mintpressnews--2020-02-07--Pilger, Burchett and Assange: Three Extraordinary Australian Journalists That Spoke Truth to Power

Australia has produced extraordinary journalists across three generations : Wilfred Burchett ( deceased in 1983 ) , John Pilger ( 80 years old but still active ) and Julian Assange ( 48 years old , currently in London ’ s Belmarsh prison ) .
Each of these journalists made unique contributions to our understanding of the world .
Although Australia is part of the western world , each of these journalists exposed and criticized Western foreign policy .
Wilfred Burchett lived from 1911 to 1983 .
He was a farm boy and his experience in the depression shaped his dislike @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He went to Europe trying to volunteer for Republicans in the Spanish Civil War but that did not work out .
Instead , he assisted Jews escaping Nazi Germany .
Burchett became a journalist by accident .
Having seen the reality in Germany , he started writing many letters to newspaper editors .
One of the editors took note of his fluid writing style and intensity .
They contacted him to ask if he would like to report for them .
Thus began a forty year writing career .
He covered WW2 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ India then Burma .
Then he covered the Pacific campaign stationed with U.S. troops .
He was the first international journalist to report on Hiroshima after the atomic bomb .
He evaded US military restrictions to go to Hiroshima and see reality for himself .
In his story “ The Atomic Plague ” , published in the London Daily Express , Burchett said , “ I write this as a warning to the world ” and “ Doctors fall as they work ” .
Immediately the US launched a campaign to smear his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ story .
The US military was intent on preventing people from knowing the long term effects of nuclear radiation .
Burchett ’ s report from Hiroshima was broadcast worldwide and called the “ scoop of the century ” .
It exemplified his career based on first-hand observation and experience .
Over his 40 year career , he reported the other side of the story from the Soviet Union , China , Korea and Vietnam .
He wrote thousands of articles and over 35 books .
On China , he wrote “ China ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Two decades later he wrote ( with Rewi Alley ) “ China : The Quality of Life ” .
Burchett wrote “ Vietnam : The Inside Story of a Guerrilla War ” ( 1965 ) “ My War with the CIA : The Memoirs of Prince Norodom Sihanouk ” ( 1974 ) , “ Grasshoppers and Elephants : Why Vietnam Fell ” ( 1977 ) and then “ Catapult to Freedom : The Survival of the Vietnamese People ” ( 1978 ) .
Burchett ’ s life , experiences and observations are brilliantly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barricades : Forty Years on the Cutting Edge of History ” ( 1980 ) .
They reveal the hardscrabble youth and early years , the leftist sympathies , the decades of journalistic work based on first-hand observations .
Burchett was vilified by the establishment political leaders in Australia .
His Australian passport was taken , the government refused to issue him a new one and he was barred from entering Australia .
Even his children were denied their Australian citizenship .
Finally , after 17 years , Wilfred Burchett ’ s citizenship and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Prime Minister in 1972 .
With his unassuming and affable manner , Wilfred Burchett became friends with leaders such as Ho Chi Minh , Norodom Sihanouk , and Chou en Lai .
Bertrand Russell said , “ One man , Wilfred Burchett , alerted Western public opinion to the nature of this war and the struggle of the Vietnamese people.
” This interview gives a glimpse into the character and personality of Wilfred Burchett .
John Pilger is another extraordinary Australian journalist .
After starting journalism in the early ’ 60s , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cambodia , Bangladesh and Biafra .
He worked 25 years at London ’ s Daily Mirror and then had a regular fortnightly column for 23 years at the New Statesman .
His first documentary , “ The Quiet Mutiny ” , depicted US soldiers in Vietnam resisting their officers and the war .
In 1974 , when Palestine was often unmentionable , he produced “ Palestine is Still the Issue ” .
Nineteen years later , he wrote the second part and described how Palestine is the issue .
John Pilger has written/edited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ films .
He told the story of atrocities in Pol Pot ’ s Cambodia with “ Year Zero “ .
He exposed Indonesia ’ s stranglehold on East Timor in “ Death of a Nation : The Timor Conspiracy ” .
In a four year investigation , he showed how working-class victims of the drug thalidomide had been excluded from a settlement with the drug company .
John Pilger exposed uncomfortable truths about his home country and its treatment of aboriginal people .
He did this through films including “ The Secret Country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1985 ) , “ Welcome to Australia ” ( 1999 ) , and “ Utopia : An Epic Story of Struggle and Resistance ” ( 2013 ) .
He gives more history and detail in the book “ A Secret Country ” ( 1992 ) .
In 2002 Pilger produced and movie and book titled “ The New Rulers of the World ” revealing the grotesque inequality in this “ globalized ” world where a few individuals and corporations have more power and wealth than entire countries .
In 2016 Pilger came out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Coming War with China ” .
More recently he produced “ The Dirty War on the NHS ” which documents the stealth campaign to privatize the UK ’ s National Health System .
Many of John Pilger ’ s films can be seen at his website .
In the 1960s and ’ 70s , Pilger ’ s brave and bold journalism received many awards and he was twice recognized as Journalist of the Year .
