thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-08-01--U.S. Officials Disseminate Disinformation About ‘Virus Disinformation’

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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 n another round of their anti-Russian disinformation campaign ' U.S .
government officials ' claim that some websites loosely connected to Russia are spreading 'virus disinformation ' .
However , no 'virus disinformation ' can be found on those sites .
The Associated Press as well as the New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and provided write ups .
AP : US officials : Russia behind spread of virus disinformation Two Russians who have held senior roles in Moscow ’ s military intelligence service known as the GRU have been identified as responsible for a disinformation effort meant to reach American and Western audiences , U.S. government officials said .
They spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly .
The information had previously been classified , but officials said it had been downgraded so they could more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were doing so now to sound the alarm about the particular websites and to expose what they say is a clear link between the sites and Russian intelligence .
Between late May and early July , one of the officials said , the websites singled out Tuesday published about 150 articles about the pandemic response , including coverage aimed either at propping up Russia or denigrating the U.S .
Among the headlines that caught the attention of U.S. officials were “ Russia ’ s Counter COVID-19 Aid to America Advances Case for Détente @ @ @ @ @ @ @ given urgent and substantial aid to the U.S. to fight the pandemic , and “ Beijing Believes COVID-19 is a Biological Weapon , ” which amplified statements by the Chinese .
The first mentioned piece , Russia 's Counter-COVID Aid To America Advances The Case For A New Detente , is by the well known author Andrew Korybko , a U.S. political analyst living in Moscow .
It was published at OneWorld.press .
The essay discussed the Russian Coronavirus aid flown in early April from Russia to the U.S .
The analyst concludes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the beginning of a new détente between the U.S. and Russia .
There is zero 'virus disinformation ' in the Korybko piece .
The aid flight did happen and was widely reported .
In a response to the allegations the proprietors of OneWorld point out that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a recent Q & A also alluded to a new détente with Russia .
Was that also 'virus disinformation ' ?
The second piece the 'officials ' pointed out , Beijing believes COVID-19 is a biological weapon , was written In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ research fellow in international law at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro '' .
It is an exaggerating analysis of the comments and questions a spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry had made about the possible sources of the Coronavirus .
The original spokesperson quote is in the piece .
Referring to additional sources the author 's interpretation may go a bit beyond the quote 's meaning .
But it is certainly not 'virus disinformation ' to raise the same speculative question about the potential sources of the virus which at that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The piece was published by InfoBRICS.org , a `` BRICS information portal '' which publishes in the languages of the BRICS countries ( Brazil , Russia , India , China , South Africa ) .
It is presumably financed by some or all of those countries .
Another website the ' U.S .
officials ' have pointed out is InfoRos.ru which publishes in Russian and English .
The APnotes of it : A headline Tuesday on InfoRos.ru about the unrest roiling American cities read “ Chaos in the Blue Cities , ” accompanying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who grew up under the tough-on-crime approach of former Mayors Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg “ and have zero street smarts ” must now “ adapt to life in high-crime urban areas.
” Another story carried the headline of “ Ukrainian Trap for Biden , ” and claimed that “ Ukrainegate ” — a reference to stories surrounding Biden ’ s son Hunter ’ s former ties to a Ukraine gas company — “ keeps unfolding with renewed vigor.
” U.S. officials have identified two of the people believed to be behind the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Denis Valeryevich Tyurin and Aleksandr Gennadyevich Starunskiy , have previously held leadership roles at InfoRos but have also served in a GRU unit specializing in military psychological intelligence and maintain deep contacts there , the officials said .
InfoRos calls itself a 'news agency ' and has some rather boring general interest stuff on its site .
But how is its writing in FOX News style about unrest in U.S. cities and about Biden 's escapades in the Ukraine 'virus disinformation ' ?
I fail to find any on that site .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told the Washington Post , without providing any evidence , that InfoRosis related to the Russian military intelligence service GU ( formerly GRU ) : So InfoRos is getting some public grants and was allegedly previously run by two people who before that worked for the GU .
What does that say about the current state and the content it provides ?
Nothing .
The NYT adds that hardly anyone is reading the websites the ' U.S .
officials ' pointed out but that their content is at times copied by more prominent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sites ( including this one ) who copy content from various outlets and reproduce it under their name [ with proper attribution ] .
But that does not turn whatever they publish into disinformation .
All the pieces mentioned by AP and NYT and attributed to the 'Russian ' sites are basically factual and carry no 'virus disinformation ' .
That makes the ' U.S.officials ' claims that they do such the real disinformation campaign .
And the AP and NYT are willingly falling for it .
Posted by b on July 29 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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
I
n another round of their anti-Russian disinformation campaign 'U.S. government officials' claim that some websites loosely connected to Russia are spreading 'virus disinformation'.
However, no 'virus disinformation' can be found on those sites.
The Associated Press as well as the New York Times were briefed by the 'officials' and provided write ups.
AP: US officials: Russia behind spread of virus disinformation
Two Russians who have held senior roles in Moscow’s military intelligence service known as the GRU have been identified as responsible for a disinformation effort meant to reach American and Western audiences, U.S. government officials said. They spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The information had previously been classified, but officials said it had been downgraded so they could more freely discuss it. Officials said they were doing so now to sound the alarm about the particular websites and to expose what they say is a clear link between the sites and Russian intelligence. Between late May and early July, one of the officials said, the websites singled out Tuesday published about 150 articles about the pandemic response, including coverage aimed either at propping up Russia or denigrating the U.S. Among the headlines that caught the attention of U.S. officials were “Russia’s Counter COVID-19 Aid to America Advances Case for Détente,” which suggested that Russia had given urgent and substantial aid to the U.S. to fight the pandemic, and “Beijing Believes COVID-19 is a Biological Weapon,” which amplified statements by the Chinese.
The first mentioned piece, Russia's Counter-COVID Aid To America Advances The Case For A New Detente, is by the well known author Andrew Korybko, a U.S. political analyst living in Moscow. It was published at OneWorld.press. The essay discussed the Russian Coronavirus aid flown in early April from Russia to the U.S. The analyst concludes that such aid can be seen as the beginning of a new détente between the U.S. and Russia.
There is zero 'virus disinformation' in the Korybko piece. The aid flight did happen and was widely reported. In a response to the allegations the proprietors of OneWorld point out that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a recent Q&A also alluded to a new détente with Russia. Was that also 'virus disinformation'?
The second piece the 'officials' pointed out, Beijing believes COVID-19 is a biological weapon, was written In March by Lucas Leiroz, a "research fellow in international law at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro". It is an exaggerating analysis of the comments and questions a spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry had made about the possible sources of the Coronavirus.
The original spokesperson quote is in the piece. Referring to additional sources the author's interpretation may go a bit beyond the quote's meaning. But it is certainly not 'virus disinformation' to raise the same speculative question about the potential sources of the virus which at that time many others were also asking.
The piece was published by InfoBRICS.org, a "BRICS information portal" which publishes in the languages of the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa). It is presumably financed by some or all of those countries.
Another website the 'U.S. officials' have pointed out is InfoRos.ru which publishes in Russian and English. The APnotes of it:
A headline Tuesday on InfoRos.ru about the unrest roiling American cities read “Chaos in the Blue Cities,” accompanying a story that lamented how New Yorkers who grew up under the tough-on-crime approach of former Mayors Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg “and have zero street smarts” must now “adapt to life in high-crime urban areas.” Another story carried the headline of “Ukrainian Trap for Biden,” and claimed that “Ukrainegate” — a reference to stories surrounding Biden’s son Hunter’s former ties to a Ukraine gas company — “keeps unfolding with renewed vigor.” U.S. officials have identified two of the people believed to be behind the sites’ operations. The men, Denis Valeryevich Tyurin and Aleksandr Gennadyevich Starunskiy, have previously held leadership roles at InfoRos but have also served in a GRU unit specializing in military psychological intelligence and maintain deep contacts there, the officials said.
InfoRos calls itself a 'news agency' and has some rather boring general interest stuff on its site. But how is its writing in FOX News style about unrest in U.S. cities and about Biden's escapades in the Ukraine 'virus disinformation'? I fail to find any on that site.
In 2018 some "western intelligence agency" told the Washington Post, without providing any evidence, that InfoRosis related to the Russian military intelligence service GU (formerly GRU):
Unit 54777 has several front organizations that are financed through government grants as public diplomacy organizations but are covertly run by the GRU and aimed at Russian expatriates, the intelligence officer said. Two of the most significant are InfoRos and the Institute of the Russian Diaspora.
So InfoRos is getting some public grants and was allegedly previously run by two people who before that worked for the GU. What does that say about the current state and the content it provides? Nothing.
The NYT adds that hardly anyone is reading the websites the 'U.S. officials' pointed out but that their content is at times copied by more prominent aggregator sites:
“What we have seen from G.R.U. operations is oftentimes the social media component is a flop, but the narrative content that they write is shared more broadly through the niche media ecosystem,” said Renee DiResta, a research manager at the Stanford Internet Observatory, who has studied the G.R.U. and InfoRos ties and propaganda work.
There are plenty of sites (including this one) who copy content from various outlets and reproduce it under their name [with proper attribution]. But that does not turn whatever they publish into disinformation.
All the pieces mentioned by AP and NYT and attributed to the 'Russian' sites are basically factual and carry no 'virus disinformation'. That makes the 'U.S.officials' claims that they do such the real disinformation campaign.
And the AP and NYT are willingly falling for it.
Posted by b on July 29, 2020 at 16:56 UTC | Permalink
Comments Sampler
NOTE ^1000Careerist lackeys serving the elites control the American press. Ever pushing for war and inequality, covering up the oligarchy's crimes... They are in reality shameless disinformers. No wonder the world is in such terrible disarray.
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--2020-08-02--Chile Takes to the Streets Against President Sebastian Piñera

^5000The mainstream imperialist media lie CONSTANTLY .
Literally 24/7 .
And it 's getting worse .
All of them do @ @ @ @ @ , the newspapers , the movies .
The internet .
No exceptions .
The corporate @ @ @ @ @ totalitarian .
CBS does it .
NBC does it .
ABC does it .
CNN @ @ @ @ @ it .
NPR does it .
And of course the NYTimes and WaPo do it @ @ @ @ @ '' voices telling you the same lies .
Enough to convince anyone .

