ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this alleged Divine real estate gift are “ from the river of Egypt unto the great river , the river Euphrates ” ( Genesis 15:18 ) .
In Numbers 34:1-12 the borders of Israel are given in more detail and are reflected in the above map .
By looking at this map , it ’ s obvious there will be many more religious wars as Israel expands to the size of the biblical Greater Israel , or , in Hebrew , Eretz Yisrael Hashlemah ( the whole of the Land of Israel ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , these wars for a Greater Israel of biblical proportions will not be fought and paid for by the Jewish state of Israel , they will be fought and paid for by the people in the American military and American tax payers .
In the US , the powerful and wealthy Israel lobby , along with Israel itself and individual wealthy and powerful Zionists like Sheldon and Miriam Adelson , pressure opportunistic and selfish US politicians from both parties to blindly support Israel and its expanding illegal and Bible-based occupation of land belonging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration , they have been very successful in getting US politicians to put Israel ’ s interests over the interests of America and Americans and over the interests of the world .
This is seen by the George W. Bush administration starting the Iraq War for Israel ’ s benefit .
( Will a US war for Israel ’ s benefit against Iran be next ? )
The Obama administration increasing the US tax dollars taken from American tax payers and given to Israel to build up Israel ’ s military and occupation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s increase is the largest in history .
Likewise , the Trump administration has recognized Israel ’ s claim to the occupied Syrian Golan Heights , not to mention recognizing all of illegally occupied Jerusalem as Israel ’ s capital and moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem .
( There have been isolated exceptions to the rule of US presidents blindly supporting Israel , such as Ronald Reagan angering Israel by selling spy planes to Saudi Arabia and Barack Obama ’ s nuclear agreement with Iran .
But the exceptions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since John Kennedy worked to inspect Israel ’ s nuclear program or to require the Israel lobby to be registered as a foreign agent . )
Donald Trump ’ s so-called “ Deal of the Century ” Israel-Palestine peace plan , which was written by Jared Kushner , Jason Greenblatt and David Friedman , all of whom are Orthodox Jews who hold a very strong belief in the Hebrew Bible as being the Word of God and who believe in the above described biblical borders for Israel , recognizes all of Israel ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Palestinian land in the Palestinian West Bank and in Palestinian East Jerusalem , as being part of Israel .
Israel will very soon officially annex/steal this land from the Palestinians .
Even though the “ peace plan ” overwhelmingly favors Israel and its Jewish “ settlers ” /squatters on Palestinian land , many Jewish “ settlers ’ /squatters are not happy with the plan .
This interesting article about why the Jewish “ settlers ” /squatters are not happy reveals how ancient religious myths and superstitions are preventing progress .
The article states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the “ Deal of the Century ” ) fulfills a lifelong dream : American recognition of the biblical promise and legitimacy of the settlements in the occupied West Bank , allowing Israel to annex them while flouting decades of international consensus that they violate international law.
” The article goes on to explain the Jewish “ settlers ” /squatters are not happy because they want to take even more land from the Palestinians .
However , the point in the above quote shows it ’ s about the superstition/myth of biblical promise versus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ God ’ s laws ” should take precedence over man-made laws is common to all of the man-made “ revealed ” religions , each of which sees their own laws/ ” holy ” books as being truly God ’ s laws .
Judaism teaches that the laws in the Hebrew Bible/Torah are God ’ s laws , while Christianity teaches those laws plus the laws in the New Testament are God ’ s laws .
And Islam teaches that those laws plus the laws in the Quran are God ’ s laws .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ this argument of the importance of following God ’ s laws and not man-made laws in his letter to the American people shortly after the 9/11 attacks .
He wrote , “ You are the nation who , rather than ruling by the Shariah of Allah in its Constitution and Laws , choose to invent your own laws as you will and desire.
” The necessary progress that humanity must make in order to survive in a nuclear age is foreign to Judaism , which is the cornerstone for all of the Abrahamic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ father of the Hebrew Bible-based warmongering neoconservative movement , Leo Strauss , pointed out in his speech Progress or Return ?