But in recent years , there has been less acceptance as media has become more homogenized and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ My written journalism is no longer welcome – probably it ’ s last home was The Guardian , which three years ago got rid of people like me and others in pretty much a purge … ” Harold Pinter , winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature , says “ John Pilger unearths , with steely attention , the facts , the filthy truth .
and tells it like it is .
The third extraordinary Australian journalist is Julian Assange .
He was born on 3 July 1971 .
He became a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ teenager .
Later he later studied mathematics and physics at Melbourne University .
According to one of his math teachers he was an exceptional student but he clearly had other tasks and priorities .
Assange has edited or co-authored at least four books .
For three years he worked with Australian journalist and co-author Suelette Dreyfus to write “ Underground : Tales of Hacking , Madness and Obsession in the Electronic Frontier ” .
First published in 1997 , the Sydney Morning Herald called it “ astonishing ” .
Rolling Stone described it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bizarre lives and crimes of an extraordinary group of teenage hackers.
” In 2012 , Assange produced the TV series “ The World Tomorrow ” .
Over 12 segments , he interviews Ecuador President Rafael Correa , the current President of Pakistan Imran Khan , the leader of Hezbollah Hasan Nasrallah , leaders in the Occupy movement , Noam Chomsky , Tariq Ali and many more .
In 2013 , Assange and WikiLeaks produced the movie Mediastan .
It shows WikiLeaks ’ global travels to meet publishers of the secret documents .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ WikiLeaks met Google ” .
It consists of a discussion between Julian Assange and Google founder Eric Schmidt plus two companions .
Assange writes a 51-page introduction which puts the discussion in context : how Google and other internet giants have become part of US foreign policy establishment .
In 2015 Assange edited “ The WikiLeaks files : the world according to the US Empire ” and in 2016 the book “ Cypherpunks : Freedom and the Future of the Internet ” was published .
Assange and three other computer experts discuss the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will emancipate or enslave us .
One reviewer says , “ These guys are really getting at the heart of some very big issues that practically no one ( outside of Cypherpunk circles ) is thinking about.
” But what makes Assange extraordinary is his work as editor in chief and publisher of WikiLeaks .
Following are a few examples of information they have conveyed to the public : * Corruption by family and associates of Kenyan leader Daniel Arap Moi .
* Corruption at Kaupthing Bank in the Iceland financial crisis * @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iraqi civilians by US Apache attack helicopter in “ Collateral Murder ” video .
* 92,000 documents on the war in Afghanistan ( and civilian casualties previously hidden ) * 400,000 documents on the war in Iraq ( including reports showing the US military ignoring torture by their Iraqi allies ) * NSA spying on German leader Merkel , Brazilian leader Roussef , French presidents ( Sarkozy , Hollande , Chirac ) and more .
* emails and files from the US Democratic National Committee Julian Assange has received much recognition : Sam @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Year , Le Monde Person of the Year , Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism , Sydney Peace Foundation Gold Medal , Serena Shim Award and others .
But Assange has incurred the wrath and enmity of the US government .
The “ Collateral Damage ” video and war logs exposed the brutal reality of US aggression and occupation .
Kofi Annan , former Secretary-General of the United Nations , said the US invasion of Iraq violated international law .
But there has been no accountability .
In response to WikiLeaks ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the crimes and gone after the messenger who revealed the crimes .
Thus Julian Assange was confined to the Ecuador Embassy for 7 years and is now in Belmarsh maximum-security prison .
The US wants him extradited to the US where he has been charged with 18 counts of “ Illegally Obtaining , Receiving and Disclosing Classified Information ” .
The extradition hearing is scheduled to begin on 24 February 2020 .
Australia should be proud of these exceptional native sons .
Each one has made huge contributions to educating the public about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the “ other side ” when the West was waging war on Korea , Vietnam , Laos , and China .
He was demonized and even called “ Public Enemy Number One ” during the Cold War .
But those who read his reports and many books found an accurate and objective writer .
His many books stand the test of time .
From the 60s to today , John Pilger has told stories that were never or rarely told .
He has exposed facts and drawn conclusions which shame or should shame @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , U.S.A. or Australia .
He has documented the real heroes who are otherwise ignored .
Julian Assange is from the new generation .
He has reported and published secret information about military-political power on “ this side ” .
He has revealed truths that powerful forces do not want the public to know , even when it is being done in their name .
Now Assange is in prison and in danger of being extradited to the United States .
If this is allowed to happen , it will mark a crushing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigative journalism .
John Pilger is a major supporter of Julian Assange .
So is the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture , Nils Melzer .
In a blockbuster interview , he says “ I have never seen a comparable case….The Swedish authorities … intentionally left him in limbo .
Just imagine being accused of rape for nine-and-a-half years by an entire state apparatus and the media without ever being given the chance to defend yourself because no charges have ever been filed.
” He goes to describe reading the original Swedish documents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my eyes… .
a rape had never taken place at all… .
the woman ’ s testimony was later changed by the Stockholm police… I have all the documents in my possession , the emails , the text messages.
” Melzer describes the refusal of governments to comply with his requests .
