thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-06-23--Chris Hedges and Jeff Gibbs: Criticism and Censorship of Michael Moore’s Film “Planet of the Humans”

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thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-06-24--Twitter Censors Trump For “Threat Of Harm”, Has No Problem With Threats To Bomb Foreigners

witter has censored a post by the president of the United States , this time for “ a threat of harm against an identifiable group.
” This despite the fact that this president routinely uses the popular social media platform to threaten to drop explosives on people in other countries without interference .
“ We ’ ve placed a public interest notice on this Tweet for violating our policy against abusive behavior , specifically , the presence of a threat of harm against an identifiable group , ” Twitter stated on the platform .
“ Per our policies , this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its relevance to ongoing public conversation .
Engagements with the Tweet will be limited .
People will be able to Retweet with Comment , but not Like , Reply , or Retweet it.
” “ There will never be an ‘ Autonomous Zone ’ in Washington , D.C. , as long as I ’ m your President , ” Trump ’ s censored tweet reads .
“ If they try they will be met with serious force !
” I ’ ve been writing all month about the brutal authoritarian crackdown America ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ upon US protesters who ’ ve been demonstrating against police brutality these last few weeks , so obviously I object to the threat of further force upon these same protesters by this same armed goon patrol .
But Twitter did not censor Trump ’ s tweet because of any “ threat of harm against an identifiable group.
” Know how I know ?
Because Twitter has been allowing Trump to make far more deadly threats throughout his entire administration .
Earlier this year , for example , Trump threatened to bomb 52 Iranian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high level and important to Iran and the Iranian culture ” , if the Islamic Republic responded militarily to his insane drone assassination of its top military leader .
The president explicitly threatened that “ those targets , and Iran itself , WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD.
” Or in April of 2018 when Trump used the platform to issue a threat that he actually followed through with , tweeting “ Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria .
Get ready Russia , because they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and ‘ smart !
’ ” Trump did indeed order airstrikes upon the Syrian government days later .
Or who could forget Trump repeatedly threatening North Korea with nuclear holocaust , tweeting “ North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the ‘ Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.
’ Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button , but it is a much bigger and more powerful one than his , and my Button works !
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used to issue explicit threats of western imperialists against targets of western imperialism , like when it allowed Senator Marco Rubio to openly threatento do to Maduro in Venezuela what the US and its allies did to Muammar Gaddafi in Libya .
Gaddafi was brutally mutilated to death in 2011 by empire-backed insurgents under NATO air cover following a catastrophically devastating intervention that was launched on false humanitarian pretexts .
This is openly built into Twitter ’ s terms of service ; the social media giant waves these deadly threats through using the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” , despite the fact that this president has followed through with such threats and has demonstrated an absolute willingness to use deadly military force .
“ Presently , direct interactions with fellow public figures , comments on political issues of the day , or foreign policy saber-rattling on economic or military issues are generally not in violation of the Twitter Rules , ” Twitter says .
• Twitter did not censor Trump for “ a threat of harm against an identifiable group ” , but for vapid partisan reasons against a Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to personally dislike .
It ’ s fine with mass military slaughter and doesn ’ t see its victims as fully human , because Democrats feel that way too .
• Twitter is , as we discussed recently , a tool of US imperialism .
That ’ s why its censorship and purges consistently target governments which the US-centralized empire is working to topple while allowing the accounts of fake imperialist propaganda constructs like Bana Alabed and Heshmat Alavi to remain fully operational .
Twitter ’ s increasing censorship of Donald Trump will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only inflame his support base who see themselves as the protectors of a president who is under constant attack by communists , Antifa , Satanists and pink-haired genderqueers who want to destroy statues of Jesus and then marry their sex toys in your local church .
In fact the very last person in the world we should be worried about being censored is the man whose incredibly powerful office comes with its own built-in bully pulpit .
Rather , what we should be worried about is monopolistic and agenda-shaping Silicon Valley tech corporations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a clear and undeniable loyalty to the imperial war machine .
The internet is playing a larger and larger role in the way people inform themselves about what ’ s going on in the world , and the lenses through which they perceive it are becoming more and more biased in favor of the bloodthirsty US power alliance .
Power is the ability to control what happens .
Absolute power is the ability to control what people thinkabout what happens .
Our world does not widely understand this , and it is ruled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re going to have to change this if we ’ re to begin moving collectively toward health and harmony .

T
witter has censored a post by the president of the United States, this time for “a threat of harm against an identifiable group.” This despite the fact that this president routinely uses the popular social media platform to threaten to drop explosives on people in other countries without interference.
“We’ve placed a public interest notice on this Tweet for violating our policy against abusive behavior, specifically, the presence of a threat of harm against an identifiable group,” Twitter stated on the platform. “Per our policies, this Tweet will remain on the service given its relevance to ongoing public conversation. Engagements with the Tweet will be limited. People will be able to Retweet with Comment, but not Like, Reply, or Retweet it.”
“There will never be an ‘Autonomous Zone’ in Washington, D.C., as long as I’m your President,” Trump’s censored tweet reads. “If they try they will be met with serious force!”
I’ve been writing all month about the brutal authoritarian crackdown America’s militarized police state has been inflicting upon US protesters who’ve been demonstrating against police brutality these last few weeks, so obviously I object to the threat of further force upon these same protesters by this same armed goon patrol. But Twitter did not censor Trump’s tweet because of any “threat of harm against an identifiable group.”
Know how I know? Because Twitter has been allowing Trump to make far more deadly threats throughout his entire administration.
Earlier this year, for example, Trump threatened to bomb 52 Iranian sites, “some at a very high level and important to Iran and the Iranian culture”, if the Islamic Republic responded militarily to his insane drone assassination of its top military leader. The president explicitly threatened that “those targets, and Iran itself, WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD.”
Or in April of 2018 when Trump used the platform to issue a threat that he actually followed through with, tweeting “Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and ‘smart!’” Trump did indeed order airstrikes upon the Syrian government days later.
Or who could forget Trump repeatedly threatening North Korea with nuclear holocaust, tweeting“North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the ‘Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.’ Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger and more powerful one than his, and my Button works!”
Twitter consistently allows its platform to be used to issue explicit threats of western imperialists against targets of western imperialism, like when it allowed Senator Marco Rubio to openly threatento do to Maduro in Venezuela what the US and its allies did to Muammar Gaddafi in Libya. Gaddafi was brutally mutilated to death in 2011 by empire-backed insurgents under NATO air cover following a catastrophically devastating intervention that was launched on false humanitarian pretexts.
These are all clearly “a threat of harm against an identifiable group.” But, because it’s a threat to inflict mass murder upon foreigners and not a threat to use teargas and batons on Americans, Twitter is fine with it.
This is openly built into Twitter’s terms of service; the social media giant waves these deadly threats through using the dismissive and carefully selected phrase “saber-rattling”, despite the fact that this president has followed through with such threats and has demonstrated an absolute willingness to use deadly military force.
“Presently, direct interactions with fellow public figures, comments on political issues of the day, or foreign policy saber-rattling on economic or military issues are generally not in violation of the Twitter Rules,” Twitter says.
This deliberately crafted nonsensical distinction makes two things clear:
Twitter did not censor Trump for “a threat of harm against an identifiable group”, but for vapid partisan reasons against a Republican president the platform’s leaders happen to personally dislike. It’s fine with mass military slaughter and doesn’t see its victims as fully human, because Democrats feel that way too. Twitter is, as we discussed recently, a tool of US imperialism. That’s why its censorship and purges consistently target governments which the US-centralized empire is working to topple while allowing the accounts of fake imperialist propaganda constructs like Bana Alabed and Heshmat Alavi to remain fully operational.