Up to You.
^3000US citizens have no real political representation.
We don't live in a democracy. And our freedom is disappearing fast.
I don't want to be ruled by hypocrites, whores, and war criminals.
What about you? Time to push back against the corporate oligarchy.
And its multitude of minions and lackeys.


thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-08-02--Social change and turmoil are unpredictable: Portland has been the consistent, uninterrupted pulse o

Social change and turmoil are unpredictable: Portland has been the consistent, uninterrupted pulse of the movement.

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Share with kin , friends and workmates and ask them to do likewise .
ho would have bet that Portland , Ore. , of all possible places , would become the focus of one of the most recalcitrant , and courageous anti-status quo protests ?
It 's humbling , folks .
History always carries surprises in its folds .
It 's regrettable that such enthusiasm is not liable to survive the many devious stratagems deployed by false friends of the people , particularly the Democrats and their media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a properly organized party and leadership capable of providing authentic social change guidance in the months and years ahead .
Seems like , at this moment , given the painful underdevelopment of subjectively conscious revolutionary militants , the best any non-corporate formation can do is `` tailism '' .
Do n't know what `` tailism '' is ?
Check out the definitions provided below .
Adventurism is n't a purely Marxist term , it simply means politics or activism based around excitement or a lust for `` adventure . ''
I think its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Opportunism is changing or altering political positions for personal gain .
This video explains the concept of opportunism ( as well as ultra-leftism , which I think is a grossly overused term despite it having an actual use ) Defeatism , in socialist circles , is the idea that communism is impossible for whatever reason , and that we should just accept defeat and try to make the best out of capitalism .
Again , pretty obvious why Marxists should oppose this one as well .
I did n't know what Tailism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found on it : [ Lenin ] first used tailism ( khvostism ) to describe the ‘ Economists ’ , those who argued that the communist party should not take the lead in a revolutionary situation , but should allow economic events – crises , strikes , unrest – to unfold on their own .
The party would then pick up on the tail of these events .
No way , argues Lenin ; the party is the vanguard , educating , agitating , watching for opportunities .
Putschism is the idea that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plot .
Marxists object to this , as we recognize that socialism can only be achieved through a mass proletarian revolution ( the exact nature of this revolution is where Marxists diverge ) .

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Patrice Greanville
W
Portland has been the consistent, uninterrupted pulse of the movement. Their courage continues to inspire millions across the country. pic.twitter.com/ppCJuFxlXe — ????dev DECKER ™ ???????? (@dev_decker) August 2, 2020
ho would have bet that Portland, Ore., of all possible places, would become the focus of one of the most recalcitrant, and courageous anti-status quo protests? It's humbling, folks. History always carries surprises in its folds. It's regrettable that such enthusiasm is not liable to survive the many devious stratagems deployed by false friends of the people, particularly the Democrats and their media shills, and the painful lack of a properly organized party and leadership capable of providing authentic social change guidance in the months and years ahead. Seems like, at this moment, given the painful underdevelopment of subjectively conscious revolutionary militants, the best any non-corporate formation can do is "tailism". Don't know what "tailism" is? Check out the definitions provided below.


thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-08-02--In Praise of Elisha Cook

In Praise of Elisha Cook

n the opening scene of Roman Polanski ’ s Rosemary ’ s Baby of 1968 , an old apartment manager named Mr. Niklas shows a young couple through the building which is , unbeknownst to them , home to a coven of witches .
As they walk through the foyer , Mr. Niklas discovers that the husband is an actor and asks , “ Have I seen you in anything ?
” It ’ s a sly bit piece of casting that this line should be uttered by one of the great character actors of moving pictures—Elisha Cook , Jr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intensity and slightly askew trustworthiness he delivered in Rosemary ’ s Baby , Cook gave his characters a ruffled quirkiness that made many of them immortal .
Elisha Cook was officially married three times , the first time to singer Mary Gertrude ( née Dunckley ) Cook ( 1910-1944 ) from 1928 until their divorce on November 4 , 1941 .
[ 10 ] He then married Illinois native Elvira Ann ( Peggy ) McKenna in 1943 .
The couple were married for 25 years until they formally divorced in Inyo County , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Elisha , however , remarried almost four years later on December 30 , 1971 .
[ 11 ] [ 9 ] Their second marriage lasted another 19 years until Peggy 's death on December 23 , 1990 .
Various references about Cook state that he had no children from his marriages ; yet , his army enlistment record of 1942 documents his marital status as `` Divorced , with dependents , '' which suggests he may have had a child or children with his first wife .
[ 5 ] He resided @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but he typically spent his summers at Lake Sabrina in the Sierra Nevada .
[ 2 ] .
“ When he was wanted in Hollywood , ” wrote John Huston , “ they sent word up to his cabin by courier .
He would come down to do a picture and then withdraw again to his retreat.
” Want him they did .
In a career that spanned six decades he appeared in over 100 films .
Huston directed Cook in the 1941 film Maltese Falcon , where he gave his most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ —as the gunsel Wilmer , a skittery foil for Humphrey Bogart ’ s unflappable Sam Spade .
Throughout the film Spade taunts Wilmer , impotent in these confrontations even though he is capable of killing .
We know it ’ s just empty talk when Wilmer arches his brow , sticks out his chin and warns Spade , “ Keep on ridin ’ me , they ’ re gon na be pickin ’ iron out of your liver.
” Even facing Wilmer ’ s pistols , Spade ridicules him and convinces this lethal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fatman , that his flunky must take the fall .
Tears welling in his eyes , Wilmer pleads for permission to kill Spade , but the Fatman must have the falcon : “ sorry to lose you , Wilmer , you ’ re like a son to me.
” Spade punches Wilmer and drops him to the floor .
Cook had a genius for playing characters who could be bated , manipulated , and done away with .
When Cook decided to leave Broadway for Hollywood ( or Hollywoodland as it was then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s , the playwright , Owen Davis advised him to be careful about fame : “ Junior , if you want to be intelligent , play small parts , because then they can never blame you if the movie is bad.
” As in many of his films Cook was not even listed in the opening credits of The Maltese Falcon .
Cook was a small man ( 5'.5 '' ) with a boyish face which he molded brilliantly to expressions of disbelief and indignation .
When he appeared in The Maltese Falcon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a kid of about twenty .
It is often difficult to gauge someone ’ s size on the movie screen , and many are the cinematic tricks that inflate the stature of little leading men who must be big .
In Howard Hawks ’ 1946 The Big Sleep , a film in which Cook and Bogie once again met up , the barrier protecting the hero from his real-life stature is breached with brilliance .
In the opening scene of the film a young woman in very short shorts informs detective Philip Marlowe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re not very tall are you ?
” He responds , “ I tried to be.
” Later in the same film a stool pigeon named Harry Jones ( Elisha Cook ) offers some information to Marlowe .
Jones also lets on that he is going to marrying a woman Marlowe has had a run in with earlier .
“ She a nice girl , ” says Jones .
“ We ’ re talking of getting married.
” Undoubtedly remembering the jibes about his own height , Marlowe taunts the diminutive thug , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for you .
She ’ ll roll on you and smother you.
” Cook activates his talented eyebrows and recoils , wounded : “ That ’ s a dirty crack , brother , ” and Marlowe admits it .
A short while later Jones is forced to drink poison at gunpoint .
When Marlowe discovers Jones ’ s dead body and calls the police , he describes the victim as a “ Little guy .
Weighs about 115 pounds.
” The dialogue ( Williams Faulkner co-wrote the script ) is sharp , cutting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be told again that the dead man was small .
Cook was often cocking his head , looking up at those who would later undo him .
Even the screen ’ s women towered over him .
In Stanley Kubrick ’ s 1956 film The Killing , Cook gave one of his largest and finest performances as the racetrack cashier George Peatty , the inside man in a complex caper masterminded by a laconic ringleader ( Sterling Hayden ) .
When Peatty ’ s wife Sherry ( Marie Windsor ) suspects that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she plays on his insecurities , and gets him to tell her about the robbery .
Sherry ’ s lover and his gang surprise George in his apartment .
George has resorted to crime only to do right by his wife and that naïve love is what brings on the destruction of him and his band of crooks .
Cook was great at dying .
His Peatty goes out still incredulous that his own wife had betrayed him .
Only Cook could have made George Peatty one of the most pathetic characters in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his most memorable roles , Cook played the drummer Cliff Millburn in Phantom Lady ( 1944 ) .
A woman ( Ella Raines ) is trying to clear her fiancé of murder charges by finding the real killer .
Pursuing a lead , she puts on a provocative outfit and goes to a seedy basement jazz club where Cliff , a possible witness , performs an orgasmic drum solo while leering at her , the film intercutting between his overheated rhythmic ejaculations and her self-display .
Cook ’ s antic drumming—however unrealistic—makes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jazz eroticism .
In Shane ( 1953 ) Cook was the blustery southerner Stonewall Torrey , a character on the side of righteousness—a rarity among Cook ’ s roles .
The inverse of Wilmer , Torrey is an impotent gunman whose stubbornness gets him killed .
Cook recalled a vignette that , at least in my mind , helps the slightest bit to rehabilitate this most sanctimonious of Westerns .
Black-hatted Jack Wilson ( Jack Palance ) goads Torrey into drawing his revolver to defend the honor of his namesake Stonewall Jackson ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wilson has called “ trash.
” ( Author ’ s note from 2020 : Oh , how those Confederate names ring out differently these days ! )
Torrey barely gets his revolver out of its holster , the barrel angled impotently down in front of him into the mud he ’ ll soon fall into .
Quicker on the draw , Wilson ’ s gun is pointed right at Torrey , whose height is diminished still further because he ’ s down in muddy street below the bad guy up on the wooden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pair hold their poses for a couple of grueling seconds .
Then Wilson guns down the Southerner .
As Cook lay in the mud after the scene had been filmed , the director George Stevens ran over to him and yelled “ You dumb son of a bitch !
See what happens when you stand up for a principle ?
” A week ago my wife and I went to a screening of One-Eyed Jacks ( 1961 ) starring Marlon Brando , and the only film he ever directed .
Near the end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into Monterey to rob a bank .
When we saw that Elisha Cook was the teller we nudged each other and watched him convert a clichéd scene into a small gem .
Two days later we learned that Elisha Cook had died at the age of 91 .
The New York Times obituary reported that Cook left no survivors , a statement true only if you think that the family of fabulously dysfunctional characters he created has died with him .
Clip from a French interview with Elisha .
The man could see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CAPTIONS BY THE EDITORS NOT THE AUTHORS .
ANNOTATED BY PATRICE GREANVILLE .
This first appeared in the Anderson Valley Advertiser , May 24 , 1995 .