He sums up what is happening and the significance .
“ A show trial is to be used to make an example of Julian Assange….. Four democratic countries joined forces – the U.S. , Ecuador , Sweden , and the U.K. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one man as a monster so that he could be later burned at the stake without any outcry .
The case is a huge scandal and represents the failure of Western rule of law .
If Julian Assange is convicted , it will be a death sentence for freedom of the press.
” The three extraordinary Australian journalists were all rebels and all international .
They all depended on freedom of the press which is now at stake .
Feature photo | Pictured from left to right : John Pilger , Wilfred Burchett @ @ @ @ @ @ @ independent investigative journalist .
He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and can be contacted at rsterling1 @ protonmail.com

Australia has produced extraordinary journalists across three generations: Wilfred Burchett (deceased in 1983), John Pilger (80 years old but still active) and Julian Assange (48 years old, currently in London’s Belmarsh prison).
Each of these journalists made unique contributions to our understanding of the world. Although Australia is part of the western world, each of these journalists exposed and criticized Western foreign policy.
Wilfred Burchett
Wilfred Burchett lived from 1911 to 1983. He was a farm boy and his experience in the depression shaped his dislike of oligarchs and preference for the poor. He went to Europe trying to volunteer for Republicans in the Spanish Civil War but that did not work out. Instead, he assisted Jews escaping Nazi Germany.
Burchett became a journalist by accident. Having seen the reality in Germany, he started writing many letters to newspaper editors. One of the editors took note of his fluid writing style and intensity. They contacted him to ask if he would like to report for them. Thus began a forty year writing career.
He covered WW2, first stationed with British troops in India then Burma. Then he covered the Pacific campaign stationed with U.S. troops. He was the first international journalist to report on Hiroshima after the atomic bomb. He evaded US military restrictions to go to Hiroshima and see reality for himself. In his story “The Atomic Plague”, published in the London Daily Express, Burchett said, “I write this as a warning to the world” and “Doctors fall as they work”. Immediately the US launched a campaign to smear his reputation and deny the validity of his story. The US military was intent on preventing people from knowing the long term effects of nuclear radiation.
Burchett’s report from Hiroshima was broadcast worldwide and called the “scoop of the century”. It exemplified his career based on first-hand observation and experience.
Over his 40 year career, he reported the other side of the story from the Soviet Union, China, Korea and Vietnam. He wrote thousands of articles and over 35 books. On China, he wrote “China’s Feet Unbound” in 1952. Two decades later he wrote (with Rewi Alley) “China: The Quality of Life”.
Burchett wrote “Vietnam: The Inside Story of a Guerrilla War” (1965) “My War with the CIA: The Memoirs of Prince Norodom Sihanouk”(1974), “Grasshoppers and Elephants: Why Vietnam Fell” (1977) and then “Catapult to Freedom: The Survival of the Vietnamese People” (1978).
Burchett’s life, experiences and observations are brilliantly recorded in his autobiography “At the Barricades: Forty Years on the Cutting Edge of History” (1980). They reveal the hardscrabble youth and early years, the leftist sympathies, the decades of journalistic work based on first-hand observations.
Burchett was vilified by the establishment political leaders in Australia. His Australian passport was taken, the government refused to issue him a new one and he was barred from entering Australia. Even his children were denied their Australian citizenship. Finally, after 17 years, Wilfred Burchett’s citizenship and passport were restored when Gough Whitlam became Prime Minister in 1972.
With his unassuming and affable manner, Wilfred Burchett became friends with leaders such as Ho Chi Minh, Norodom Sihanouk, and Chou en Lai. Bertrand Russell said, “One man, Wilfred Burchett, alerted Western public opinion to the nature of this war and the struggle of the Vietnamese people.”
This interview gives a glimpse into the character and personality of Wilfred Burchett.
John Pilger
John Pilger is another extraordinary Australian journalist. After starting journalism in the early ’60s, he became a war correspondent covering Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangladesh and Biafra. He worked 25 years at London’s Daily Mirror and then had a regular fortnightly column for 23 years at the New Statesman.
His first documentary, “The Quiet Mutiny”, depicted US soldiers in Vietnam resisting their officers and the war. In 1974, when Palestine was often unmentionable, he produced “Palestine is Still the Issue”. Nineteen years later, he wrote the second part and described how Palestine is still the issue.
John Pilger has written/edited over ten books and made over 50 films. He told the story of atrocities in Pol Pot’s Cambodia with “Year Zero“. He exposed Indonesia’s stranglehold on East Timor in “Death of a Nation: The Timor Conspiracy”. In a four year investigation, he showed how working-class victims of the drug thalidomide had been excluded from a settlement with the drug company.
John Pilger exposed uncomfortable truths about his home country and its treatment of aboriginal people. He did this through films including “The Secret Country: First Australians Fight Back” (1985), “Welcome to Australia” (1999), and “Utopia: An Epic Story of Struggle and Resistance” (2013). He gives more history and detail in the book “A Secret Country” (1992).