We’ve placed a public interest notice on this Tweet for violating our policy against abusive behavior, specifically, the presence of a threat of harm against an identifiable group.https://t.co/AcmW6O6d4t — Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) June 23, 2020
Twitter’s increasing censorship of Donald Trump will not hurt him politically, it will only inflame his support base who see themselves as the protectors of a president who is under constant attack by communists, Antifa, Satanists and pink-haired genderqueers who want to destroy statues of Jesus and then marry their sex toys in your local church. In fact the very last person in the world we should be worried about being censored is the man whose incredibly powerful office comes with its own built-in bully pulpit.
Rather, what we should be worried about is monopolistic and agenda-shaping Silicon Valley tech corporations enacting censorship with ever-increasing brazenness while demonstrating a clear and undeniable loyalty to the imperial war machine. The internet is playing a larger and larger role in the way people inform themselves about what’s going on in the world, and the lenses through which they perceive it are becoming more and more biased in favor of the bloodthirsty US power alliance.
Power is the ability to control what happens. Absolute power is the ability to control what people thinkabout what happens. Our world does not widely understand this, and it is ruled by people who do. We’re going to have to change this if we’re to begin moving collectively toward health and harmony.


thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-06-24--Dutch Government Outright Lies about MH17, to Blame Russia

1 .
The Dutch Government ’ s 279-page investigative findings on the “ Crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 ” were published in October 2015 , and reported , on page 84 , ( under 2.13.2 “ Crew autopsy ” ) that “ First Officer Team A … During the body scan of the First Officer ’ s body , over 120 objects ( mostly metal fragments ) were detected .
The majority of the fragments were found in left side of the upper torso.
” Then , it reported , on page 85 ( under 2.13.3 ) “ the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who was operating the aeroplane at the time of the crash.
” This crucial physical finding , that the pilot ’ s corpse had been loaded with “ over 120 objects ( mostly metal fragments ) , ” is entirely consistent with the side-panel ’ s having been shot through by bullets , which would have been coming from a Ukrainian military jet and aimed upward , directly at the pilot .
That marksman had to have been highly proficient in order to hit the pilot so accurately with so many bullets .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ through with anything like such an intensity of “ mostly metal fragments , ” but only the pilot ’ s upper left torso .
This , alone , is virtually conclusive proof that a Ukrainian military jet plane had fired directly at the pilot in order to bring down this civilian plane .
( More will be cited here , in # 2 below . )
All of this evidence was entirely buried and ignored by the Dutch Government , revealed deep in the report , and only in sub-clauses , instead of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ There have been two or three pieces of fuselage that have been really pockmarked with what almost looks like machine-gun fire , very very strong machine-gun fire.
” This remarkable statement comes not from Haisenko , but from one of the first OSCE investigators who arrived at the scene of the disaster .
Go to and you will see it .
[ But , now , it has been removed .
Here is the information on that video .
That video was titled “ OSCE monitor mentions bullet holes in MH17 ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Dutch Government ’ s having found ( but buried ) that the pilot ’ s corpse had been riddled with “ metal fragments.
” Instead , the Dutch Government is charging Russia as having fired a Buk missile at the airliner and thus brought it down .
2 .
As I reported on 8 March 2020 , under the heading “ Why do the U.S. and its allies hide these facts from the public ?
” : The latest are document-dumps and accompanying detailed explanations and translations of the revealed documents , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s a Finland-based website .
Their “ Bonanza Leaks ” on 24 February 2020 shows photos of the official transcriptions of the witnesses ’ testimony to the official Joint Investigative Team ( JIT ) which the U.S-allied Dutch Government operates in order to convict Russia for the shoot-down of the MH17 Malaysian airliner on 17 July 2014 above the civil-war zone in Ukraine .
It includes an accompanying video presentation of these documents , from a day earlier , on February 23rd , titled “ Bonanza Media LeaksTalk ” .
That video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that these are authentic documents ” ( in response to Bonanza Media ’ s having supplied Australian police with the photos ) , and “ these are original documents , ” which their video shows .
Then , they showed their documents to the JIT ’ s own office in Netherlands , which refused to comment .
One document , from the Director of the Military Intelligence and Security Service of the Netherlands , to the public prosecutor of the National Prosecutor ’ s Office on Counter Terrorism , P.O .
Box 395 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ September 2016 , opens ( this being the official Dutch translation , but the original Dutch being also shown ) , “ Herewith , I am informing , pursuant to Section 38 of the Intelligence and Security Services Act 2002 , of data that is possibly of importance for the criminal investigation into the crashing of flight MH17.
” After stating the evidence they had accumulated from witnesses and from allied-Government intelligence agencies , this document closes : “ On this basis MIVD [ Dutch military intelligence agency ] draws the conclusion that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ systems near Rostov na Dona [ the only two Russian bases that possibly would have been associated with the shoot-down of the MH17 ] no missile launch took place on 17 July 2014.
” More information about the Bonanza Leaks disclosures can be found from the investigative journalist John Helmer in Moscow , headlining on February 25th , “ NATO Military Intelligence Agencies Repeatedly Reported in Secret There Was No Evidence of a Russian Buk Missile in Eastern Ukraine or Firing on MH17 ” .
As I have documented on many occasions , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Joint Investigative Team ’ s ’ ] own ‘ case ’ against Russia , regarding the MH17 shoot-down , is founded upon and cites ‘ evidence ’ which actually disproves Russia ’ s involvement , and proves that this downing was instead a Ukrainian Government operation .
As I said at that link , “ U.S .
President Barack Obama had become desperate for something to happen that would persuade German Chancellor Angela Merkel to endorse added sanctions against Russia regarding Ukraine , but I had had no idea , until now , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any , he had had in the actual setting-up of the MH17 shoot-down.
” But he has hardly been alone in this effort .
Not only Barack Obama but also now Donald Trump are implicated in it — Trump for his continuing Obama ’ s guilt in it and cover-ups about it .
The U.S. is a bipartisan dictatorship .
Is that opinion ?
It is all documented , in the links .
This ( like the U.S. Government ’ s having been behind Ukraine ’ s downing of the MH17 ) is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but it remains news only because it still remains hidden in the U.S. and its allied regimes ; it is NOT “ opinion.
” It will remain news as long as the U.S.-and-allied blackout of the evidence remains in effect .
And the U.S. dictatorship has long been not only domestic but international as well , a dictatorship over what it calls its ‘ allies ’ and even over some countries which claim to to be ‘ neutral ’ .
Another example of this international dictatorship is that the supposedly U.N.-authorized and not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Chemical Weapons ) , which is really controlled by the U.S. Government , routinely lies when it needs to in order to protect the U.S. Government from being publicly revealed to have perpetrated an international war-crime .
Everything is consistent with the news-report that I initially published on the last day of 2018 and then updated on 9 January 2018 , and which was titled “ MH17 TURNABOUT : Ukraine ’ s Guilt Now PROVEN.
” Among the proofs which were supplied there was that the evidence that the Dutch Government had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Buk missile and launcher , which they showed pictures of , was the specific system that had shot down the MH17 , happened to display ( though Ukraine seems not even to have noticed this ) parts-numbers on them that happened to remain in Russia ’ s records ever since this equipment had been acquired by the Ukrainian state government in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( U.S.S.R. ) back in 1986 immediately after having been manufactured in the Russian state , and had remained consistently in Ukraine ’ s air force @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since , so that if this equipment had shot down the MH17 , then Ukraine ’ s Air Force ( now under the national Ukrainian Government ) would have shot down the MH17 ; Russia ’ s Air Force wouldn ’ t .