by DAVID YEARSLEY
I
n the opening scene of Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby of 1968, an old apartment manager named Mr. Niklas shows a young couple through the building which is, unbeknownst to them, home to a coven of witches. As they walk through the foyer, Mr. Niklas discovers that the husband is an actor and asks, “Have I seen you in anything?” It’s a sly bit piece of casting that this line should be uttered by one of the great character actors of moving pictures—Elisha Cook, Jr. As in the unsettling amalgam of manic intensity and slightly askew trustworthiness he delivered in Rosemary’s Baby, Cook gave his characters a ruffled quirkiness that made many of them immortal.
Elisha Cook was officially married three times, the first time to singer Mary Gertrude (née Dunckley) Cook (1910-1944) from 1928 until their divorce on November 4, 1941.[10] He then married Illinois native Elvira Ann (Peggy) McKenna in 1943. The couple were married for 25 years until they formally divorced in Inyo County, California, in February 1968. Peggy and Elisha, however, remarried almost four years later on December 30, 1971.[11][9] Their second marriage lasted another 19 years until Peggy's death on December 23, 1990. Various references about Cook state that he had no children from his marriages; yet, his army enlistment record of 1942 documents his marital status as "Divorced, with dependents," which suggests he may have had a child or children with his first wife.[5] He resided for many years in Bishop, California, but he typically spent his summers at Lake Sabrina in the Sierra Nevada.[2] . “When he was wanted in Hollywood,” wrote John Huston, “they sent word up to his cabin by courier. He would come down to do a picture and then withdraw again to his retreat.”
Want him they did. In a career that spanned six decades he appeared in over 100 films.
Huston directed Cook in the 1941 film Maltese Falcon, where he gave his most famous performance— and his own personal favorite —as the gunsel Wilmer, a skittery foil for Humphrey Bogart’s unflappable Sam Spade. Throughout the film Spade taunts Wilmer, impotent in these confrontations even though he is capable of killing. We know it’s just empty talk when Wilmer arches his brow, sticks out his chin and warns Spade, “Keep on ridin’ me, they’re gonna be pickin’ iron out of your liver.” Even facing Wilmer’s pistols, Spade ridicules him and convinces this lethal errand boy’s boss, the Fatman, that his flunky must take the fall. Tears welling in his eyes, Wilmer pleads for permission to kill Spade, but the Fatman must have the falcon: “sorry to lose you, Wilmer, you’re like a son to me.” Spade punches Wilmer and drops him to the floor. Cook had a genius for playing characters who could be bated, manipulated, and done away with.
When Cook decided to leave Broadway for Hollywood (or Hollywoodland as it was then known) in the early 1930’s, the playwright, Owen Davis advised him to be careful about fame: “Junior, if you want to be intelligent, play small parts, because then they can never blame you if the movie is bad.” As in many of his films Cook was not even listed in the opening credits of The Maltese Falcon.
Cook was a small man (5'.5") with a boyish face which he molded brilliantly to expressions of disbelief and indignation. When he appeared in The Maltese Falcon he was nearly forty, but played a kid of about twenty. It is often difficult to gauge someone’s size on the movie screen, and many are the cinematic tricks that inflate the stature of little leading men who must be big. In Howard Hawks’ 1946 The Big Sleep, a film in which Cook and Bogie once again met up, the barrier protecting the hero from his real-life stature is breached with brilliance. In the opening scene of the film a young woman in very short shorts informs detective Philip Marlowe (Bogart),”You’re not very tall are you?” He responds, “I tried to be.” Later in the same film a stool pigeon named Harry Jones (Elisha Cook) offers some information to Marlowe. Jones also lets on that he is going to marrying a woman Marlowe has had a run in with earlier. “She a nice girl,” says Jones. “We’re talking of getting married.” Undoubtedly remembering the jibes about his own height, Marlowe taunts the diminutive thug, “She’s a little big for you. She’ll roll on you and smother you.” Cook activates his talented eyebrows and recoils, wounded: “That’s a dirty crack, brother,” and Marlowe admits it. A short while later Jones is forced to drink poison at gunpoint. When Marlowe discovers Jones’s dead body and calls the police, he describes the victim as a “Little guy. Weighs about 115 pounds.” The dialogue (Williams Faulkner co-wrote the script) is sharp, cutting, but we didn’t need to be told again that the dead man was small. Cook was often cocking his head, looking up at those who would later undo him.
Even the screen’s women towered over him. In Stanley Kubrick’s 1956 film The Killing, Cook gave one of his largest and finest performances as the racetrack cashier George Peatty, the inside man in a complex caper masterminded by a laconic ringleader (Sterling Hayden). When Peatty’s wife Sherry (Marie Windsor) suspects that he may be planning a heist, she plays on his insecurities, and gets him to tell her about the robbery. Sherry’s lover and his gang surprise George in his apartment. George has resorted to crime only to do right by his wife and that naïve love is what brings on the destruction of him and his band of crooks. Cook was great at dying. His Peatty goes out still incredulous that his own wife had betrayed him. Only Cook could have made George Peatty one of the most pathetic characters in all of film noir.
In another of his most memorable roles, Cook played the drummer Cliff Millburn in Phantom Lady (1944). A woman (Ella Raines) is trying to clear her fiancé of murder charges by finding the real killer. Pursuing a lead, she puts on a provocative outfit and goes to a seedy basement jazz club where Cliff, a possible witness, performs an orgasmic drum solo while leering at her, the film intercutting between his overheated rhythmic ejaculations and her self-display. Cook’s antic drumming—however unrealistic—makes for fevered and nightmarish evocation of twisted jazz eroticism.
In Shane (1953) Cook was the blustery southerner Stonewall Torrey, a character on the side of righteousness—a rarity among Cook’s roles. The inverse of Wilmer, Torrey is an impotent gunman whose stubbornness gets him killed. Cook recalled a vignette that, at least in my mind, helps the slightest bit to rehabilitate this most sanctimonious of Westerns. Black-hatted Jack Wilson (Jack Palance) goads Torrey into drawing his revolver to defend the honor of his namesake Stonewall Jackson (and Robert E. Lee), whom Wilson has called “trash.” (Author’s note from 2020: Oh, how those Confederate names ring out differently these days!) Torrey barely gets his revolver out of its holster, the barrel angled impotently down in front of him into the mud he’ll soon fall into. Quicker on the draw, Wilson’s gun is pointed right at Torrey, whose height is diminished still further because he’s down in muddy street below the bad guy up on the wooden sidewalk of the Western town. The pair hold their poses for a couple of grueling seconds. Then Wilson guns down the Southerner. As Cook lay in the mud after the scene had been filmed, the director George Stevens ran over to him and yelled “You dumb son of a bitch! See what happens when you stand up for a principle?”
A week ago my wife and I went to a screening of One-Eyed Jacks (1961) starring Marlon Brando, and the only film he ever directed. Near the end of the movie, two men ride into Monterey to rob a bank. When we saw that Elisha Cook was the teller we nudged each other and watched him convert a clichéd scene into a small gem.
Two days later we learned that Elisha Cook had died at the age of 91. The New York Times obituary reported that Cook left no survivors, a statement true only if you think that the family of fabulously dysfunctional characters he created has died with him.
BONUS
Clip from a French interview with Elisha. The man could see and appreciate talent in directors.
ALL CAPTIONS BY THE EDITORS NOT THE AUTHORS.
ANNOTATED BY PATRICE GREANVILLE.
This first appeared in the Anderson Valley Advertiser, May 24, 1995.


thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-08-02--THIS WEEK IN CHINA: The Trade War with China, China-Russia Abandon the Dollar, and much more