In 2002 Pilger produced and movie and book titled “The New Rulers of the World” revealing the grotesque inequality in this “globalized” world where a few individuals and corporations have more power and wealth than entire countries.
In 2016 Pilger came out with the urgent and prescient video “The Coming War with China”.
More recently he produced “The Dirty War on the NHS” which documents the stealth campaign to privatize the UK’s National Health System. Many of John Pilger’s films can be seen at his website johnpilger.com .
In the 1960s and ’70s, Pilger’s brave and bold journalism received many awards and he was twice recognized as Journalist of the Year. But in recent years, there has been less acceptance as media has become more homogenized and controlled. In 2018 Pilger said, “My written journalism is no longer welcome – probably it’s last home was The Guardian, which three years ago got rid of people like me and others in pretty much a purge …”
Harold Pinter, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, says “John Pilger unearths, with steely attention, the facts, the filthy truth. and tells it like it is.
Julian Assange
The third extraordinary Australian journalist is Julian Assange. He was born on 3 July 1971. He became a skilled computer programmer and hacker as a teenager. Later he later studied mathematics and physics at Melbourne University. According to one of his math teachers he was an exceptional student but he clearly had other tasks and priorities.
Assange has edited or co-authored at least four books. For three years he worked with Australian journalist and co-author Suelette Dreyfus to write “Underground : Tales of Hacking, Madness and Obsession in the Electronic Frontier”. First published in 1997, the Sydney Morning Herald called it “astonishing”. Rolling Stone described it as “An entirely original focus on the bizarre lives and crimes of an extraordinary group of teenage hackers.”
In 2012, Assange produced the TV series “The World Tomorrow”. Over 12 segments, he interviews Ecuador President Rafael Correa, the current President of Pakistan Imran Khan, the leader of Hezbollah Hasan Nasrallah, leaders in the Occupy movement, Noam Chomsky, Tariq Ali and many more.
In 2013, Assange and WikiLeaks produced the movie Mediastan. It shows WikiLeaks’ global travels to meet publishers of the secret documents. In 2014 OR Books published “When WikiLeaks met Google”. It consists of a discussion between Julian Assange and Google founder Eric Schmidt plus two companions. Assange writes a 51-page introduction which puts the discussion in context: how Google and other internet giants have become part of US foreign policy establishment.
In 2015 Assange edited “The WikiLeaks files: the world according to the US Empire” and in 2016 the book “Cypherpunks: Freedom and the Future of the Internet” was published. Assange and three other computer experts discuss the future of the internet and whether computers will emancipate or enslave us. One reviewer says, “These guys are really getting at the heart of some very big issues that practically no one (outside of Cypherpunk circles) is thinking about.”
But what makes Assange extraordinary is his work as editor in chief and publisher of WikiLeaks. Following are a few examples of information they have conveyed to the public:
* Corruption by family and associates of Kenyan leader Daniel Arap Moi.
* Corruption at Kaupthing Bank in the Iceland financial crisis
* Dumping of toxic chemicals in Ivory Coast.
* Killing of Reuters journalists and over 10 Iraqi civilians by US Apache attack helicopter in “Collateral Murder” video.
* 92,000 documents on the war in Afghanistan (and civilian casualties previously hidden)
* 400,000 documents on the war in Iraq (including reports showing the US military ignoring torture by their Iraqi allies)
* corruption in Tunisia (helping spark the Arab Spring)
* NSA spying on German leader Merkel, Brazilian leader Roussef, French presidents (Sarkozy, Hollande, Chirac) and more.
* secret agreements in the proposed Trans Pacific Partnership
* emails and files from the US Democratic National Committee
* CIA spying and other tools (“Vault 7”).
Julian Assange has received much recognition: Sam Adams Award, Time’s Person of the Year, Le Monde Person of the Year, Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism, Sydney Peace Foundation Gold Medal, Serena Shim Award and others.
But Assange has incurred the wrath and enmity of the US government. The “Collateral Damage” video and war logs exposed the brutal reality of US aggression and occupation. Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations, said the US invasion of Iraq violated international law. But there has been no accountability.
In response to WikiLeaks’ revelations, the United States has ignored the crimes and gone after the messenger who revealed the crimes. Thus Julian Assange was confined to the Ecuador Embassy for 7 years and is now in Belmarsh maximum-security prison. The US wants him extradited to the US where he has been charged with 18 counts of “Illegally Obtaining, Receiving and Disclosing Classified Information”. The extradition hearing is scheduled to begin on 24 February 2020.
Across Three Generations
Australia should be proud of these exceptional native sons. Each one has made huge contributions to educating the public about crucial events.
Wilfred Burchett reported from the “other side” when the West was waging war on Korea, Vietnam, Laos, and China. He was demonized and even called “Public Enemy Number One” during the Cold War. But those who read his reports and many books found an accurate and objective writer. His many books stand the test of time.
From the 60s to today, John Pilger has told stories that were never or rarely told. He has exposed facts and drawn conclusions which shame or should shame powerful forces, whether in the U.K., U.S.A. or Australia. He has documented the real heroes who are otherwise ignored.