The Dutch Government simply ignored this evidence that Russia supplied to them after Holland had blamed that specific equipment-set for having done this shoot-down , but promptly then abandoned its allegation that this equipment had been the specific system that shot down the MH17 .
That article also included a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the BBC ’ s reporter Olga Ivshina appeared to have been shocked when locals in the area of the shoot-down all told her of having seen no missile at the time , but instead two Ukrainian jets rising toward the airliner right before that airliner descended from the sky .
I concluded my report by saying , “ Now , which major news-media in The West will report these solidly documented facts ?
Isn ’ t it time , finally , that they should start doing that ?
Or , do they have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s a damning case against not only the U.S.-allied governments but their ‘ news ’ -media , which still hide all of this crucial evidence from their respective publics .
All of them war against their own publics .
My report linked to all of this evidence , so that readers can see it for themselves .
3 .
And , finally , there is now a new report , on June 22nd , from the great independent Australian and American ( dual-citizen ) investigative journalist John Helmer , who lives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ DUTCH PROSECUTION AND THE JUDGE HAVE RIGGED THE OUTCOME OF THE MH17 TRIAL ON A CHARGE THAT REQUIRES NO PROOF ” .
It is the coup de grace , against the Dutch Government , and against the entire U.S.-allied team , which in the MH17 case consisted of not only Holland but also Australia and Belgium and also ( and most especially ) Ukraine ( which latter country ’ s Government had intentionally shot down the MH17 so as to blame against Russia ( as they are doing ) in order to supply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Merkel could use in order to rally her own country in support of greatly hiked anti-Russian sanctions so that the IMF would follow through with the the next multi-billion-dollar loan to Ukraine , in order for Ukraine to continue paying its soldiers in Ukraine ’ s ongoing war against its rebelling and now independent former region of Ukraine , Donbas , which area directly borders on Russia in Ukraine ’ s far east .
In February 2014 , Obama had overthrown in a violent coup Ukraine ’ s democratically elected neutralist Government , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ received around 90 % of the vote in Donbas ; so , Donbas declared its independence from Ukraine , and Obama and the IMF and the entire U.S. team were demanding Ukraine to conquer Donbas , which conquest needed money that Ukraine didn ’ t have but had to borrow .
Obama ’ s plan had originally included to turn Russia ’ s largest naval base , which was located in Crimea , into a U.S. naval base .
That part of his plan failed .
After Ukraine shot down the MH17 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 7 August 2014 ) , from its then-three partners in the JIT , including Holland , absolute veto-power over any ‘ findings ’ that the team would publish .
Initially , the team ’ s allegation was that Donbas separatists had shot down the plane , mistaking it for a Ukrainian military plane that was about to bomb them .
Then it switched to blaming Russian soldiers .
Then the ‘ investigation ’ just dragged on for years , trying to find evidence which might persuade enough of the public so as not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ finally , as Helmer reports , the Dutch Government has prepared a criminal charge against Russia that reverts back again to blaming Russia for its having been supporting the separatists whose villages were being bombed by Ukraine , but which , in order to be able to impose penalties against Russia , is based upon no “ case law that would be relevant to the issue.
” This is a last-ditch effort , but it will be able to work if the Dutch judge is corrupt enough to accept it .
If you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , then you ’ ve been getting your ‘ news ’ from lying media ( such as the Washington Post ) , which aim to eliminate the media ( such as this one ) that have been reporting ( instead of ignoring , or outright denying ) these facts .
This report is thus American samizdat .

This article is part of an ongoing series of dispatches by historian Eric Zuesse
1. The Dutch Government’s 279-page investigative findings on the “Crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17” were published in October 2015, and reported, on
page 84, (under 2.13.2 “Crew autopsy”) that “First Officer Team A … During the body scan of the First Officer’s body, over 120 objects (mostly metal fragments) were detected. The majority of the fragments were found in left side of the upper torso.” Then, it reported, on
page 85 (under 2.13.3) “the First Officer, from Team A, who was operating the aeroplane at the time of the crash.”
(Note that they buried this crucial information, instead of saying clearly that “The pilot’s upper left torso, immediately to the left of the area of the fuselage that had been shot out, had 120 objects that were mostly metal fragments.”) (Here is a closer picture of that side-panel on the left side of the fuselage, to the pilot’s immediate left, and here is that side-panel shown back on the airliner, so that one can see that this firing had to have been done from below, shooting upward into the pilot.)
This crucial physical finding, that the pilot’s corpse had been loaded with “over 120 objects (mostly metal fragments),” is entirely consistent with the side-panel’s having been shot through by bullets, which would have been coming from a Ukrainian military jet and aimed upward, directly at the pilot. That marksman had to have been highly proficient in order to hit the pilot so accurately with so many bullets.
Nothing else was found to be shot through with anything like such an intensity of “mostly metal fragments,” but only the pilot’s upper left torso. This, alone, is virtually conclusive proof that a Ukrainian military jet plane had fired directly at the pilot in order to bring down this civilian plane. (More will be cited here, in #2 below.)
All of this evidence was entirely buried and ignored by the Dutch Government, revealed deep in the report, and only in sub-clauses, instead of in any direct sentences.
Furthermore: “There have been two or three pieces of fuselage that have been really pockmarked with what almost looks like machine-gun fire, very very strong machine-gun fire.” This remarkable statement comes not from Haisenko, but from one of the first OSCE investigators who arrived at the scene of the disaster. Go to
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
and you will see it. [But, now, it has been removed. Here is the information on that video. That video was titled “OSCE monitor mentions bullet holes in MH17”.]
That evidence is consistent with the Dutch Government’s having found (but buried) that the pilot’s corpse had been riddled with “metal fragments.”
Instead, the Dutch Government is charging Russia as having fired a Buk missile at the airliner and thus brought it down.
2. As I reported on 8 March 2020, under the heading “Why do the U.S. and its allies hide these facts from the public?”:
The latest are document-dumps and accompanying detailed explanations and translations of the revealed documents, and are from Bonanza Media. That’s a Finland-based website. Their “Bonanza Leaks” on 24 February 2020 shows photos of the official transcriptions of the witnesses’ testimony to the official Joint Investigative Team (JIT) which the U.S-allied Dutch Government operates in order to convict Russia for the shoot-down of the MH17 Malaysian airliner on 17 July 2014 above the civil-war zone in Ukraine. It includes an accompanying video presentation of these documents, from a day earlier, on February 23rd, titled “Bonanza Media LeaksTalk”. That video includes this: “Australian police confirm that these are authentic documents” (in response to Bonanza Media’s having supplied Australian police with the photos), and “these are original documents,” which their video shows. Then, they showed their documents to the JIT’s own office in Netherlands, which refused to comment. One document, from the Director of the Military Intelligence and Security Service of the Netherlands, to the public prosecutor of the National Prosecutor’s Office on Counter Terrorism, P.O. Box 395, 3000 AJ Rotterdam, dated 21 September 2016, opens (this being the official Dutch translation, but the original Dutch being also shown), “Herewith, I am informing, pursuant to Section 38 of the Intelligence and Security Services Act 2002, of data that is possibly of importance for the criminal investigation into the crashing of flight MH17.” After stating the evidence they had accumulated from witnesses and from allied-Government intelligence agencies, this document closes: “On this basis MIVD [Dutch military intelligence agency] draws the conclusion that from these two Russian ground based air systems near Rostov na Dona [the only two Russian bases that possibly would have been associated with the shoot-down of the MH17] no missile launch took place on 17 July 2014.” More information about the Bonanza Leaks disclosures can be found from the investigative journalist John Helmer in Moscow, headlining on February 25th, “NATO Military Intelligence Agencies Repeatedly Reported in Secret There Was No Evidence of a Russian Buk Missile in Eastern Ukraine or Firing on MH17”.