The size of China ’ s displacement of the world balance is such that the world must find a new balance .
It is not possible to pretend that this is just another big player .
This is the biggest player in the history of the world .
– Lee Kwan Yew .
Factory activity expanded in July for the fifth month in a row and at a faster pace , beating analyst expectations .
The official manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index ( PMI ) rose to 51.1 in July from June 's 50.9 , the highest reading since March .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 50.7 .
[ MORE ] In a series of deals worth hundreds of billions , PipeChina recently acquired infrastructure assets from China ’ s three largest energy companies .
Central state ownership of the nation 's vast pipeline network , liquefied natural gas ( LNG ) terminals and oil storage facilities will make it easier for smaller players to enter the energy sector and keep costs down .
[ MORE ] Tesla is advertising for another 1,000 Chinese factory workers and designers to join its studio as production ramps up .
Q2 China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1.4 billion , which means China generates 23 % of Tesla ’ s total revenues compared to 11 % last year .
[ MORE ] The world 's biggest liquor company , Kweichow Moutai , said net income rose 13 % in H1 2020 .
Earnings for the first six months were $ 3.2 billion and revenue jumped 11 % .
[ MORE ] Tencent is now bigger than Facebook .
After adding around $ 200 billion to its value this year , Tencent shares rallied around 43 % year-to-date ( compared to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 198 billion to Tencent ’ s value .
[ MORE ] As the chart above shows , China 's membership in the WTO did not affect its manufacturing decline .
[ Cato Institute ] Moody ’ s says the trade war cost the U.S. economy 300,000 jobs and 0.3 % of GDP .
Bloomberg says it will cost $ 316 billion this year , while the New York Fed found that US companies 's stocks lost $ 1.7 trillion as a result of the tariffs .
Companies paid $ 46 billion in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ profit margins , cut wages and jobs , defer potential wage hikes or expansions , and raise prices for American consumers or companies and “ farmers have lost the vast majority of what was once a $ 24 billion market in China ” .
The US goods trade deficit with China reached a record $ 419.2 billion .
[ MORE ] Russia more than doubled its meat exports in the first six months this year and China became the largest buyer of Russian meat , accounting for 45 percent of shipments .
[ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abandoning the US dollar .
Four years ago the greenback accounted for over 90 percent of their currency settlements .
In Q1 2020 , the dollar ’ s share of their trade fell below 50 percent for the first time .
[ MORE ] A Chinese COVID-19 vaccine candidate is effective against all detected strains of the virus so far , with lower chance and degree of adverse reactions than same-typed vaccine candidates under research .
`` The inactivated vaccine we developed can cover all strains of the coronavirus that have been detected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tracked in the Xinfadi market in Beijing '' .
[ MORE ] A new Harvard study revealing that Chinese citizens ’ satisfaction with their government has increased since 2003 : “ There is little evidence to support the idea that [ the Communist Party ] is losing legitimacy in the eyes of its people … By 2016 , the Chinese government was more popular than at any point during the previous two decades .
As such , there was no real sign of burgeoning discontent among China ’ s main demographic groups , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country was facing a crisis of political legitimacy.
” Just as interesting is the fact that it has received little media attention : how could an evil authoritarian regime attract such widespread support from people across China ?
–David Dodwell .
[ MORE ] Harvard professor Charles Lieber , accused of lying about China ties , faces new charges .
Lieber , 61 , was charged in June with lying to US Defence Department investigators about his relationship with WUT and for lying to Harvard about those connections , leading the university to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ National Institutes of Health .
[ MORE ] The People ’ s Bank of China says the country should switch from SWIFT to a domestic financial network and drop the greenback as the anchor currency for its foreign exchange controls .
It also recommended developing legislation similar to the European Union ’ s Blocking Statute , which allowed the EU to sustain trade and economic relations with Iran despite US sanctions .
[ MORE ] The China-Iran deal will change the balance of power in the Middle East .
The manufacturing products created @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used to crack the western markets through the China-Iran axis along with unrestricted access to Iranian military bases .
China will invest US $ 280 billion in expanding Iran ’ s oil , gas , and petrochemicals sectors , to be front-loaded into the first five-year period .
Another US $ 120 billion will upgrade Iran ’ s transport and manufacturing infrastructure , this amount will increase in each subsequent period .
Chinese companies will bid on any stalled or uncompleted oil , gas , and petrochemicals projects in Iran .
China is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gas , and petchems products at a minimum discount of 12 per cent to cover risk premia and volume discounts .
“ Provided ALL goes as planned , Sino-Russian bombers , fighters , and transport planes will have unrestricted access to Iranian air bases ” at Hamedan , Bandar Abbas , Chabhar , and Abadan .
[ MORE ] Great video explaining the dirty tricks behind the Meng case : https : //youtu.be/SVhLvS9lCNs Huawei is considering all possible options against HSBC for allegedly presenting “ misleading evidence ” that resulted in the arrest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wanzhou , in Canada .
The tech giant has hired five law firms in an all-out effort to free Meng Wanzhou .
[ MORE ] Cynthia Chung : “ HSBC has a lot to lose if its relationship to the Chinese government falters .
In 2017 , the first joint venture securities company majority owned by a foreign bank , HSBC Qianhai Securities Limited , was formally opened for business in China .
Though this was a great achievement by HSBC , its foreign majority ownership is a mere 51 % , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were considered at any point to be unfit for that level of responsibility .
Recently , HSBC also carried out the first transaction in yuan-denominated blockchain letters of credit .
HSBC ’ s position at the forefront of facilitating blockchain trade in the yuan promises a way into a major market , with China-related trade producing an estimated 1.2 million letters of credit worth $ 750 billion last year ” .
[ MORE ] The Yellow River is the clearest it ’ s been in 500 years , scientists say .
A study @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in run-off and sediment in recent decades that is unprecedented over the past five centuries .
The change is a result of tree planting , less rainfall in the region and human activities like irrigation and tree-planting that use a lot of water .
[ MORE ] The annual ranking of articles published in peer-reviewed science journals worldwide is now available from Scimago .
Chinese scientists are widening their lead over US scientists every year , as we would expect , since the PRC invests four times more money in R & D @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distilled it into this chart : [ MORE ] China holds the most quantum computing patents , far more than the US Japan , or the UK says Chii Dong Chen , physics researcher at Taiwan 's Academia Sinica .
The US congress in December 2018 passed the National Quantum Initiative , planning to spend US $ 1.2 billion in five years to establish an office to organize quantum computing research .
[ MORE ] After a month in orbit , BeiDou passed its final test by locating a plane in flight while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ By the end of 2023 , all civil aviation aircraft will have BeiDou-based positioning and tracking capabilities .
Myanmar 's Ministry of Fisheries has purchased 1,000 BeiDou shipboard terminals for vessel position information and tracking and 137 countries have signed cooperation agreements with BeiDou.100 % of BeiDou 's core components are made in China .
[ MORE ] Doctors have used gene editing to treat patients with thalassemia , the first time the technique has been successfully implemented in the country .
Medical scientists at Central South University said those receiving the treatment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
[ MORE ] CNBC reports that China is testing electronic warfare assets at fortified outposts in the South China Sea .
The move allows Beijing to further project its power in the hotly disputed waters .
[ MORE ] .
China News reports that several US Growler electronic warplanes went out of control for a few second over the South China Sea then withdrew .
According to the pilots , their instruments became chaotic and the planes could not communicate with the outside world .
The United States demanded that China dismantle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ignored .
[ MORE ] • “ China is pursuing advanced capabilities like hypersonic missiles which the United States has no defense against .
As China pursues these advanced weapons systems , US forces across the Indo-Pacific will be placed increasingly at risk.
” • “ China is now capable of controlling the South China Sea in all scenarios short of war with the United States.
” • “ China is undermining the rules-based international order.
” [ MORE ] A new RAND Corporation report explores four scenarios of what extended competition between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through the year 2050 : • ascendant China , in which Beijing achieves many , but not all , of its goals • stagnant China , in which Beijing has failed to achieve its long-term goals • imploding China , besieged by problems that threaten the communist regime 's existence The report concludes that a triumphant China is the least likely .
[ MORE ] Next year , ASEAN and China celebrate 30 years of bilateral relations and may upgrade it to form a 'comprehensive strategic partnership ' .
If they can all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Of Conduct by the end of 2020 it would invalidate US pretensions to secure “ freedom of navigation ” in an area where navigation is already free .
[ Pepe Escobar ] Australia Tells US It Has No Intention of Injuring Important China Ties [ MORE ] “ Australia has made a principled call for an independent review of the COVID-19 outbreak , an unprecedented global crisis with severe health , economic and social impacts , '' said Foreign Minister Marise Payne .
Australia was pushing for an investigation into China , not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to set up US-funded military fuel reserve ( in America ! )
amid China tensions [ MORE ] The Royal Australian Navy guided-missile frigate HMAS Parramatta ( FFH 154 ) is underway with the US Navy amphibious assault ship USS America ( LHA 6 ) , the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill ( CG 52 ) and the Arleigh-Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Barry ( DDG 52 ) in the South China Sea .
Australia rejects China ’ s assertion that its sovereignty claims over the Paracel and Spratly Islands are ‘ widely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is making clear that it does not recognise the claims of China or any other states to these islands and that they remain a matter of dispute .
In this respect , there has been no change to Australia ’ s longstanding position on the disputed status of the islands .
[ MORE ] Australia Pours Money Into Insane US War Games Yet Won ’ t Support Its Own Citizens .
Australian government slashes pandemic payments to workers after suspending parliament .
`` Australia is not a real country , and it doesn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' writes Aussie Caitlin Johnstone .
`` It is functionally nothing more than a U.S. military/intelligence asset .
Despite a worsening COVID-19 surge in Australia ’ s two most populous states , the Liberal-National government yesterday announced the slashing of its pandemic wage subsidies and welfare benefits , as part of its drive to ‘ reopen the economy.
’ '' [ MORE ] New Zealand Ramps Up Military Spending To Align With US and Australia Against China .
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern ’ s government , a coalition between Labour , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ First Party , is committed to spending $ 20 billion on military upgrades .
[ MORE ] Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows that Chinese investment accounts for 2.0 percent of foreign investment in Australia : US : 25.6 percent ; UK : 17.8 percent ; Belgium : 9.1 percent ; Japan : 6.3 percent ; Hong Kong : 3.7 percent ; Singapore : 2.6 percent ; The Netherlands : 2.3 percent ; Luxembourg : 2.2 percent .
The European Union agreed to restrict the export of equipment used for suppression and surveillance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stated that it expressed serious concerns about the “ Hong Kong National Security Law ” , stating that the law has severely eroded the rights and freedoms that Hong Kong should be protected until at least 2047 .
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas stated that it is reasonable to treat Hong Kong on the same basis as mainland China when exporting equipment for repression after the Hong Kong National Security Law takes effect.
[ MORE ] .
Review Hong Kong 's 1997 Treason Ordinance here : [ MORE ] “ Canada , Australia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agreements on surrender of fugitive offenders ( SFO ) with the HKSAR using the enactment of the National Security Law in Hong Kong as an excuse , which smacks of political manipulation and double standards .
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ( HKSAR ) Government has reciprocated .
[ MORE ] The International Air Transport Association objects to testing aircrew for Covid-19 as it predicts industry will not recover until 2024 .
New rules make it compulsory for pilots and cabin crew to have negative result before they can fly to Hong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the move , though evidence suggests that the latest surge came from imported cases .
[ MORE ] The most authoritative Government release on Social Credit in some time is available for public comment through August 20th.
, and seeks to clarify critical concepts and concerns in building China ’ s Social Credit System such as • What data can be collected or used as ‘ Credit Information ’ ？ • When information can be shared or made public and how？ • What penalties are allowed , and what procedures are to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ can be restored ?
The overall goal is to make sure that the system is part of the legal system , not something beyond it or parallel to it .
If you aren ’ t living in or studying China , you may well believe that the Social Credit System is an algorithmic reputation scoring mechanism based on “ real-time monitoring through big data tools ” to generate a score “ controlling virtually every facet of human life ” that “ dictates one ’ s place in society “ .
The reality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exciting .
People would likely have a more accurate understanding of the system if China had said they were crafting a “ Law on the Collection and Use of Administrative and Regulatory Data ” instead of a ‘ social credit system ’ .
The ‘ social credit ’ name isn ’ t only evocative in English but also reflects the misguided attempt to include diverse topics such as financial credit reporting , administrative regulation , and public morality propaganda under the same project name , even though these pieces remained fairly discrete in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to say that the primary function of ‘ social credit ’ is one of administrative regulation , operating through industry-specific blacklists .
Regulatory agencies were all tasked with generating rules for what violations of the laws under their authority would justify blacklisting .
Blacklisting is important , not only because it creates a negative public record , but also because various agencies have signed inter-agency MOUs to take limited enforcement action against those blacklisted by another agency .
Blacklisting by the food and drug administration , then , might result in consequences when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This tool lets you explore the full range of cross-departmental punishments under this system .
The new draft rules revisit the drafting of industry blacklisting standards and procedures to require both a serious violation of law AND : • violations of judicial or administrative orders , OR The third category is about increasing the enforceability of court judgments and refers to the court system ’ s blacklist for ‘ judgment defaulters ’ - those who have an active judgment against them and the ability to satisfy that judgment , but who refuse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is overwhelmingly driving most of the exotic penalties connected with social credit , such as the no fly list and limits on spending .
Interestingly , it is described as necessary to increase the ‘ credibility ’ of the courts .
The new draft rules also require that industry blacklisting standards now include express mechanisms for being removed from the list or correcting information .
More importantly , the standards must be released for a period of at least 30 days for public commenting before they are enacted , and their implementation must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after enactment .
Before being blacklisted , parties must be given notice of the reason and the legal basis and have a chance to object .
If blacklisted , they must be given a clear written decision indicating the reasons , rules for removal , and so forth .
Blacklisting decisions should generally not be made below the county-level and are reviewed at the provincial level .
All credit punishments must be listed in a national catalog of penalties drafted in conjunction with experts and other concerned parties .
The draft rules make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3rd parties like banks and businesses to take action against blacklistees .
An explicit legal basis must be provided for all possible punishments .
This has actually been done in the past for inter-agency punishments authorized in cross-departmental MOUs mentioned above , although some have found that the scope of the cited authority may have been exceeded .
Generally , however , the need for a legal basis has already limited cross-departmental action to areas where an agency has discretion to consider a broad range of factors- such as in permitting and licensing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ • Higher scrutiny or restrictions in authorizing necessary permits , credentials , or approvals , • Higher scrutiny or restrictions on participation in government contract bidding or authorization of use of government resources , • Restrictions on receiving/ revocation of awards and honors .
One of the greatest fears about the social credit system is that the ‘ credit consequences ’ for a violation could become a way of covertly increasing the violations ’ statutory penalty .
Meaning that since ‘ untrustworthy conduct ’ refers to violations of laws and legal obligations , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consequences that increase the punishment beyond what the relevant law authorizes .
A parallel might be the lasting impact of a criminal record long after a sentence has been served .
The new rules are at pains to say that this can ’ t be tolerated .
There must be a legal basis for penalties and that if the law doesn ’ t allow for sufficient penalties , the correct approach is to lobby to amend the law , not use social credit , not only requiring a legal basis for penalties but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t allow for sufficient penalties , the correct approach is to lobby to amend the law , not use social credit .
A global concern today is the collection of personal information and the new rules attempt to regulate what information should be collected and used as ‘ credit information ’ .
The inclusion of ‘ Public Credit Information ’ -the information collected or generated by government agencies in the course of their duties- in social credit is to be limited to the types of information in a national uniform catalog created @ @ @ @ @ @ @ credit with the input of legal experts , scholars , affected businesses , industry associations , and others .
Local public credit information catalogs have been available for some time , but a national catalog will limit local discretion and help standardize the system .
The purpose of collecting or using information is also required to be indicated- and consent must be given for the collection of information that isn ’ t authorized by law .
To try and ensure that consent is voluntarily given , the rules say that it must not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demanding blanket consent .
This follows recent moves on privacy in the commercial sector .
If something is to be considered negative credit information- it must be based on judicial rulings , arbitration documents , administrative decisions and rulings , or other effective legal documents .
Again , social credit is concerned with recording and publicizing violations of laws and legal obligations .
The draft rules are open for public comment until August .
As written , they would require that industry blacklist and social credit rules comply with them by the end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of what they say is positive , but not groundbreaking in that they largely restate principles that were always in place or were emerging in practice over the past several years .
Moreover , the draft , like much national level authority is quite vague , leaving room for future problems .
The required national catalog of public credit information or punishment lists , for example , are yet to be seen , nor are specific mechanisms and procedures for credit restoration and corrections .
The requirements that all standards and rules for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ among the most concrete improvements- allowing monitoring and analysis of the systems ’ evolution .
Most critically , the main purpose of the draft is to harmonize social credit with China ’ s existing legal system , and while ‘ legality ’ should be a minimum requirement , it is no panacea .
Many laws creating obligations or prohibiting conduct in China are unclear or easily abused .
Others , that criminalize speech such as mockery of the national anthem are simply unjust .
Limiting social credit to the enforcement of such laws @ @ @ @ @ @ @ laws .
Sponsor a translation at the wonderful China Law Translate .
[ HERE ]