The Contemporary Crisis in Western Civilization the incompatibility of making progress with Judaism .
Strauss wrote/said , “ Judaism is a concern with return ; it is not a concern with progress .
‘ Return ’ can easily be expressed in biblical Hebrew ; ‘ progress ’ can not .
” It ’ s important to realize that Israel and Judaism , nor any of the Abrahamic “ revealed ” religions , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Western Civilization has its roots in the philosophy of ancient Greece and Rome , not in Judaism .
There is a battle of great importance going on between Athens/reason and Jerusalem/superstition .
A key teaching of Western philosophy teaches that wonder is the beginning of wisdom .
Contrast this with what ’ s taught in the Hebrew Bible at Proverbs 9:10 , “ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom : ” Even Leo Strauss pointed out this fact when he wrote in his essay Jerusalem and Athens , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of wisdom is fear of the Lord ; according to the Greek philosophers , the beginning of wisdom is wonder .
We are thus compelled from the very beginning to make a choice , to take a stand.
” Deism and all Deists take a stand against the fear promoted by the “ revealed ” religions , particularly their promotion of fearing The Supreme Intelligence/God .
Deism is in tune with Nature and Nature ’ s God , as reflected in the words of the Deist Thomas Jefferson in the Deistic document the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s God.
” This puts Deism and Deists at odds with the Bible .
Strauss pointed this fact out when he wrote , “ the concept of nature is foreign to the Bible.
” ( An important and very insightful book about these topics is Jewish Philosophy and the Crisis of Modernity : Essays and Lectures in Modern Jewish Thought by Leo Strauss . )
Albert Einstein , who held Deistic ideas about God , warned us that in order to survive , especially in a nuclear age , we must change our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new type of thinking is essential if mankind is to survive and move to higher levels.
” The more we spread the word about Deism and reawaken people to the vital importance of their innate God-given reason , the more we imbue people with “ a new type of thinking ” and the more progress we make in moving ourselves and society away from destruction and on towards higher levels of being .

God and our innate God-given reason allow us to make true progress, not “revealed” religion and superstition.
Progress is a fundamental part of Nature and the Universe. Henry David Thoreau did a beautiful job of expressing this when he wrote,
“The cricket, the gurgling stream, the rushing wind amid the trees, all speak to me soberly yet encouragingly of the steady onward progress of the universe.”
Since people are a part of Nature and the Universe, we need to also strive to make progress in our individual lives and in our societies. A major obstacle to progress by humanity is the “revealed” religions. They keep us pinned under Bronze Age myths and superstitions, which severely hinder progress.
A clear example of the harmful mindset the “revealed” religions infect believers within our world today is seen in the Israeli and Palestinian conflict. Based on the myths and superstitions of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, religious Jews believe God gave land in the Middle East to the Jews for their Jewish state of Israel to have “forever” (Genesis 13:14-15).
The borders of this alleged Divine real estate gift are “from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates” (Genesis 15:18). In Numbers 34:1-12 the borders of Israel are given in more detail and are reflected in the above map.
By looking at this map, it’s obvious there will be many more religious wars as Israel expands to the size of the biblical Greater Israel, or, in Hebrew, Eretz Yisrael Hashlemah (the whole of the Land of Israel). And, like the Iraq War, these wars for a Greater Israel of biblical proportions will not be fought and paid for by the Jewish state of Israel, they will be fought and paid for by the people in the American military and American taxpayers.
NOTE TO READERS: My writing work is solely crowdfunded via PayPal. Click here to donate>> Thank you.
In the US, the powerful and wealthy Israel lobby, along with Israel itself and individual wealthy and powerful Zionists like Sheldon and Miriam Adelson, pressure opportunistic and selfish US politicians from both parties to blindly support Israel and its expanding illegal and Bible-based occupation of land belonging to its neighbors. Since the Johnson administration, they have been very successful in getting US politicians to put Israel’s interests over the interests of America and Americans and over the interests of the world. This is seen by the George W. Bush administration starting the Iraq War for Israel’s benefit.