As I have documented on many occasions, even the JIT’s [‘Joint Investigative Team’s’] own ‘case’ against Russia, regarding the MH17 shoot-down, is founded upon and cites ‘evidence’ which actually disproves Russia’s involvement, and proves that this downing was instead a Ukrainian Government operation. As I said at that link, “U.S. President Barack Obama had become desperate for something to happen that would persuade German Chancellor Angela Merkel to endorse added sanctions against Russia regarding Ukraine, but I had had no idea, until now, as to what direct involvement, if any, he had had in the actual setting-up of the MH17 shoot-down.” But he has hardly been alone in this effort. Not only Barack Obama but also now Donald Trump are implicated in it — Trump for his continuing Obama’s guilt in it and cover-ups about it.
The U.S. is a bipartisan dictatorship. Is that opinion? It is all documented, in the links. This (like the U.S. Government’s having been behind Ukraine’s downing of the MH17) is therefore still news instead of history; but it remains news only because it still remains hidden in the U.S. and its allied regimes; it is NOT “opinion.” It will remain news as long as the U.S.-and-allied blackout of the evidence remains in effect. And the U.S. dictatorship has long been not only domestic but international as well, a dictatorship over what it calls its ‘allies’ and even over some countries which claim to to be ‘neutral’.
Another example of this international dictatorship is that the supposedly U.N.-authorized and not U.S.-controlled OPCW (Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons), which is really controlled by the U.S. Government, routinely lies when it needs to in order to protect the U.S. Government from being publicly revealed to have perpetrated an international war-crime.
Everything is consistent with the news-report that I initially published on the last day of 2018 and then updated on 9 January 2018, and which was titled “MH17 TURNABOUT: Ukraine’s Guilt Now PROVEN.” Among the proofs which were supplied there was that the evidence that the Dutch Government had supplied alleging to prove that a certain Buk missile and launcher, which they showed pictures of, was the specific system that had shot down the MH17, happened to display (though Ukraine seems not even to have noticed this) parts-numbers on them that happened to remain in Russia’s records ever since this equipment had been acquired by the Ukrainian state government in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.) back in 1986 immediately after having been manufactured in the Russian state, and had remained consistently in Ukraine’s air force and maintained by the Russian manufacturer ever since, so that if this equipment had shot down the MH17, then Ukraine’s Air Force (now under the national Ukrainian Government) would have shot down the MH17; Russia’s Air Force wouldn’t. The Dutch Government simply ignored this evidence that Russia supplied to them after Holland had blamed that specific equipment-set for having done this shoot-down, but promptly then abandoned its allegation that this equipment had been the specific system that shot down the MH17. That article also included a “missing BBC report” in which the BBC’s reporter Olga Ivshina appeared to have been shocked when locals in the area of the shoot-down all told her of having seen no missile at the time, but instead two Ukrainian jets rising toward the airliner right before that airliner descended from the sky. I concluded my report by saying, “Now, which major news-media in The West will report these solidly documented facts? Isn’t it time, finally, that they should start doing that? Or, do they have no honor, at all?” It’s a damning case against not only the U.S.-allied governments but their ‘news’-media, which still hide all of this crucial evidence from their respective publics. All of them war against their own publics. My report linked to all of this evidence, so that readers can see it for themselves.
3. And, finally, there is now a new report, on June 22nd, from the great independent Australian and American (dual-citizen) investigative journalist John Helmer, who lives in Moscow, headlining “HOW THE DUTCH PROSECUTION AND THE JUDGE HAVE RIGGED THE OUTCOME OF THE MH17 TRIAL ON A CHARGE THAT REQUIRES NO PROOF”. It is the coup de grace, against the Dutch Government, and against the entire U.S.-allied team, which in the MH17 case consisted of not only Holland but also Australia and Belgium and also (and most especially) Ukraine (which latter country’s Government had intentionally shot down the MH17 so as to blame against Russia (as they are doing) in order to supply to Barack Obama an argument that Angela Merkel could use in order to rally her own country in support of greatly hiked anti-Russian sanctions so that the IMF would follow through with the the next multi-billion-dollar loan to Ukraine, in order for Ukraine to continue paying its soldiers in Ukraine’s ongoing war against its rebelling and now independent former region of Ukraine, Donbas, which area directly borders on Russia in Ukraine’s far east.
In February 2014, Obama had overthrown in a violent coup Ukraine’s democratically elected neutralist Government, which had been elected in 2010 and received around 90% of the vote in Donbas; so, Donbas declared its independence from Ukraine, and Obama and the IMF and the entire U.S. team were demanding Ukraine to conquer Donbas, which conquest needed money that Ukraine didn’t have but had to borrow. Obama’s plan had originally included to turn Russia’s largest naval base, which was located in Crimea, into a U.S. naval base. That part of his plan failed.
After Ukraine shot down the MH17, it demanded, and got (on 7 August 2014), from its then-three partners in the JIT, including Holland, absolute veto-power over any ‘findings’ that the team would publish. Initially, the team’s allegation was that Donbas separatists had shot down the plane, mistaking it for a Ukrainian military plane that was about to bomb them. Then it switched to blaming Russian soldiers. Then the ‘investigation’ just dragged on for years, trying to find evidence which might persuade enough of the public so as not to become an embarrassment. And, finally, as Helmer reports, the Dutch Government has prepared a criminal charge against Russia that reverts back again to blaming Russia for its having been supporting the separatists whose villages were being bombed by Ukraine, but which, in order to be able to impose penalties against Russia, is based upon no “case law that would be relevant to the issue.” This is a last-ditch effort, but it will be able to work if the Dutch judge is corrupt enough to accept it.
If you don’t already know these facts, then you’ve been getting your ‘news’ from lying media (such as the Washington Post), which aim to eliminate the media (such as this one) that have been reporting (instead of ignoring, or outright denying) these facts. This report is thus American samizdat.


thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-06-24--Arms Control Diplomacy Used To Be Serious – It Has Been Replaced With Stupid Stunts

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DISPATCHES FROM MOON OF ALABAMA , BY `` B '' This article is part of an ongoing series of dispatches from Moon of Alabama alks between Russia and the United States about the renewal of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty began today .
The New START treaty limits the number of nuclear capable platforms each side can deploy .
The U.S. says it wants to bring China into the negotiations .
We explained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sense and why it is thereby not going to happen : Russia and the U.S. both have some 6,000+ nuclear warheads .
The New START Treaty between the U.S. and Russia limits the numbers of platforms - missiles , bombers and submarines - that each side can use to launch strategic nuclear weapons to some 1,400 .
China has less than 300 nuclear warheads and even fewer platforms from which those could be launched .
The U.S. claims that China will double the number of its warheads and platforms during the next ten @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to support that claim .
Why should China , with less nuclear capabilities than France and Britain , join a treaty that would limit is meager capabilities when the U.S. and Russia both have more than twenty times its numbers .
That makes no sense at all .