Julian Assange is from the new generation. He has reported and published secret information about military-political power on “this side”. He has revealed truths that powerful forces do not want the public to know, even when it is being done in their name.
Now Assange is in prison and in danger of being extradited to the United States. If this is allowed to happen, it will mark a crushing setback and perhaps the death of independent investigative journalism.
John Pilger is a major supporter of Julian Assange. So is the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, Nils Melzer. In a blockbuster interview, he says “I have never seen a comparable case….The Swedish authorities … intentionally left him in limbo. Just imagine being accused of rape for nine-and-a-half years by an entire state apparatus and the media without ever being given the chance to defend yourself because no charges have ever been filed.” He goes to describe reading the original Swedish documents, saying “I could hardly believe my eyes…. a rape had never taken place at all…. the woman’s testimony was later changed by the Stockholm police… I have all the documents in my possession, the emails, the text messages.”
Melzer describes the refusal of governments to comply with his requests. He sums up what is happening and the significance. “A show trial is to be used to make an example of Julian Assange….. Four democratic countries joined forces – the U.S., Ecuador, Sweden, and the U.K. – to leverage their power to portray one man as a monster so that he could be later burned at the stake without any outcry. The case is a huge scandal and represents the failure of Western rule of law. If Julian Assange is convicted, it will be a death sentence for freedom of the press.”
The three extraordinary Australian journalists were all rebels and all international. They all depended on freedom of the press which is now at stake.
Feature photo | Pictured from left to right: John Pilger, Wilfred Burchett and Julian Assange
Rick Sterling is an independent investigative journalist. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and can be contacted at [email protected]


mintpressnews--2020-02-07--Lee Camp: They’re Going to Try to Steal California From Sanders (Again)

After watching Iowa devolve into chaos like a car crash in slow motion , I regret to inform you that California will be stolen from Bernie Sanders .
It ’ s happening now , and anyone with a vague understanding of what took place in 2016 should know how the grand theft will go down .
But the good news is there ’ s still a chance to have a legitimate vote in the land of sunshine and broken dreams , which is why the Democratic National Committee probably doesn ’ t want you to read this column .
So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and dumps hot tea in your lap in the next few minutes , you ’ ll know why .
( He has a lot of free time . )
California is one of the biggest prizes , with 495 delegates up for grabs .
And it ’ s even more important this year because its primaries have been moved up to Super Tuesday , March 3 .
Right now , Bernie Sanders , aka “ Old Man Rational , ” has jumped to the top of the California polls .
So if you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you wanted to rig your primary against people like Bernie Sanders , what would you do ( Short of breaking the legs of anyone who gives change to a homeless man ) ?
Well , I guess one thing would be to make it really hard for a person to vote if he isn ’ t a full-on bread-and-butter Joe Biden-loving Democrat who owns a T-shirt featuring Barack Obama riding on a dinosaur .
Candidates like Bernie attract a lot of voters who are outside the two corrupt Wall Street parties , i.e @ @ @ @ @ @ @ small group .
In fact 45 % of Americans consider themselves Independents , while only 27 % call themselves Democrats and 27 % Republicans .
So if you ’ re an independent in California , when you registered to vote , some of you probably checked the box that said “ American Independent Party.
” There ’ s only one problem : The American Independent Party is a borderline neo-Nazi group .
It ’ s the name of a party that opposes gay marriage , hates immigrants and apparently hates women , because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of course it has a manifesto ) actually states “ In consequence whereof , we call upon all men who value their God-given liberty to join us in pursuit of these political convictions !
” ( Emphasis added … but you could feel it . )
Can I also add that I strongly believe one can ’ t just follow racist , sexist crap with the antiquated phrase “ in consequence whereof ” and think that makes it OK ?
Rarely do you hear a story like , “ The other day someone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whereof , I consider you a bucket of dicks.
” And I responded , ‘ Why thank you , my good man .
Henceforth and forsooth , go screw yourself.
’ ” So , do you think a lot of independents in California accidentally sign up for the bigotry party ?
Yes they do .
“ A Los Angeles Times investigation has found that a majority of [ the American Independent Party ’ s ] members have registered with the party in error .
Nearly three out of four people did not realize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Therefore , Californians should be forewarned that if they want to vote for someone outside the centrists — say , Bernie Sanders — they need to change their party affiliation to either Democrat or No Party Preference .
But it gets even worse .
In order to stop the “ No Party Preference ” people from voting , the state ( read : the corporate Democratic machine ) does not give them a ballot with the presidential choices on it … which is RIDICULOUS !
Do they honestly think millions of people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a polling place playing Pokemon on their phones for three hours in order to vote for the City Council ’ s assistant treasurer ?
!
No !
They showed up to tell Joe Biden to check into a retirement home .
And there is indeed a way they can vote in the presidential primary , but it ’ s complicated .
To sum up — millions of California independents are accidentally signed up for a racist , homophobic party .
Millions more are handed a ballot without presidential candidates .
In consequence whereof @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to cast a vote in the primary .
But , as investigative journalist Greg Palast has revealed , it gets even worse !