Special Dispatches by Godfree Roberts
THIS WEEK IN CHINA # 0001 (DATELINE: 8 Aug 2020)
Gleanings from the Middle Kingdom
The size of China’s displacement of the world balance is such that the world must find a new balance. It is not possible to pretend that this is just another big player. This is the biggest player in the history of the world. – Lee Kwan Yew.
THE ECONOMY
Factory activity expanded in July for the fifth month in a row and at a faster pace, beating analyst expectations. The official manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) rose to 51.1 in July from June's 50.9, the highest reading since March. Analysts had expected it to slow to 50.7.[MORE]
In a series of deals worth hundreds of billions, PipeChina recently acquired infrastructure assets from China’s three largest energy companies. Central state ownership of the nation's vast pipeline network, liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals and oil storage facilities will make it easier for smaller players to enter the energy sector and keep costs down.[MORE]
Tesla is advertising for another 1,000 Chinese factory workers and designers to join its studio as production ramps up. Q2 China revenues climbed 103% YoY to $1.4 billion, which means China generates 23% of Tesla’s total revenues compared to 11% last year.[MORE]
The world's biggest liquor company, Kweichow Moutai, said net income rose 13% in H1 2020. Earnings for the first six months were $3.2 billion and revenue jumped 11%. [MORE]
Tencent is now bigger than Facebook. After adding around $200 billion to its value this year, Tencent shares rallied around 43% year-to-date (compared to 12% for Facebook), adding $198 billion to Tencent’s value. [MORE]
TRADE WAR
As the chart above shows, China's membership in the WTO did not affect its manufacturing decline. [Cato Institute]
Moody’s says the trade war cost the U.S. economy 300,000 jobs and 0.3% of GDP. Bloomberg says it will cost $316 billion this year, while the New York Fed found that US companies's stocks lost $1.7 trillion as a result of the tariffs. Companies paid $46 billion in tariffs, forcing them to accept lower profit margins, cut wages and jobs, defer potential wage hikes or expansions, and raise prices for American consumers or companies and “farmers have lost the vast majority of what was once a $24 billion market in China”. The US goods trade deficit with China reached a record $419.2 billion. [MORE]
Russia more than doubled its meat exports in the first six months this year and China became the largest buyer of Russian meat, accounting for 45 percent of shipments. [MORE]
Russia and China are rapidly abandoning the US dollar. Four years ago the greenback accounted for over 90 percent of their currency settlements. In Q1 2020, the dollar’s share of their trade fell below 50 percent for the first time. [MORE]
COVID CORNER
A Chinese COVID-19 vaccine candidate is effective against all detected strains of the virus so far, with lower chance and degree of adverse reactions than same-typed vaccine candidates under research."The inactivated vaccine we developed can cover all strains of the coronavirus that have been detected so far, including the virus strains tracked in the Xinfadi market in Beijing". [MORE]
COLD WAR
A new Harvard study revealing that Chinese citizens’ satisfaction with their government has increased since 2003: “There is little evidence to support the idea that [the Communist Party] is losing legitimacy in the eyes of its people … By 2016, the Chinese government was more popular than at any point during the previous two decades. As such, there was no real sign of burgeoning discontent among China’s main demographic groups, casting doubt on the idea that the country was facing a crisis of political legitimacy.” Just as interesting is the fact that it has received little media attention: how could an evil authoritarian regime attract such widespread support from people across China? –David Dodwell. [MORE]
Harvard professor Charles Lieber, accused of lying about China ties, faces new charges. Lieber, 61, was charged in June with lying to US Defence Department investigators about his relationship with WUT and for lying to Harvard about those connections, leading the university to share that false information with the US National Institutes of Health.[MORE]
The People’s Bank of China says the country should switch from SWIFT to a domestic financial network and drop the greenback as the anchor currency for its foreign exchange controls. It also recommended developing legislation similar to the European Union’s Blocking Statute, which allowed the EU to sustain trade and economic relations with Iran despite US sanctions.[MORE]
BELT AND ROAD
The China-Iran deal will change the balance of power in the Middle East. The manufacturing products created by utilizing cheap Iranian resources will be used to crack the western markets through the China-Iran axis along with unrestricted access to Iranian military bases. China will invest US $280 billion in expanding Iran’s oil, gas, and petrochemicals sectors, to be front-loaded into the first five-year period. Another US $120 billion will upgrade Iran’s transport and manufacturing infrastructure, this amount will increase in each subsequent period. Chinese companies will bid on any stalled or uncompleted oil, gas, and petrochemicals projects in Iran. China is granted the offer to buy oil, gas, and petchems products at a minimum discount of 12 per cent to cover risk premia and volume discounts. “Provided ALL goes as planned, Sino-Russian bombers, fighters, and transport planes will have unrestricted access to Iranian air bases” at Hamedan, Bandar Abbas, Chabhar, and Abadan. [MORE]
HUAWEI
Great video explaining the dirty tricks behind the Meng case: https://youtu.be/SVhLvS9lCNs
Huawei is considering all possible options against HSBC for allegedly presenting “misleading evidence” that resulted in the arrest of its chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, in Canada. The tech giant has hired five law firms in an all-out effort to free Meng Wanzhou.[MORE]
Cynthia Chung: “HSBC has a lot to lose if its relationship to the Chinese government falters. In 2017, the first joint venture securities company majority owned by a foreign bank, HSBC Qianhai Securities Limited, was formally opened for business in China. Though this was a great achievement by HSBC, its foreign majority ownership is a mere 51%, which could be easily taken away if they were considered at any point to be unfit for that level of responsibility. Recently, HSBC also carried out the first transaction in yuan-denominated blockchain letters of credit. HSBC’s position at the forefront of facilitating blockchain trade in the yuan promises a way into a major market, with China-related trade producing an estimated 1.2 million letters of credit worth $750 billion last year”. [MORE]
ENVIRONMENT
The Yellow River is the clearest it’s been in 500 years, scientists say. A study found there has been a sharp reduction in run-off and sediment in recent decades that is unprecedented over the past five centuries. The change is a result of tree planting, less rainfall in the region and human activities like irrigation and tree-planting that use a lot of water. [MORE]
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
The annual ranking of articles published in peer-reviewed science journals worldwide is now available from Scimago. Chinese scientists are widening their lead over US scientists every year, as we would expect, since the PRC invests four times more money in R&D than the US. Frans Vandenbosch kindly distilled it into this chart: [MORE]
China holds the most quantum computing patents, far more than the US Japan, or the UK says Chii Dong Chen, physics researcher at Taiwan's Academia Sinica. The US congress in December 2018 passed the National Quantum Initiative, planning to spend US$1.2 billion in five years to establish an office to organize quantum computing research. [MORE]
After a month in orbit, BeiDou passed its final test by locating a plane in flight while tracking and monitoring an air terminal. By the end of 2023, all civil aviation aircraft will have BeiDou-based positioning and tracking capabilities. Myanmar's Ministry of Fisheries has purchased 1,000 BeiDou shipboard terminals for vessel position information and tracking and 137 countries have signed cooperation agreements with BeiDou.100% of BeiDou's core components are made in China.[MORE]
Doctors have used gene editing to treat patients with thalassemia, the first time the technique has been successfully implemented in the country. Medical scientists at Central South University said those receiving the treatment had gone 87 days without blood transfusions.[MORE]
DEFENSE
CNBC reports that China is testing electronic warfare assets at fortified outposts in the South China Sea. The move allows Beijing to further project its power in the hotly disputed waters. [MORE]. China News reports that several US Growler electronic warplanes went out of control for a few second over the South China Sea then withdrew. According to the pilots, their instruments became chaotic and the planes could not communicate with the outside world. The United States demanded that China dismantle the electronic equipment immediately, but was ignored.[MORE]
Admiral Philip Davidson's Senate testimony:
“China is pursuing advanced capabilities like hypersonic missiles which the United States has no defense against. As China pursues these advanced weapons systems, US forces across the Indo-Pacific will be placed increasingly at risk.” “China is now capable of controlling the South China Sea in all scenarios short of war with the United States.” “China is undermining the rules-based international order.” [MORE]
A new RAND Corporation report explores four scenarios of what extended competition between the United States and China might entail through the year 2050:
triumphant China: Beijing succeeds in realizing its grand strategy ascendant China, in which Beijing achieves many, but not all, of its goals stagnant China, in which Beijing has failed to achieve its long-term goals imploding China, besieged by problems that threaten the communist regime's existence
The report concludes that a triumphant China is the least likely. [MORE]
Next year, ASEAN and China celebrate 30 years of bilateral relations and may upgrade it to form a 'comprehensive strategic partnership'. If they can all agree on a South China Sea Code Of Conduct by the end of 2020 it would invalidate US pretensions to secure “freedom of navigation” in an area where navigation is already free.[Pepe Escobar]
COLD WAR
Australia Tells US It Has No Intention of Injuring Important China Ties [MORE]
“Australia has made a principled call for an independent review of the COVID-19 outbreak, an unprecedented global crisis with severe health, economic and social impacts," said Foreign Minister Marise Payne. Australia was pushing for an investigation into China, not factual information about Covid-19.
Australia plans to set up US-funded military fuel reserve (in America!) amid China tensions [MORE]
The Royal Australian Navy guided-missile frigate HMAS Parramatta (FFH 154) is underway with the US Navy amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6),the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (CG 52) and the Arleigh-Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Barry (DDG 52) in the South China Sea.