Marshall Billingslea , the current nominee to be Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs , is leading the U.S. delegation at today 's meeting in Vienna .
The man is a kind of loose cannon : '' Spending the adversary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threatened , is also rumored to have a certain cost .
It is quite doubtful that the U.S. is capable or willing to finance that .
Billingslea is by the way a dangerous nutter .
During the Bush administration he was Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict and the civilian responsible for the war on terror and torture regime conducted by U.S. special operation forces .
If he believes that torture can help to fight terrorism , or that nuclear tests can further arms control negotiations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threats of an arms race can push China into a treaty it does not want .
In reality neither will work .
The U.S. delegation brought Chinese flags to the conference room in Vienna and Billingslea posted a picture of them .
U.S. and Russian flags can be seen in the background .
The Russian side protested ( in Russian ) against the nonsense .
China is not part of the negotiations and its national symbols should not be there .
The U.S. delegation then removed all flags , including the U.S. and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
At the start fo the meeting the Russian Ambassador to Austria Dmitry Lyubinsky posted this picture which shows that all flags were removed .
China 's permanent mission in Vienna tweeted a picture of Billinglea 's tweet and added some snark : The China Daily bureau chief in Europe also responded : And that is the core of the issue .
The U.S. has no credibility left and is not making sense at all .
Its diplomacy has been reduced to rediculous behavior .
This is not just a problem under President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton busted into a meeting the Chinese president held with other heads of governments : In her memoir Hillary Clinton described the embarrassing incident as a great success but in fact the U.S. efforts failed as the Copenhagen conference ended only with empty promises and a nonbinding accord .
The New START negotiations will likely likewise fail .
The Russian side is already expecting this : Russia 's lead envoy in the talks has told NBC News that the Kremlin does not currently believe the United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Treaty , or New START , ratified by President Barack Obama in 2011 and due to expire in February .
... [ Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei ] Ryabkov also said that Russia would be unable to force China to join the negotiations and was unwilling to try .
He added that if Washington had concerns about Beijing ’ s nuclear activities , then it was up to American officials to bring the Chinese on board .
“ The U.S. administration currently is so obsessed with China , ” he said , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chinese idea overshadows , in my view , everything else.
” The obsession with China will cost the U.S. the insights into Russia 's strategic weapons that the inspection regime under New START currently allows it to have .
Its own insecurity will thus only grow .
Posted by b on June 22 , 2020 at 17:25 UTC | Permalink '' b '' is Moon of Alabama 's founding ( and chief ) editor .
This site 's purpose is to discuss politics , economics , philosophy and blogger Billmon 's Whiskey Bar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as an independent , open forum for members of the Whiskey Bar community .
Bernhard ) '' b '' ) started and still runs the site .
Once in a while you will also find posts and art from regular commentators .
You can reach the current administrator of this site by emailing Bernhard at MoonofA @ aol.com .
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License .

Please make sure these dispatches reach as many readers as possible. Share with kin, friends and workmates and ask them to do likewise.
DISPATCHES FROM MOON OF ALABAMA, BY "B"
This article is part of an ongoing series of dispatches from Moon of Alabama
T
alks between Russia and the United States about the renewal of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty began today. The New START treaty limits the number of nuclear capable platforms each side can deploy.
The U.S. says it wants to bring China into the negotiations. We explained at length why that does not make sense and why it is thereby not going to happen:
Russia and the U.S. both have some 6,000+ nuclear warheads. The New START Treaty between the U.S. and Russia limits the numbers of platforms - missiles, bombers and submarines - that each side can use to launch strategic nuclear weapons to some 1,400. China has less than 300 nuclear warheads and even fewer platforms from which those could be launched. The U.S. claims that China will double the number of its warheads and platforms during the next ten years but there is again zero evidence to support that claim. Why should China, with less nuclear capabilities than France and Britain, join a treaty that would limit is meager capabilities when the U.S. and Russia both have more than twenty times its numbers. That makes no sense at all.
Marshall Billingslea, the current nominee to be Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs, is leading the U.S. delegation at today's meeting in Vienna. The man is a kind of loose cannon:
"Spending the adversary into oblivion", as Billingslea's threatened, is also rumored to have a certain cost. It is quite doubtful that the U.S. is capable or willing to finance that. Billingslea is by the way a dangerous nutter. During the Bush administration he was Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict and the civilian responsible for the war on terror and torture regime conducted by U.S. special operation forces. If he believes that torture can help to fight terrorism, or that nuclear tests can further arms control negotiations, he might also believe that unrealistic threats of an arms race can push China into a treaty it does not want. In reality neither will work.
Today Billingslea staged this dumb act:
The U.S. delegation brought Chinese flags to the conference room in Vienna and Billingslea posted a picture of them. U.S. and Russian flags can be seen in the background. The Russian side protested (in Russian) against the nonsense. China is not part of the negotiations and its national symbols should not be there. The U.S. delegation then removed all flags, including the U.S. and Russian ones, from the conference room.
At the start fo the meeting the Russian Ambassador to Austria Dmitry Lyubinsky posted this picture which shows that all flags were removed.
China's permanent mission in Vienna tweeted a picture of Billinglea's tweet and added some snark:
Permanent Mission of China in Vienna @ChinaMissionVie - 10:41 UTC · Jun 22, 2020 US' performance art? @mission_rf @usunvie @ArmsControlNow @globaltimesnews
The China Daily bureau chief in Europe also responded:
Chen Weihua （陈卫华）@chenweihua - 8:23 UTC · Jun 22, 2020
Replying to @USArmsControl 1. US has kept quitting treaties, so it has left with no credibility. Go back to JCPOA and Paris accord before you make such argument. 2. China has 300 nukes in contrast to 6,000 by US and Russia. So unless you agree to come down to 300 or even 500, you’re not making sense.
And that is the core of the issue. The U.S. has no credibility left and is not making sense at all. Its diplomacy has been reduced to rediculous behavior.
This is not just a problem under President Trump. In 2009 then President Obama and then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton busted into a meeting the Chinese president held with other heads of governments:
President Barack Obama burst into a meeting of Chinese, Indian and Brazilian leaders to try and reach a climate agreement in late Friday negotiations in Copenhagen. Chinese protocol officials objected to Obama's presence in the meeting, according to a senior administration official, who said that the president didn't want the leaders negotiating in secret.
In her memoir Hillary Clinton described the embarrassing incident as a great success but in fact the U.S. efforts failed as the Copenhagen conference ended only with empty promises and a nonbinding accord.
The New START negotiations will likely likewise fail. The Russian side is already expecting this:
Russia's lead envoy in the talks has told NBC News that the Kremlin does not currently believe the United States will extend the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New START, ratified by President Barack Obama in 2011 and due to expire in February.
...
[Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei] Ryabkov also said that Russia would be unable to force China to join the negotiations and was unwilling to try. He added that if Washington had concerns about Beijing’s nuclear activities, then it was up to American officials to bring the Chinese on board. “The U.S. administration currently is so obsessed with China,” he said, that it makes progress impossible. “The Chinese idea overshadows, in my view, everything else.”
The obsession with China will cost the U.S. the insights into Russia's strategic weapons that the inspection regime under New START currently allows it to have. Its own insecurity will thus only grow.
---
Twice a year I ask readers of this blog to support my effort. Please consider contributing.