He wrote , “ … if an NPP voter asks the poll worker , ‘ How do I get to vote in the Democratic party primary ?
’ the poll workers are instructed to say that , ‘ NPP voters can ’ t get Democratic ballots.
’ ” The poll workers are not lying … kinda .
NPP voters can ’ t get Democratic ballots , but they can get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the presidential race .
So as Palast explains , “ …if you don ’ t say the magic words , ‘ I want a Democratic crossover ballot , ’ you are automatically given a ballot without the presidential race.
” You have to say the goddamn golden phrase to get to vote ?
!
Poll workers are nearly instructed to lie to Independents unless the voter has the passcode .
It is bananas that it ’ s this hard to obtain the correct ballot in California !
( I ’ ve had an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ household . )
Because of these intentional hurdles designed to stop Independents from voting , millions of Californians will be handed something called a “ provisional ballot.
” Let ’ s see , how do I explain a provisional ballot ?
You know when a little toddler has a ball and they go to throw it , and they cock their arm back and then the ball rolls out of their hand behind them , and they end up throwing nothing but air ?
But they think they threw the ball , so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ball is going to land ?
That ’ s a provisional ballot .
It ’ s a lot of buildup , but you didn ’ t do shit .
Because no one will ever count it .
In truth , a certain percentage of provisional ballots are indeed counted , but by the time they are , it ’ s too late .
The results have been reported , and the provisional ballots are really just an afterthought .
For this reason , Palast calls them “ placebo ballots ” — they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you voted .
So don ’ t accept a provisional ballot .
Demand your right to vote in the presidential primary .
Demand a crossover ballot .
Election integrity activists in California also recommend people vote early , which can be done right now , in person , at your county Department of Elections .
That way you ’ ll have plenty of time to deal with what they call in the election integrity biz — fuckery .
Ironically , our government fights to make sure as few people as possible vote in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been captured by corporate America , only alternative media now reveals how the wealthy and the powerful game the systems .
So tell your sun-bleached Cali friends to demand a real ballot with the presidential candidates on it .
I ’ m not going tell you or them who to vote for , but in consequence whereof the American Independent ( Homophobe ) Party is fighting for your rights , such as the right to speak like it ’ s the mid-1800s .
( As long as you ’ re a white @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and women need not apply . )
Feature photo | A supporter holds up a sign for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders , I-Vt. , during a rally in Venice , Calif. , Dec. 21 , 2019 .
Kelvin Kuo | AP If you think this column is important , please share it .
Lee Camp ’ s new book , “ Bullet Points & Punch Lines , ” is available at LeeCampBook.com .
This column is based on a monologue Lee Camp wrote and performed on his TV show , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with special permission from the author .
It originally appeared at Truthdig .

After watching Iowa devolve into chaos like a car crash in slow motion, I regret to inform you that California will be stolen from Bernie Sanders.
It’s happening now, and anyone with a vague understanding of what took place in 2016 should know how the grand theft will go down. But the good news is there’s still a chance to have a legitimate vote in the land of sunshine and broken dreams, which is why the Democratic National Committee probably doesn’t want you to read this column. So if DNC Chair Tom Perez comes around and dumps hot tea in your lap in the next few minutes, you’ll know why. (He has a lot of free time.)
California is one of the biggest prizes, with 495 delegates up for grabs. And it’s even more important this year because its primaries have been moved up to Super Tuesday, March 3. Right now, Bernie Sanders, aka “Old Man Rational,” has jumped to the top of the California polls. So if you were the ruling elite of California and you wanted to rig your primary against people like Bernie Sanders, what would you do (Short of breaking the legs of anyone who gives change to a homeless man)?
Well, I guess one thing would be to make it really hard for a person to vote if he isn’t a full-on bread-and-butter Joe Biden-loving Democrat who owns a T-shirt featuring Barack Obama riding on a dinosaur. Candidates like Bernie attract a lot of voters who are outside the two corrupt Wall Street parties, i.e. independents. And independents are no small group. In fact 45% of Americans consider themselves Independents, while only 27% call themselves Democrats and 27% Republicans.
So if you’re an independent in California, when you registered to vote, some of you probably checked the box that said “American Independent Party.” There’s only one problem: The American Independent Party is a borderline neo-Nazi group. It’s the name of a party that opposes gay marriage, hates immigrants and apparently hates women, because the last line of its manifesto (of course it has a manifesto) actually states , “In consequence whereof, we call upon all men who value their God-given liberty to join us in pursuit of these political convictions!” (Emphasis added … but you could feel it.)
Can I also add that I strongly believe one can’t just follow racist, sexist crap with the antiquated phrase “in consequence whereof” and think that makes it OK? Rarely do you hear a story like, “The other day someone said to me, ‘In consequence whereof, I consider you a bucket of dicks.” And I responded, ‘Why thank you, my good man. Henceforth and forsooth, go screw yourself.’”
So, do you think a lot of independents in California accidentally sign up for the bigotry party? Yes they do. “A Los Angeles Times investigation has found that a majority of [the American Independent Party’s] members have registered with the party in error. Nearly three out of four people did not realize they had joined the party. …”
Therefore, Californians should be forewarned that if they want to vote for someone outside the centrists — say, Bernie Sanders — they need to change their party affiliation to either Democrat or No Party Preference. But it gets even worse.