Australia rejects China’s assertion that its sovereignty claims over the Paracel and Spratly Islands are ‘widely recognised by the international community’.Australia is making clear that it does not recognise the claims of China or any other states to these islands and that they remain a matter of dispute. In this respect, there has been no change to Australia’s longstanding position on the disputed status of the islands. [MORE]
Australia Pours Money Into Insane US War Games Yet Won’t Support Its Own Citizens. Australian government slashes pandemic payments to workers after suspending parliament. "Australia is not a real country, and it doesn’t have a real government," writes Aussie Caitlin Johnstone. "It is functionally nothing more than a U.S. military/intelligence asset. Despite a worsening COVID-19 surge in Australia’s two most populous states, the Liberal-National government yesterday announced the slashing of its pandemic wage subsidies and welfare benefits, as part of its drive to ‘reopen the economy.’" [MORE]
New Zealand Ramps Up Military Spending To Align With US and Australia Against China. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s government, a coalition between Labour, the Greens and the right-wing nationalist NZ First Party, is committed to spending $20 billion on military upgrades.[MORE]
Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows that Chinese investment accounts for 2.0 percent of foreign investment in Australia: US: 25.6 percent; UK: 17.8 percent; Belgium: 9.1 percent; Japan: 6.3 percent; Hong Kong: 3.7 percent; Singapore: 2.6 percent; The Netherlands: 2.3 percent; Luxembourg: 2.2 percent.
The European Union agreed to restrict the export of equipment used for suppression and surveillance to Hong Kong. The European Council stated that it expressed serious concerns about the “Hong Kong National Security Law”, stating that the law has severely eroded the rights and freedoms that Hong Kong should be protected until at least 2047. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas stated that it is reasonable to treat Hong Kong on the same basis as mainland China when exporting equipment for repression after the Hong Kong National Security Law takes effect.[MORE]. Review Hong Kong's 1997 Treason Ordinance here: [MORE]
“Canada, Australia and the UK have unilaterally suspended the agreements on surrender of fugitive offenders (SFO) with the HKSAR using the enactment of the National Security Law in Hong Kong as an excuse, which smacks of political manipulation and double standards. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government has reciprocated.[MORE]
The International Air Transport Association objects to testing aircrew for Covid-19 as it predicts industry will not recover until 2024. New rules make it compulsory for pilots and cabin crew to have negative result before they can fly to Hong Kong. The IATA does not support the move, though evidence suggests that the latest surge came from imported cases.[MORE]
LONG READ
The Truth About Social Credit
The most authoritative Government release on Social Credit in some time is available for public comment through August 20th., and seeks to clarify critical concepts and concerns in building China’s Social Credit System such as
What data can be collected or used as ‘Credit Information’？ When information can be shared or made public and how？ What penalties are allowed, and what procedures are to be used? How negative ‘credit’ can be restored?
The overall goal is to make sure that the system is part of the legal system, not something beyond it or parallel to it.
The backstory.
If you aren’t living in or studying China, you may well believe that the Social Credit System is an algorithmic reputation scoring mechanism based on “real-time monitoring through big data tools” to generate a score “controlling virtually every facet of human life” that “dictates one’s place in society“. The reality is both more complicated and far less exciting.
People would likely have a more accurate understanding of the system if China had said they were crafting a “Law on the Collection and Use of Administrative and Regulatory Data” instead of a ‘social credit system’. The ‘social credit’ name isn’t only evocative in English but also reflects the misguided attempt to include diverse topics such as financial credit reporting, administrative regulation, and public morality propaganda under the same project name, even though these pieces remained fairly discrete in practice.
It’s probably safe to say that the primary function of ‘social credit’ is one of administrative regulation, operating through industry-specific blacklists. Regulatory agencies were all tasked with generating rules for what violations of the laws under their authority would justify blacklisting. Blacklisting is important, not only because it creates a negative public record, but also because various agencies have signed inter-agency MOUs to take limited enforcement action against those blacklisted by another agency. Blacklisting by the food and drug administration, then, might result in consequences when applying for permits from an unrelated agency. This tool lets you explore the full range of cross-departmental punishments under this system.
Updating the Blacklists.
The new draft rules revisit the drafting of industry blacklisting standards and procedures to require both a serious violation of law AND:
A threat to health or safety, disruption of the marketplace, violations of judicial or administrative orders, OR refusals to perform national defense duties.
The third category is about increasing the enforceability of court judgments and refers to the court system’s blacklist for ‘judgment defaulters’- those who have an active judgment against them and the ability to satisfy that judgment, but who refuse to do so. This one blacklist is overwhelmingly driving most of the exotic penalties connected with social credit, such as the no fly list and limits on spending. Interestingly, it is described as necessary to increase the ‘credibility’ of the courts.
The new draft rules also require that industry blacklisting standards now include express mechanisms for being removed from the list or correcting information. More importantly, the standards must be released for a period of at least 30 days for public commenting before they are enacted, and their implementation must be periodically evaluated by a third party after enactment.
Blacklisting Procedures
Before being blacklisted, parties must be given notice of the reason and the legal basis and have a chance to object. If blacklisted, they must be given a clear written decision indicating the reasons, rules for removal, and so forth. Blacklisting decisions should generally not be made below the county-level and are reviewed at the provincial level.
Punishments
All credit punishments must be listed in a national catalog of penalties drafted in conjunction with experts and other concerned parties. The draft rules make clear that punishments methods cannot require 3rd parties like banks and businesses to take action against blacklistees.
An explicit legal basis must be provided for all possible punishments.
This has actually been done in the past for inter-agency punishments authorized in cross-departmental MOUs mentioned above, although some have found that the scope of the cited authority may have been exceeded. Generally, however, the need for a legal basis has already limited cross-departmental action to areas where an agency has discretion to consider a broad range of factors- such as in permitting and licensing, with punishments generally been limited to：
Higher scrutiny or restrictions in authorizing necessary permits, credentials, or approvals, Higher scrutiny or restrictions on participation in government contract bidding or authorization of use of government resources, Restrictions on receiving/ revocation of awards and honors. Increased routine regulatory oversight limits on receiving government benefits.
One of the greatest fears about the social credit system is that the ‘credit consequences’ for a violation could become a way of covertly increasing the violations’ statutory penalty. Meaning that since ‘untrustworthy conduct’ refers to violations of laws and legal obligations, there shouldn’t be any collateral consequences that increase the punishment beyond what the relevant law authorizes. A parallel might be the lasting impact of a criminal record long after a sentence has been served.
The new rules are at pains to say that this can’t be tolerated. There must be a legal basis for penalties and that if the law doesn’t allow for sufficient penalties, the correct approach is to lobby to amend the law, not use social credit, not only requiring a legal basis for penalties but also adding that if the law doesn’t allow for sufficient penalties, the correct approach is to lobby to amend the law, not use social credit.
Credit Information
A global concern today is the collection of personal information and the new rules attempt to regulate what information should be collected and used as ‘credit information’. The inclusion of ‘Public Credit Information’-the information collected or generated by government agencies in the course of their duties- in social credit is to be limited to the types of information in a national uniform catalog created by the inter-agency committee for establishing social credit with the input of legal experts, scholars, affected businesses, industry associations, and others. Local public credit information catalogs have been available for some time, but a national catalog will limit local discretion and help standardize the system.
The purpose of collecting or using information is also required to be indicated- and consent must be given for the collection of information that isn’t authorized by law. To try and ensure that consent is voluntarily given, the rules say that it must not be coerced or gamed through methods like demanding blanket consent. This follows recent moves on privacy in the commercial sector.
If something is to be considered negative credit information- it must be based on judicial rulings, arbitration documents, administrative decisions and rulings, or other effective legal documents. Again, social credit is concerned with recording and publicizing violations of laws and legal obligations.
Conclusion
The draft rules are open for public comment until August. As written, they would require that industry blacklist and social credit rules comply with them by the end of 2021 or be invalidated. Much of what they say is positive, but not groundbreaking in that they largely restate principles that were always in place or were emerging in practice over the past several years. Moreover, the draft, like much national level authority is quite vague, leaving room for future problems. The required national catalog of public credit information or punishment lists, for example, are yet to be seen, nor are specific mechanisms and procedures for credit restoration and corrections. The requirements that all standards and rules for punishments be made public may ultimately be among the most concrete improvements- allowing monitoring and analysis of the systems’ evolution.
Most critically, the main purpose of the draft is to harmonize social credit with China’s existing legal system, and while ‘legality’ should be a minimum requirement, it is no panacea. Many laws creating obligations or prohibiting conduct in China are unclear or easily abused. Others, that criminalize speech such as mockery of the national anthem are simply unjust. Limiting social credit to the enforcement of such laws, can’t improve those underlying laws. Sponsor a translation at the wonderful China Law Translate. [HERE]


thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-08-03--The Power Elite Has Always Run Amerika

The Power Elite Has Always Run Amerika

BE SURE TO PASS THESE ARTICLES TO FRIENDS AND KIN .
A LOT DEPENDS ON THIS .
DO YOUR PART .
• None the `` Metropolitan 400 '' : members of historically notable local families in the principal American cities , generally represented on the Social Register • None the `` Chief Executives '' : presidents and CEOs of the most important companies within each industrial sector • None the `` Warlords '' : senior military officers , most importantly the Joint Chiefs of Staff • None the `` Political Directorate '' : `` fifty-odd men of the executive branch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including the senior leadership in the Executive Office of the President , sometimes variously drawn from elected officials of the Democratic and Republican parties but usually professional government bureaucrats ociologist C. Wright Mills wrote a book in 1956 that ( sadly ) still resonates today .
In his book ' The Power Elite ' Mills focused on groups and individuals who help to control this Republic for countless generations : Mills formulated a very short summary of his book : `` Who , after all , runs America ?
No one runs it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any group does , the power elite .
`` [ Now , this was in 1956 , but look how what this man indicated is still part of our problem .
The Super Rich are bundled into what many have referred to as ' The Deep State ' .
Well , contrary to what Trump has ascertained , and what actually helped him win the election in 2016 , is this ' The Deep State ' .
Most of our presidents since FDR , excluding the one they knocked off , were either @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a grouping of people and organizations .
Trump was able to use the actual and honest fears of the ' Deep State ' to his advantage .
Many working stiffs ( usually white ) saw this phony populist demagogue as the answer to their prayers : A release from that tight grip on their quality of life that this empire has successfully achieved for generations .
Of course , this ' Long Con ' as I call it has been used by the Two Party/One Party system forever it seems .
Trump was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I might add , of these devices .
He , along with his minions and hidden handlers , is on the verge of finally destroying any memory of a vibrant republican democracy ... .
a democracy that has been a joke for decades .
Getting this gang out of power will perhaps stop the bleeding a bit , but ... .
the Power Elite march on !
Here 's the kicker : Without an army of lackeys no empire can continue to rule so unfairly .
The Power Elite , categorized by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a few thousand people at most .
They always need the ' boots on the ground ' to maintain control .
We see this occurring every day .
Those who own the electronic media need a myriad of field reporters , producers , editors , writers , newscasters , hosts and their guests to keep churning out the spin .
The corporate world needs top and lower level executives and managers to continue to ' Sell their shit ' to the public .
Schools of higher learning need compliant school administrators , department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ line of this empire .
A few years ago this writer was part of a grass roots movement , The 25 % Solution , advocating an immediate 25 % cut in military spending , with the savings going back to the states and their localities .
I was asked by a sympathetic college professor to give a presentation to a group of three sociology classes .
The presentation went very well , and the three teachers were so glad that I came by .
I wanted to make this a regular thing , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They never called or returned my calls !
!
Somebody upstairs got to them , yes ?
A dear friend of mine , a NYC talk radio host , about 15 years ago had requested to his producer that they get a representative of ' Physicians for National Health Care ( forerunner to ' Medicare for All ' ) as a guest .
He got the guest on air , and was conducting a comprehensive interview .
They were covering things that Senator Sanders was , years later , finally advocating .
At @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told him , ear to ear , that he did not want the interview to run any longer .
My friend argued for keeping the guest on as the phone lines were lit up with callers wishing to speak to the doctor .
No dice !
Over !
How powerful is this ' Power Elite ' ?
Ask yourself this : If you still believe that A ) Lee Harvey Oswald killed JFK with that single rifle ; B ) The North Vietnamese attacked the USS Maddox in the Gulf of Tonkin , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in South Vietnam ; C ) James Earl Ray killed MLK and then conveniently escaped to Canada on his own ; D ) Sirhan Sirhan killed RFK , though never standing close enough to him , as the autopsy revealed the bullet had to come from inches away ; E ) Reagan achieved the release of hostages held by Iran right after being elected in 1980 , though Carter could not negotiate it before the election ; F ) Saddam Hussein was NOT suckered into his 1990 invasion of Kuwait by Bush Sr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` We do not get involved in territorial disputes between two nations '' ( check out two facts : Kuwait was ' Angle drilling ' oil from Iraqi waters even though Kuwait had supported Iraq 's 10 year war with Iran , their enemy as well , and then would n't erase Iraqi loans owed to Kuwait ) ; G ) We did NOT know in advance of Al Qaeda 's attack on us on 9/11 , and it was NOT a false flag operation ( seek out the many researched books on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of it is hogwash ) ; H ) Iraq did have WMDs and was planning on using them on us ( despite the actual UN weapons inspections proving the opposite ) and our attack , invasion and subsequent occupation was legal and moral ; H ) This pandemic is a hoax and a scam , perpetrated to make sure Trump loses the election ( despite a mountain of evidence revealing just how contagious and deadly this virus is ) ... .need I go on ?
It is simply just not all about politics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will allege .
No , as much as we working stiffs and the poor and indigent need Trump and his crew to go , that is but the ' Tip of the Iceberg ' .
As alluded to earlier in this column , it is urgent that working stiffs being **** by this empire stand up and say ' Enough is enough ! '
We should stop asking that the Super Rich give back more to us , and that Land Lords do the right thing by their tenants .
No , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be taxed a Flat 50 % on anything they earn over one million dollars each year , with NO deductions !
We need to demand that our local governments take over absentee landlord rental properties through legal eminent domain ( at market prices ) and then run them nonprofit , with the tenant having an opportunity to one day own the dwelling .
With even 20 % of each month 's rent going into escrow towards a future down payment , this can be accomplished .
Strike Three of demands should be that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 50 % of our federal taxes , be cut drastically ( as explained above ) , and the majority of our 1000+ foreign military bases be shut down , sending our military personnel home .
Why not ?
The last time I looked it was the politicians who were our ' Public Servants ' , not the Power Elite .