(Will a US war for Israel’s benefit against Iran be next?) The Obama administration increased the US tax dollars taken from American taxpayers and given to Israel to build up Israel’s military and occupation forces is another example. Obama’s increase is the largest in history. Likewise, the Trump administration has recognized Israel’s claim to the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, not to mention recognizing all of illegally occupied Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
(There have been isolated exceptions to the rule of US presidents blindly supporting Israel, such as Ronald Reagan angering Israel by selling spy planes to Saudi Arabia and Barack Obama’s nuclear agreement with Iran. But the exceptions prove the rule, and no president since John Kennedy worked to inspect Israel’s nuclear program or to require the Israel lobby to be registered as a foreign agent.)
Donald Trump’s so-called “Deal of the Century” Israel-Palestine peace plan, which was written by Jared Kushner, Jason Greenblatt and David Friedman, all of whom are Orthodox Jews who hold a very strong belief in the Hebrew Bible as being the Word of God and who believe in the above described biblical borders for Israel, recognizes all of Israel’s illegal Jewish settlements that are on Palestinian land in the Palestinian West Bank and in Palestinian East Jerusalem, as being part of Israel. Israel will very soon officially annex/steal this land from the Palestinians.
Even though the “peace plan” overwhelmingly favors Israel and its Jewish “settlers”/squatters on Palestinian land, many Jewish “settlers’/squatters are not happy with the plan. This interesting article about why the Jewish “settlers”/squatters are not happy reveals how ancient religious myths and superstitions are preventing progress. The article states:
“For many, it (the “Deal of the Century”) fulfills a lifelong dream: American recognition of the biblical promise and legitimacy of the settlements in the occupied West Bank, allowing Israel to annex them while flouting decades of international consensus that they violate international law.”
The article goes on to explain the Jewish “settlers”/squatters are not happy because they want to take even more land from the Palestinians. However, the point in the above quote shows it’s about the superstition/myth of biblical promise versus man-made laws.
The idea that “God’s laws” should take precedence over man-made laws is common to all of the man-made “revealed” religions, each of which sees their own laws/”holy” books as being truly God’s laws. Judaism teaches that the laws in the Hebrew Bible/Torah are God’s laws, while Christianity teaches those laws plus the laws in the New Testament are God’s laws. And Islam teaches that those laws plus the laws in the Quran are God’s laws.
The Islamic terrorist Osama bin Laden used this argument of the importance of following God’s laws and not man-made laws in his letter to the American people shortly after the 9/11 attacks. He wrote, “You are the nation who, rather than ruling by the Shariah of Allah in its Constitution and Laws, choose to invent your own laws as you will and desire.”
The necessary progress that humanity must make in order to survive in a nuclear age is foreign to Judaism, which is the cornerstone for all of the Abrahamic man-made “revealed” religions. The father of the Hebrew Bible-based warmongering neoconservative movement, Leo Strauss, pointed out in his speech Progress or Return? The Contemporary Crisis in Western Civilization the incompatibility of making progress with Judaism. Strauss wrote/said, “Judaism is a concern with the return; it is not a concern with progress. ‘Return’ can easily be expressed in biblical Hebrew; ‘progress’ cannot.”
It’s important to realize that Israel and Judaism, nor any of the Abrahamic “revealed” religions, are real parts of Western Civilization. Western Civilization has its roots in the philosophy of ancient Greece and Rome, not in Judaism. There is a battle of great importance going on between Athens/reason and Jerusalem/superstition.
A key teaching of Western philosophy teaches that wonder is the beginning of wisdom. Contrast this with what’s taught in the Hebrew Bible at Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom:” Even Leo Strauss pointed out this fact when he wrote in his essay Jerusalem and Athens, “According to the Bible, the beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord; according to the Greek philosophers, the beginning of wisdom is wonder. We are thus compelled from the very beginning to make a choice, to take a stand.”