In order to stop the “No Party Preference” people from voting, the state (read: the corporate Democratic machine) does not give them a ballot with the presidential choices on it … which is RIDICULOUS! Do they honestly think millions of people skipped work to stand in line at a polling place playing Pokemon on their phones for three hours in order to vote for the City Council’s assistant treasurer?! No! They showed up to tell Joe Biden to check into a retirement home. And there is indeed a way they can vote in the presidential primary, but it’s complicated.
To sum up — millions of California independents are accidentally signed up for a racist, homophobic party. Millions more are handed a ballot without presidential candidates. In consequence whereof — millions of people will not get to cast a vote in the primary. But, as investigative journalist Greg Palast has revealed, it gets even worse! He wrote, “… if an NPP voter asks the poll worker, ‘How do I get to vote in the Democratic party primary?’ the poll workers are instructed to say that, ‘NPP voters can’t get Democratic ballots.’”
The poll workers are not lying … kinda. NPP voters can’t get Democratic ballots, but they can get Democratic crossover ballots, which do include the presidential race. So as Palast explains, “…if you don’t say the magic words, ‘I want a Democratic crossover ballot,’ you are automatically given a ballot without the presidential race.”
You have to say the goddamn golden phrase to get to vote?! Poll workers are nearly instructed to lie to Independents unless the voter has the passcode. It is bananas that it’s this hard to obtain the correct ballot in California! (I’ve had an easier time procuring meth in a Mormon household.)
Because of these intentional hurdles designed to stop Independents from voting, millions of Californians will be handed something called a “provisional ballot.”
Let’s see, how do I explain a provisional ballot? You know when a little toddler has a ball and they go to throw it, and they cock their arm back and then the ball rolls out of their hand behind them, and they end up throwing nothing but air? But they think they threw the ball, so you can see them watching for where the ball is going to land? That’s a provisional ballot. It’s a lot of buildup, but you didn’t do shit. Because no one will ever count it.
In truth, a certain percentage of provisional ballots are indeed counted, but by the time they are, it’s too late. The results have been reported, and the provisional ballots are really just an afterthought. For this reason, Palast calls them “placebo ballots” — they’re designed to make you think you voted. So don’t accept a provisional ballot. Demand your right to vote in the presidential primary. Demand a crossover ballot.
Election integrity activists in California also recommend people vote early, which can be done right now, in person, at your county Department of Elections. That way you’ll have plenty of time to deal with what they call in the election integrity biz — fuckery.
Ironically, our government fights to make sure as few people as possible vote in our elections. Since the mainstream media has been captured by corporate America, only alternative media now reveals how the wealthy and the powerful game the systems.
So tell your sun-bleached Cali friends to demand a real ballot with the presidential candidates on it. I’m not going tell you or them who to vote for, but in consequence whereof the American Independent (Homophobe) Party is fighting for your rights, such as the right to speak like it’s the mid-1800s. (As long as you’re a white male landowner of military age. Immigrants and women need not apply.)
Feature photo | A supporter holds up a sign for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., during a rally in Venice, Calif., Dec. 21, 2019. Kelvin Kuo | AP
If you think this column is important, please share it. Lee Camp’s new book, “Bullet Points & Punch Lines,” is available at LeeCampBook.com.
This column is based on a monologue Lee Camp wrote and performed on his TV show, “Redacted Tonight.”
This article was published with special permission from the author. It originally appeared at Truthdig.


mintpressnews--2020-02-07--How the UK is Violating International and Domestic Law

During a discussion at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies yesterday , United States Secretary of Defense Mark Esper claimed that North Korea and Iran – two countries that have drawn the ire of Washington in recent weeks – were “ rogue states ” that require our “ constant vigilance.
” The Oxford English Dictionary describes a rogue state as “ a nation or state regarded as breaking international law and posing a threat to the security of other nations.
” Yet historian Mark Curtis argues that if Esper wanted to find a country that routinely flouted international @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could look much closer to home , to one of the U.S. ’ key allies .
In a new exposé published today , Curtis revealed 17 separate and ongoing British government policies that did so , leading him to label his own nation as a rogue state .
Many of the most blatant violations of international law stem from British actions in the Middle East .
For example , the U.K. military has been operating a fleet of Reaper drones since 2007 , assisting American missions .
From four English bases , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has remotely bombed Yemen , Pakistan and Somalia .
Amnesty International , Curtis notes , described British actions as “ absolutely crucial ” to the American drone campaign providing surveillance , intelligence and logistical support .
Last week MintPress reported on the new video game tool the U.S.A.F .
is using to recruit new drone pilots .
The United Kingdom is also a close ally of Israel , aiding and enabling the state ’ s illegal aggression against and annexation of Palestine .
Although barely reported , the Royal Navy “ regularly collaborates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the blockade of Gaza , an action senior U.N. officials and human rights organizations agree contravenes international humanitarian law by enforcing collective punishment on a civilian population .