Posted by b on June 22, 2020 at 17:25 UTC | Permalink
Comments Sampler (original thread)
About the author(s) "b" is Moon of Alabama's founding (and chief) editor. This site's purpose is to discuss politics, economics, philosophy and blogger Billmon's Whiskey Bar writings. Moon Of Alabama was opened as an independent, open forum for members of the Whiskey Bar community. Bernhard )"b") started and still runs the site. Once in a while you will also find posts and art from regular commentators. You can reach the current administrator of this site by emailing Bernhard at MoonofA@aol.com.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
ALL CAPTIONS AND PULL QUOTES BY THE EDITORS NOT THE AUTHORS
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thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-06-24--Pompeo’s UN Move Against Iran Will Fail. Why Is He Still Pressing It?

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DISPATCHES FROM MOON OF ALABAMA , BY `` B '' This article is part of an ongoing series of dispatches from Moon of Alabama U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is pushing at the United Nations to prolong the arms embargo against Iran .
Under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action , which solved the issue of Iran 's civil nuclear program , the current arms embargo will be lifted in October .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agreement , is using nonsensical arguments to force a renewed embargo .
Other UN Security Council veto veto members will obviously reject the move .
Pompeo 's actions do not have the purpose to achieve something .
They are campaign material targeted at a domestic audience .
Part of Pompeo 's campaign is a push of 'scary Iran ' propaganda .
Here is one example : The tweet came with an attached map that shows the maximum distance the planes Iran might buy can fly at cruise altitude until they run out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will spend tens of millions on planes , fly them unopposed through the radar coverage of several countries , to let Iranian Kamikaze pilots crash them into some temple in Nepal .
This does not make any sense .
No foreign politician will be impressed by this 'argument ' .
Pompeo 's tweet is for consumption at home .
At the UN the U.S. is trying to get a new arms embargo resolution against Iran : The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump introduced a long-awaited U.N. Security Council ( UNSC ) draft @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that is due to expire in October , setting the stage for a great-power clash and likely veto in the U.N. ’ s principal security body , according to a copy of the draft obtained by Foreign Policy .
...
If passed , the resolution would fall under Chapter VII of the U.N. charter , making it legally binding and enforceable .
But the U.S. measure , according to several U.N. Security Council diplomats , stands little chance of being adopted by the 15-nation council .
...
Some council diplomats and other nonproliferation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way to score political points at home , not to do anything about Iran ’ s destabilizing activities in the region .
“ The skeptic in me says that the objective of this exercise is to go through the arms embargo resolution , and when it fails , to use that as an excuse to get a snapback of the embargo , and if and when that fails too , to use as a political talking point in the election campaign , ” said Mark Fitzpatrick , a former State Department nonproliferation official @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Studies .
Since China and Russia are almost certain to ignore any U.N. arms embargo forced by U.S. maneuvers , the practical impact on Iran ’ s ability to cause mischief will be minimal , he said .
“ It ’ s not actually about stopping any arms from China and Russia , it ’ s about winning a political argument , ” he said .
We explained that the U.S. does not have a 'snapback ' option .
Russia and China have also clarified that : Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Wang Yi , both wrote to the 15-member council and U.N. chief Antonio Guterres as the United States threatens to spark a so-called sanctions snapback under the Iran nuclear deal , even though Washington quit the accord in 2018 .
Lavrov wrote in the May 27 letter , made public this week , that the United States was being “ ridiculous and irresponsible.
” “ This is absolutely unacceptable and serves only to recall the famous English proverb about having one ’ s cake and eating it , ” Lavrov wrote .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of U.N. sanctions on Iran if the Security Council does not extend an arms embargo due to expire in October under Tehran ’ s deal with world powers to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons .
... Lavrov cited a 1971 International Court of Justice opinion , which found that a fundamental principle governing international relationships was that “ a party which disowns or does not fulfill its own obligations can not be recognized as retaining the rights which it claims to derive from the relationship.
” Despite the evident failure to convince @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arguments : The U.S. has left the JCPoA deal and can not claim a right under that deal to snap back the sanctions that the deal has lifted .
It is the U.S. that is isolated .
Even its allies do not support the attempt : The Trump policy against Iran has failed .
He has tried a 'maximum pressure ' campaign to blackmail Iran into more concessions .
But despite sanctions and economic problems caused by them Iran is not willing to talk with him .
Its conditions for talks are clear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Middle East , including the new sanctions against Syria under the 'Ceasar 's Law ' , have been helping Iran to strengthen its position : With Iran 's influence growing and Russia making inroads even with once staunch U.S. allies like Saudi Arabia it seems that real U.S. influence in the Middle East is on a decisive downturn .
Whatever Pompous Pompeo says or tweets will not change that .
But there 's a sucker born every minute .
Some of those may still fall for the stuff he says .
Posted by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 17:10 UTC | Permalink '' b '' is Moon of Alabama 's founding ( and chief ) editor .
This site 's purpose is to discuss politics , economics , philosophy and blogger Billmon 's Whiskey Bar writings .
Moon Of Alabama was opened as an independent , open forum for members of the Whiskey Bar community .
Bernhard ) '' b '' ) started and still runs the site .
Once in a while you will also find posts and art from regular commentators .
You can reach the current administrator of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aol.com .
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License .

Please make sure these dispatches reach as many readers as possible. Share with kin, friends and workmates and ask them to do likewise.
DISPATCHES FROM MOON OF ALABAMA, BY "B"
This article is part of an ongoing series of dispatches from Moon of Alabama
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is pushing at the United Nations to prolong the arms embargo against Iran. Under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which solved the issue of Iran's civil nuclear program, the current arms embargo will be lifted in October.
The U.S., which has left the JCPoA agreement, is using nonsensical arguments to force a renewed embargo. Other UN Security Council veto veto members will obviously reject the move. Pompeo's actions do not have the purpose to achieve something. They are campaign material targeted at a domestic audience.
Part of Pompeo's campaign is a push of 'scary Iran' propaganda.
Here is one example:
Secretary Pompeo @SecPompeo - 16:59 UTC · Jun 23, 2020 If the @UN Arms Embargo on Iran expires in October, Iran will be able to buy new fighter aircraft like Russia’s SU-30 and China’s J-10. With these highly lethal aircraft, Europe and Asia could be in Iran’s crosshairs. The U.S. will never let this happen.
The tweet came with an attached map that shows the maximum distance the planes Iran might buy can fly at cruise altitude until they run out of gas.
Pompeo is suggesting that Iran will spend tens of millions on planes, fly them unopposed through the radar coverage of several countries, to let Iranian Kamikaze pilots crash them into some temple in Nepal.
This does not make any sense. No foreign politician will be impressed by this 'argument'. Pompeo's tweet is for consumption at home.
At the UN the U.S. is trying to get a new arms embargo resolution against Iran:
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump introduced a long-awaited U.N. Security Council (UNSC) draft resolution extending an arms embargo on Iran that is due to expire in October, setting the stage for a great-power clash and likely veto in the U.N.’s principal security body, according to a copy of the draft obtained by Foreign Policy.
...
If passed, the resolution would fall under Chapter VII of the U.N. charter, making it legally binding and enforceable. But the U.S. measure, according to several U.N. Security Council diplomats, stands little chance of being adopted by the 15-nation council.
...
Some council diplomats and other nonproliferation experts see the U.S. move as a way to score political points at home, not to do anything about Iran’s destabilizing activities in the region. “The skeptic in me says that the objective of this exercise is to go through the arms embargo resolution, and when it fails, to use that as an excuse to get a snapback of the embargo, and if and when that fails too, to use as a political talking point in the election campaign,” said Mark Fitzpatrick, a former State Department nonproliferation official now at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Since China and Russia are almost certain to ignore any U.N. arms embargo forced by U.S. maneuvers, the practical impact on Iran’s ability to cause mischief will be minimal, he said. “It’s not actually about stopping any arms from China and Russia, it’s about winning a political argument,” he said.