Deism and all Deists take a stand against the fear promoted by the “revealed” religions, particularly their promotion of fearing The Supreme Intelligence/God. Deism is in tune with Nature and Nature’s God, as reflected in the words of the Deist Thomas Jefferson in the Deistic document the Declaration of Independence, “Nature’s God.” This puts Deism and Deists at odds with the Bible. Strauss pointed this fact out when he wrote, “the concept of nature is foreign to the Bible.” (An important and very insightful book about these topics is Jewish Philosophy and the Crisis of Modernity: Essays and Lectures in Modern Jewish Thought by Leo Strauss.)
Albert Einstein, who held Deistic ideas about God, warned us that in order to survive, especially in a nuclear age, we must change our thinking. He wrote, “A new type of thinking is essential if mankind is to survive and move to higher levels.”
The more we spread the word about Deism and reawaken people to the vital importance of their innate God-given reason, the more we imbue people with “a new type of thinking” and the more progress we make in moving ourselves and society away from destruction and on towards higher levels of being.


veteranstoday--2020-03-04--NATO says no to supporting Turkish proxy terrorism in Syria

Even NATO is unwilling to touch Turkey ’ s Idlib mess with a ten-foot pole Scott is a former US Marine Corps intelligence officer .
He served in the Soviet Union as an inspector implementing the INF Treaty , in General Schwarzkopf ’ s staff during the Gulf War , and from 1991-1998 as a UN weapons inspector .
Follow him on Twitter @ RealScottRitter [ : Mad Wannabe Sultan Erdogan continues his childish game of endless threats and claims ( by no means the only head of state doing so ) to play the great protector of Turkey to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time we have heard of him whining about Kurdish attacks long the Iraq border or inside Syria ?
I have seen no wailing about the Kurds inside Syria waiting to pounce on Turks over the border and steal their lands from them .
Here we are now , after Erdogan was blaming the US for his coup attempt , which might even be true , he is wanting to play nice with the US .
What ’ s up wid dat ?
And here he comes wanting to show the Turkish people that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NATO will become his proxy military force to fight and die protecting Erdogan ’ s goal of annexing Idlib province to his Hatay one next door .
And he makes this demand while opening his borders to flood the EU with unprocessed migrants again as a show of good faith on his part ?
With a friend like this , who needs enemies ?
The man acts like a Sultan in a county with a failing economy and a currency that is in the tank .
Gosh , could he really just want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his current theatrics … Jim W. Dean ] Having been hit by the Syrian Air Force in Idlib , Turkey has called on NATO ’ s protection , but as much as the alliance would like a fight with Assad and his ally Russia , it ’ s refused to back Ankara ’ s questionable adventure .
Turkey engaged NATO in Article 4 consultations , seeking help regarding the crisis in Syria .
The meeting produced a statement from NATO condemning the actions of Russia and Syria and advocating for humanitarian assistance , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The situation in Idlib province has reached crisis proportions .
A months-long military offensive by the Syrian Army , supported by the Russian Air Force and pro-Iranian militias , had recaptured nearly one-third of the territory occupied by anti-Assad groups funded and armed by Turkey .
In response , Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dispatched thousands of Turkish soldiers , backed by thousands of pieces of military equipment , including tanks and armored vehicles , into Idlib to bolster his harried allies .
The result has been a disaster for Turkey , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and had scores more wounded due to Syrian air attacks .
For its part , Russia has refrained from directly engaging Turkish forces , instead turning its attention to countering Turkish-backed militants .
Faced with mounting casualties , Turkey turned to NATO for assistance , invoking Article 4 of the NATO charter , which allows members to request consultations whenever , in their opinion , their territorial integrity , political independence or security is threatened .
Among the foundational principles of the NATO alliance , most observers focus on Article 5 , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is an attack against all .