BE SURE TO PASS THESE ARTICLES TO FRIENDS AND KIN. A LOT DEPENDS ON THIS. DO YOUR PART.
Philip Farruggio OpEds
S
ociologist C. Wright Mills wrote a book in 1956 that (sadly) still resonates today. In his book ' The Power Elite' Mills focused on groups and individuals who help to control this Republic for countless generations:
Mills formulated a very short summary of his book: "Who, after all, runs America? No one runs it altogether, but in so far as any group does, the power elite."[
Now, this was in 1956, but look how what this man indicated is still part of our problem. The Super Rich are bundled into what many have referred to as ' The Deep State' . Well, contrary to what Trump has ascertained, and what actually helped him win the election in 2016, is this ' The Deep State'. Most of our presidents since FDR, excluding the one they knocked off, were either owned , run or influenced by such a grouping of people and organizations. Trump was able to use the actual and honest fears of the ' Deep State' to his advantage. Many working stiffs ( usually white) saw this phony populist demagogue as the answer to their prayers: A release from that tight grip on their quality of life that this empire has successfully achieved for generations. Of course, this ' Long Con' as I call it has been used by the Two Party/One Party system forever it seems. Trump was just the latest, and most lethal I might add, of these devices. He , along with his minions and hidden handlers , is on the verge of finally destroying any memory of a vibrant republican democracy.... a democracy that has been a joke for decades. Getting this gang out of power will perhaps stop the bleeding a bit, but.... the Power Elite march on!
Here's the kicker: Without an army of lackeys no empire can continue to rule so unfairly. The Power Elite, categorized by the late C. Wright Mills, are but a few thousand people at most. They always need the ' boots on the ground' to maintain control. We see this occurring every day. Those who own the electronic media need a myriad of field reporters, producers, editors, writers, newscasters, hosts and their guests to keep churning out the spin. The corporate world needs top and lower level executives and managers to continue to ' Sell their shit' to the public. Schools of higher learning need compliant school administrators, department heads and teachers to toe the company line of this empire. A few years ago this writer was part of a grass roots movement, The 25% Solution, advocating an immediate 25% cut in military spending, with the savings going back to the states and their localities. I was asked by a sympathetic college professor to give a presentation to a group of three sociology classes. The presentation went very well, and the three teachers were so glad that I came by. I wanted to make this a regular thing, speaking with new classes each semester. They never called or returned my calls!! Somebody upstairs got to them, yes? A dear friend of mine, a NYC talk radio host, about 15 years ago had requested to his producer that they get a representative of ' Physicians for National Health Care ( forerunner to ' Medicare for All') as a guest. He got the guest on air, and was conducting a comprehensive interview. They were covering things that Senator Sanders was, years later, finally advocating. At the first commercial break, his producer told him, ear to ear, that he did not want the interview to run any longer. My friend argued for keeping the guest on as the phone lines were lit up with callers wishing to speak to the doctor. No dice! Over!
How powerful is this ' Power Elite' ? Ask yourself this: If you still believe that A) Lee Harvey Oswald killed JFK with that single rifle; B) The North Vietnamese attacked the USS Maddox in the Gulf of Tonkin, giving LBJ license for increasing our presence in South Vietnam; C) James Earl Ray killed MLK and then conveniently escaped to Canada on his own; D) Sirhan Sirhan killed RFK, though never standing close enough to him, as the autopsy revealed the bullet had to come from inches away; E) Reagan achieved the release of hostages held by Iran right after being elected in 1980, though Carter could not negotiate it before the election; F) Saddam Hussein was NOT suckered into his 1990 invasion of Kuwait by Bush Sr. when US ambassador April Glaspie assured him "We do not get involved in territorial disputes between two nations" ( check out two facts: Kuwait was ' Angle drilling ' oil from Iraqi waters even though Kuwait had supported Iraq's 10 year war with Iran, their enemy as well, and then wouldn't erase Iraqi loans owed to Kuwait); G) We did NOT know in advance of Al Qaeda's attack on us on 9/11, and it was NOT a false flag operation ( seek out the many researched books on 9/11, showing how the government synopsis of it is hogwash); H) Iraq did have WMDs and was planning on using them on us ( despite the actual UN weapons inspections proving the opposite) and our attack, invasion and subsequent occupation was legal and moral; H) This pandemic is a hoax and a scam, perpetrated to make sure Trump loses the election ( despite a mountain of evidence revealing just how contagious and deadly this virus is)....need I go on?
It is simply just not all about politics, as the Two Party/One Party hucksters will allege. No, as much as we working stiffs and the poor and indigent need Trump and his crew to go, that is but the ' Tip of the Iceberg'. As alluded to earlier in this column, it is urgent that working stiffs being **** by this empire stand up and say ' Enough is enough!' We should stop asking that the Super Rich give back more to us, and that Land Lords do the right thing by their tenants. No, we need to demand that the Mega Millionaires be taxed a Flat 50% on anything they earn over one million dollars each year, with NO deductions! We need to demand that our local governments take over absentee landlord rental properties through legal eminent domain ( at market prices ) and then run them nonprofit, with the tenant having an opportunity to one day own the dwelling. With even 20% of each month's rent going into escrow towards a future down payment, this can be accomplished. Strike Three of demands should be that this obscene military budget, accounting for 50% of our federal taxes, be cut drastically ( as explained above ), and the majority of our 1000+ foreign military bases be shut down, sending our military personnel home. Why not? The last time I looked it was the politicians who were our ' Public Servants', not the Power Elite.
PA Farruggio
August 3, 202


thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-08-04--Why Kamala Harris is DANGEROUS!

Why Kamala Harris is DANGEROUS!

In this episode Caleb concentrates on why Kamala Harris is a disgraceful choice for VP on the Biden ticket .
@ @ @ @ @ lacking in any sense of morality , sense of rule of law , and any @ @ @ @ @ .
Which is certainly alarming for a political figure who has made a career —and @ @ @ @ @ .
Kamala Harris has a personal vendetta against socialists , against Marxists , she has @ @ @ @ @ American men , Kamala Harris is very very dangerous ... '' Below we present a @ @ @ @ @ by CBS , with CBS presstitute Ed O'Keefe , who 's quick to remind us @ @ @ @ @ '' , while critiquing the candidacy of Tammy Duckworth .
Notably , CBS does not @ @ @ @ @ pointing some of her faux pas during the campaign , perhaps preferring an even more @ @ @ @ @ .

In this episode Caleb concentrates on why Kamala Harris is a disgraceful choice for VP on the Biden ticket. "Kamala Harris is deeply lacking in any sense of morality, sense of rule of law, and any sense of right and wrong. Which is certainly alarming for a political figure who has made a career —and a name—in the judicial system. Kamala Harris has a personal vendetta against socialists, against Marxists, she has a personal vendetta against African American men, Kamala Harris is very very dangerous..."
Below we present a discussion of the same topic by CBS, with CBS presstitute Ed O'Keefe, who's quick to remind us Cuba is a "regime", while critiquing the candidacy of Tammy Duckworth. Notably, CBS does not seem gaga about Harris, pointing some of her faux pas during the campaign, perhaps preferring an even more solid warmonger like Susan Rice.


thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-08-04--Caleb Maupin: Bob Aviakian endorses Biden; Kamala Harris peddled for VP slot; emergence of a new wor

Caleb Maupin: Bob Aviakian endorses Biden; Kamala Harris peddled for VP slot; emergence of a new world paradigm; Hungarian revolution and Mao, and much more.

Caleb 's chats are the ideal tool for those who wish to acquire a solid understanding of contemporary history in @ @ @ @ @ .
An informal chat with Caleb Maupin as guide to the multitude of news , @ @ @ @ @ , idiocies , hypocrisies , and ideologies that shape our world .

Caleb's chats are the ideal tool for those who wish to acquire a solid understanding of contemporary history in an easy, accessible manner.
An informal chat with Caleb Maupin as guide to the multitude of news, lies, distortions, rumors, idiocies, hypocrisies, and ideologies that shape our world.