We explained that the U.S. does not have a 'snapback' option. Russia and China have also clarified that:
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the Chinese government’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, both wrote to the 15-member council and U.N. chief Antonio Guterres as the United States threatens to spark a so-called sanctions snapback under the Iran nuclear deal, even though Washington quit the accord in 2018. Lavrov wrote in the May 27 letter, made public this week, that the United States was being “ridiculous and irresponsible.” “This is absolutely unacceptable and serves only to recall the famous English proverb about having one’s cake and eating it,” Lavrov wrote. Washington has threatened to trigger a return of U.N. sanctions on Iran if the Security Council does not extend an arms embargo due to expire in October under Tehran’s deal with world powers to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.
...
Lavrov cited a 1971 International Court of Justice opinion, which found that a fundamental principle governing international relationships was that “a party which disowns or does not fulfill its own obligations cannot be recognized as retaining the rights which it claims to derive from the relationship.”
Despite the evident failure to convince others the U.S. continues to make stupid arguments:
Russia and China will be isolated at the United Nations if they continue down the “road to dystopia” by blocking a U.S. bid to extend a weapons ban on Iran, U.S. Iran envoy Brian Hook told Reuters ahead of his formal pitch of the embargo to the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday.
...
“We see a widening gap between Russia and China and the international community,” Hook said in an interview with Reuters on Tuesday evening.
The U.S. has left the JCPoA deal and can not claim a right under that deal to snap back the sanctions that the deal has lifted. It is the U.S. that is isolated. Even its allies do not support the attempt:
“We firmly believe that any unilateral attempt to trigger UN sanctions snapback would have serious adverse consequences in the UNSC,” the foreign ministers of Britain, France, and Germany said in a statement on June 19. “We would not support such a decision which would be incompatible with our current efforts to preserve the JCPoA.”
The Trump policy against Iran has failed. He has tried a 'maximum pressure' campaign to blackmail Iran into more concessions. But despite sanctions and economic problems caused by them Iran is not willing to talk with him. Its conditions for talks are clear:
“We have no problem with talks with the U.S., but only if Washington fulfils its obligations under the nuclear deal, apologies and compensates Tehran for its withdrawal from the 2015 deal,” Rouhani said in a televised speech.
The U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, including the new sanctions against Syria under the 'Ceasar's Law', have been helping Iran to strengthen its position:
Iran is reaping huge benefits, including more robust allies and resistant strongholds as a result of the US’s flawed Middle Eastern policies. Motivated by the threat of the implementation of “Caesar’ Law”, Iran has prepared a series of steps to sell its oil and finance its allies, bypassing depletion of its foreign currency reserves. Iranian companies found in Syria a paradise for strategic investment and offered the needed alternative to a Syrian economy crippled by sanctions and nine years of war. Iran considers Syria a fertile ground to expand its commerce and business like never before.
With Iran's influence growing and Russia making inroads even with once staunch U.S. allies like Saudi Arabia it seems that real U.S. influence in the Middle East is on a decisive downturn.
Whatever Pompous Pompeo says or tweets will not change that. But there's a sucker born every minute. Some of those may still fall for the stuff he says.
---
Twice a year I ask readers of this blog to support my effort. Please consider contributing.
Posted by b on June 24, 2020 at 17:10 UTC | Permalink
Comments Sampler (Original thread)
About the author(s) "b" is Moon of Alabama's founding (and chief) editor. This site's purpose is to discuss politics, economics, philosophy and blogger Billmon's Whiskey Bar writings. Moon Of Alabama was opened as an independent, open forum for members of the Whiskey Bar community. Bernhard )"b") started and still runs the site. Once in a while you will also find posts and art from regular commentators. You can reach the current administrator of this site by emailing Bernhard at MoonofA@aol.com.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
ALL CAPTIONS AND PULL QUOTES BY THE EDITORS NOT THE AUTHORS
Comment here or on our Facebook Group page.


thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-06-24--Britain: tear down the racist statues – and the racist capitalist system

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he British establishment is attempting to divert the movement against racism down safe-channels – turning the struggle into a polarising ‘ culture war ’ , and offering tokenistic gestures .
Instead , we must fight for socialist change .
The ruling class has raised a hue and cry over the toppling of the statue of slave-trader Edward Colston in Bristol , since it was thrown into the River Avon by local activists on 7 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have happened in our ‘ civilised ’ parliamentary democracy .
Protesters have been described as ‘ thugs ’ and ‘ vandals ’ by Boris Johnson and other Tory ministers for not following the ‘ proper channels ’ .
But the fact is that the Bristol demonstrators achieved in a few hours what years of polite appeals had failed to do .
Notably , this mass direct action has forced the authorities across the country to take steps to remove other monuments to imperialism and colonialism .
A statue of slaveholder Robert Milligan outside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been taken down , for example .
And Oriel College in Oxford University recently voted to look into removing the statue of notorious British colonialist Cecil Rhodes , thanks to huge street protests organised by the ‘ Rhodes Must Fall ’ campaign .
Events in Britain have even had international ramifications .
Statues of brutal Belgian imperialist Leopold II have been set on fire and defaced in Antwerp and elsewhere .
And there have been calls for Confederate monuments to be taken down across the USA .
Back home , the ensuing debate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s colonial history – a useful reminder of how much of the ‘ old wealth ’ of capitalism is very much built on racism , slavery , and imperialism .
Labour leader Keir Starmer , however , has offered only a mealy-mouthed response .
Starmer scandalously condemned the Bristol protesters for taking matters into their own hands ; conveniently forgetting about the struggles taken by the labour movement and the oppressed throughout history – often involving illegal methods – in the face of blatant injustice .
Keir Starmer and the other Labour @ @ @ @ @ @ @ efforts would do well to remember that real historical change is never obtained by appealing to the ruling class through the ‘ proper channels ’ , but by the working class uniting to organise and fight for progress .
Socialists wholeheartedly support the pulling down of statues like Colston and Rhodes .
This form of mass direct action is not merely symbolic , but can also have a powerful effect on consciousness , giving workers and youth the confidence to trust in themselves and take bold action .
It shows concretely that militancy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these protests have set off all sorts of alarm bells for the establishment .
They have called it ‘ mob rule ’ , and are petrified precisely because they can not control it .
In turn , far-right thugs and Tory backbenchers alike have rallied to ‘ defend Britain ’ s history and heritage ’ .
On Saturday 13 June , for example , in farcical scenes , fascist hooligans and flag-waving ultras descended on London to ‘ protect ’ the statue of Winston Churchill that sits outside Parliament .
Prominent Tory MPs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been outspoken in asserting that “ a Conservative government [ should ] be the staunch defender of our heritage , and take a strong stance on law and order ” .
“ Ministers must step up and say that our history is ours and we will not tolerate it being torn down ” , the Conservative MP for Mansfield demanded in the Telegraph .
The ruling class is desperate to divert the movement against racism into the territory of so-called ‘ culture wars ’ – for example , with the removal of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But this is clearly not what the BLM movement is fighting for .
It is a distraction to focus attention on these incidental examples , and to talk about culture instead of class .
All this does is to sow confusion and division amongst the working class , and sidetrack the fight against systemic , institutionalised racism .