However , throughout its 75-year history , Article 5 has been invoked only once – in the aftermath of 9/11 – resulting in joint air and maritime patrols , but no direct military confrontation .
The wars that NATO has engaged in militarily , whether in Kosovo , Afghanistan , Libya or Iraq , have all been conducted under Article 4 , when NATO made a collective decision to provide assistance in a situation that did not involve a direct military attack on one of its member @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Turkey ’ s decision to turn to Article 4 was a serious undertaking .
For additional leverage , Ankara linked the NATO talks with a separate decision to open its borders to refugees seeking asylum in Europe , abrogating an agreement that had been reached with the European Union to prevent uncontrolled migration into Europe through Turkish-controlled territory and waters .
Through this humanitarian blackmail , Turkey sought to use the shared economic and political costs arising from the Syrian situation as a bargaining chip for NATO support .
The best Turkey could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ however , was a lukewarm statement by Jens Stoltenberg , the NATO secretary general , condemning Syria and Russia while encouraging a diplomatic resolution to the fighting in Syria that focused on alleviating the unfolding humanitarian crisis regarding refugees .
This is a far cry from the kind of concrete military support , such as the provision of Patriot air defense systems or NATO enforcement of a no-fly zone over Idlib , Turkey was hoping for .
The provision of military support under Article 4 is serious , involving as it does the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This was underscored by recent comments made by the Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe , US General Tod Wolters , which linked NATO ’ s nuclear deterrence posture to current Article 4 NATO operations in Afghanistan and Iraq .
At a time when NATO is focused on confronting Russia in the Baltics , opening a second front against the Russians in Syria is not something the alliance was willing to support at this time .
While the US was vocal in its desire to support Turkey at the consultations , NATO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complexities of Turkey ’ s Syrian adventure , which extend beyond simple Russian involvement to include issues involving the legality of Turkey ’ s presence inside Syria , and the fact that many of the armed groups Turkey supports in Idlib are designated terrorist organizations , precluded a NATO decision to intervene on Turkey ’ s behalf .
Having failed in its effort to get NATO support in Syria , Turkey is now left with the Hobson ’ s choice of retreating or doubling down .
Neither will end well for Turkey , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ humanitarian disaster taking place in Idlib today .

Even NATO is unwilling to touch Turkey’s Idlib mess with a ten-foot pole
by Scott Ritter, …with Russia Today, Moscow
Scott is a former US Marine Corps intelligence officer. He served in the Soviet Union as an inspector implementing the INF Treaty, in General Schwarzkopf’s staff during the Gulf War, and from 1991-1998 as a UN weapons inspector. Follow him on Twitter @RealScottRitter
[ Editor’s Note : Mad Wannabe Sultan Erdogan continues his childish game of endless threats and claims (by no means the only head of state doing so) to play the great protector of Turkey to its people.
–
When is the last time we have heard of him whining about Kurdish attacks long the Iraq border or inside Syria? I have seen no wailing about the Kurds inside Syria waiting to pounce on Turks over the border and steal their lands from them.
–
Here we are now, after Erdogan was blaming the US for his coup attempt, which might even be true, he is wanting to play nice with the US. What’s up wid dat? And here he comes wanting to show the Turkish people that he can bark some magic words and NATO will become his proxy military force to fight and die protecting Erdogan’s goal of annexing Idlib province to his Hatay one next door.
–
And he makes this demand while opening his borders to flood the EU with unprocessed migrants again as a show of good faith on his part? With a friend like this, who needs enemies?
–
The man acts like a Sultan in a county with a failing economy and a currency that is in the tank. Gosh, could he really just want a diversion from all of that via his current theatrics … 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 … February 29, 2020 –
Having been hit by the Syrian Air Force in Idlib, Turkey has called on NATO’s protection, but as much as the alliance would like a fight with Assad and his ally Russia, it’s refused to back Ankara’s questionable adventure.