The establishment are actively whipping up and weaponising a ‘ patriotic ’ and nationalist backlash .
The way to combat this is for the BLM movement to join forces with the labour movement : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ streets ; to fight for real material improvements such as jobs , housing , and fully-funded public services for all ; and to unite together to kick out this racist Tory government .
Renaming buildings and removing statues is a first step .
But in order to have a real impact on the lives of BAME people , this must be the spark for genuine social change .
We must not allow these measures to become mere cheap tokenistic gestures by the establishment .
For example , Tower Hamlets council has helped to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ London .
Meanwhile , however , it is cutting services that working-class BAME people rely on .
Similarly , local authorities across the country are pledging to investigate what antiquated monuments or street names need to be removed .
Yet they have done nothing to remove the dangerous cladding that remains on council estates up-and-down Britain – accommodation often inhabited by BAME communities .
It is therefore utter hypocrisy for politicians to say ‘ Black Lives Matter ’ , whilst doing nothing to solve the real material issues – such as housing , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to inequality and racism under capitalism .
To fund the sweeping measures that will genuinely address these problems , we need to expropriate the wealth of the super-rich – including the respectable ladies and gentlemen who have amassed their wealth both out of the colonial slavery of the past , and through the modern-day wage slavery of capitalism : the exploitation of the working class .
There is a very good reason why the full story about racism and colonialism is never told .
If it were , the whole rotten system would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keep existing power relations intact , and to deflect attention from the root cause of inequality : the capitalist system .
Tearing down statues like those of Colston and Rhodes is a start .
But to truly end racism , we need to tear down the whole crumbling edifice of capitalism .

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Martin Swayne
T
he British establishment is attempting to divert the movement against racism down safe-channels – turning the struggle into a polarising ‘culture war’, and offering tokenistic gestures. Instead, we must fight for socialist change.
The ruling class has raised a hue and cry over the toppling of the statue of slave-trader Edward Colston in Bristol, since it was thrown into the River Avon by local activists on 7 June.
This wasn't meant to have happened in our ‘civilised’ parliamentary democracy. Protesters have been described as ‘thugs’ and ‘vandals’ by Boris Johnson and other Tory ministers for not following the ‘proper channels’. But the fact is that the Bristol demonstrators achieved in a few hours what years of polite appeals had failed to do.
Notably, this mass direct action has forced the authorities across the country to take steps to remove other monuments to imperialism and colonialism.
A statue of slaveholder Robert Milligan outside the Museum of London Docklands has already been taken down, for example. And Oriel College in Oxford University recently voted to look into removing the statue of notorious British colonialist Cecil Rhodes, thanks to huge street protests organised by the ‘Rhodes Must Fall’ campaign.
"A statue of Robert Milligan is removed by workers from outside the Museum of London Docklands near Canary Wharf following the death of George Floyd who died in police custody in Minneapolis, London, Britain, June 9."
Pic: John Sibley/Reuters pic.twitter.com/zhcxCXAKmS — b9AcE ???? (@b9AcE) June 14, 2020
Events in Britain have even had international ramifications. Statues of brutal Belgian imperialist Leopold II have been set on fire and defaced in Antwerp and elsewhere. And there have been calls for Confederate monuments to be taken down across the USA.
The statue of genocidal maniac and king of Belgium, #Leopold_II, has finally been removed from the area of Ekeren in #Antwerpen, after having been covered in paint and set on fire by activists. #belgium #genocide #racist #just_saying pic.twitter.com/MWrs8F3woI — M.GHAZAL ???????? (@ghazal67) June 17, 2020
Back home, the ensuing debate has finally shone some light on Britain’s colonial history – a useful reminder of how much of the ‘old wealth’ of capitalism is very much built on racism, slavery, and imperialism.
Culture vs. class
Labour leader Keir Starmer, however, has offered only a mealy-mouthed response. Starmer scandalously condemned the Bristol protesters for taking matters into their own hands; conveniently forgetting about the struggles taken by the labour movement and the oppressed throughout history – often involving illegal methods – in the face of blatant injustice.
Keir Starmer and the other Labour right-wingers who have denounced activists’ recent efforts would do well to remember that real historical change is never obtained by appealing to the ruling class through the ‘proper channels’, but by the working class uniting to organise and fight for progress.
Socialists wholeheartedly support the pulling down of statues like Colston and Rhodes. This form of mass direct action is not merely symbolic, but can also have a powerful effect on consciousness, giving workers and youth the confidence to trust in themselves and take bold action. It shows concretely that militancy pays.
At the same time, these protests have set off all sorts of alarm bells for the establishment. They have called it ‘mob rule’, and are petrified precisely because they cannot control it.
In turn, far-right thugs and Tory backbenchers alike have rallied to ‘defend Britain’s history and heritage’. On Saturday 13 June, for example, in farcical scenes, fascist hooligans and flag-waving ultras descended on London to ‘protect’ the statue of Winston Churchill that sits outside Parliament.
Prominent Tory MPs such as Ben Bradley, meanwhile, have been outspoken in asserting that “a Conservative government [should] be the staunch defender of our heritage, and take a strong stance on law and order”.
“Ministers must step up and say that our history is ours and we will not tolerate it being torn down”, the Conservative MP for Mansfield demanded in the Telegraph.
Ben Bradley proudly holds the views that poor people should be castrated yet thinks racists being rightly removed from Twitter is Orwellian — Ben (@BenJolly9) June 21, 2020
The ruling class is desperate to divert the movement against racism into the territory of so-called ‘culture wars’ – for example, with the removal of a Fawlty Towers episode by the BBC.
But this is clearly not what the BLM movement is fighting for. It is a distraction to focus attention on these incidental examples, and to talk about culture instead of class. All this does is to sow confusion and division amongst the working class, and sidetrack the fight against systemic, institutionalised racism.
The establishment are actively whipping up and weaponising a ‘patriotic’ and nationalist backlash. The way to combat this is for the BLM movement to join forces with the labour movement: to drive the far right off our streets; to fight for real material improvements such as jobs, housing, and fully-funded public services for all; and to unite together to kick out this racist Tory government.
Material change
Renaming buildings and removing statues is a first step. But in order to have a real impact on the lives of BAME people, this must be the spark for genuine social change.
We must not allow these measures to become mere cheap tokenistic gestures by the establishment. For example, Tower Hamlets council has helped to remove the aforementioned Milligan statue in East London. Meanwhile, however, it is cutting services that working-class BAME people rely on.
Similarly, local authorities across the country are pledging to investigate what antiquated monuments or street names need to be removed. Yet they have done nothing to remove the dangerous cladding that remains on council estates up-and-down Britain – accommodation often inhabited by BAME communities.
It is therefore utter hypocrisy for politicians to say ‘Black Lives Matter’, whilst doing nothing to solve the real material issues – such as housing, jobs, and services – that lead to inequality and racism under capitalism.
To fund the sweeping measures that will genuinely address these problems, we need to expropriate the wealth of the super-rich – including the respectable ladies and gentlemen who have amassed their wealth both out of the colonial slavery of the past, and through the modern-day wage slavery of capitalism: the exploitation of the working class.
There is a very good reason why the full story about racism and colonialism is never told. If it were, the whole rotten system would be exposed. Whitewashing history helps to keep existing power relations intact, and to deflect attention from the root cause of inequality: the capitalist system.
Tearing down statues like those of Colston and Rhodes is a start. But to truly end racism, we need to tear down the whole crumbling edifice of capitalism.
Originally published at socialist.net