Britain also continues to import goods from the illegal Israeli settlements , without even distinguishing them as such .
The U.K. is a key enabler of Saudi crimes in Yemen .
The U.N. claims that Yemen has “ all but ceased to exist ” as a state and estimates 24 million Yemenis are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance as the country is racked by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute , Saudi Arabia is by far Britain ’ s most important arms customer , responsible for 49 percent of total weapons purchases , buoying the booming industry .
In addition , the R.A.F .
repairs and maintains Saudi warplanes involved in the destruction while storing and issuing bombs used against the Houthis .
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn had promised to end all arms sales to Saudi Arabia if elected .
The U.K. ’ s own House of Lords ruled that the government was breaking the law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ region .
But the Conservative December landslide ensured the policy remained intact , sending weapons manufacturers ’ stocks soaring .
British covert operations in the Syrian Civil War , Curtis argues , also violate numerous laws and put civilians at risk .
While illegally spying on its own citizens , collecting massive amounts of data on them , the British government has also arbitrarily detained and tortured those that risked their lives and liberties to expose the practice .
Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange , for example , remains incarcerated in Belmarsh Prison in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ solitary confinement after coordinated protests from the other high-security inmates .
Nils Meltzer , the U.N. Special Rapporteur on torture , has demanded the government immediately release the Australian , blasting the government ’ s “ indifference ” to his abuse .
One little-known area that the U.K. is breaking international law is in the use of child soldiers .
One in four army recruits are now children under the age of 18 , with British teenagers being sent to the frontline in Iraq and Afghanistan .
The U.N. Committee on the Rights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this recruitment policy multiple times .
While Britain , according to Curtis , qualifies for the term “ rogue state , ” Americans should perhaps not be so quick to judge , as former State Department official William Blum ’ s book Rogue State : A Guide to the World ’ s Only Superpower , catalogs how the U.S. government has attempted to overthrow over fifty foreign governments since 1945 , concluding that the U.S. is the number one threat to the world .
Curtis has been a consistent critic of British government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s collusion with radical Islamic groups to overthrow secular Middle Eastern states .
In his book Unpeople : Britain ’ s Secret Human Rights Abuses , he calculated that the U.K. was complicit in the deaths of around ten million people since 1945 .
Despite this , it is unlikely that the U.S. will be pronouncing its ally a rogue state any time soon , as the term seems to be reserved only for enemies of the empire .
Feature photo | The British flag waves from an armored personnel carrier of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advances along the Basra-Kuwait Highway near Kuwait City following the retreat of Iraqi forces during Operation Desert Storm .
Photo | PHC Holmes – Released Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News .
After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books : Bad News From Venezuela : Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age : Still Manufacturing Consent .
He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting , The Guardian , Salon , The Grayzone , Jacobin Magazine , Common Dreams @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

During a discussion at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies yesterday, United States Secretary of Defense Mark Esper claimed that North Korea and Iran – two countries that have drawn the ire of Washington in recent weeks – were “rogue states” that require our “constant vigilance.” The Oxford English Dictionary describes a rogue state as “a nation or state regarded as breaking international law and posing a threat to the security of other nations.” Yet historian Mark Curtis argues that if Esper wanted to find a country that routinely flouted international conventions and threatened the world, he could look much closer to home, to one of the U.S.’ key allies. In a new exposé published today, Curtis revealed 17 separate and ongoing British government policies that did so, leading him to label his own nation as a rogue state.
Many of the most blatant violations of international law stem from British actions in the Middle East. For example, the U.K. military has been operating a fleet of Reaper drones since 2007, assisting American missions. From four English bases, the Royal Air Force (R.A.F.) has remotely bombed Yemen, Pakistan and Somalia. Amnesty International, Curtis notes, described British actions as “absolutely crucial” to the American drone campaign providing surveillance, intelligence and logistical support. Last week MintPress reported on the new video game tool the U.S.A.F. is using to recruit new drone pilots.
The United Kingdom is also a close ally of Israel, aiding and enabling the state’s illegal aggression against and annexation of Palestine. Although barely reported, the Royal Navy “regularly collaborates” with their Israeli peers that enforce the blockade of Gaza, an action senior U.N. officials and human rights organizations agree contravenes international humanitarian law by enforcing collective punishment on a civilian population. Britain also continues to import goods from the illegal Israeli settlements, without even distinguishing them as such.
The U.K. is a key enabler of Saudi crimes in Yemen. The U.N. claims that Yemen has “all but ceased to exist” as a state and estimates 24 million Yemenis are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance as the country is racked by famine, disease and war. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Saudi Arabia is by far Britain’s most important arms customer, responsible for 49 percent of total weapons purchases, buoying the booming industry. In addition, the R.A.F. repairs and maintains Saudi warplanes involved in the destruction while storing and issuing bombs used against the Houthis. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn had promised to end all arms sales to Saudi Arabia if elected. The U.K.’s own House of Lords ruled that the government was breaking the law by continuing to send arms to the region. But the Conservative December landslide ensured the policy remained intact, sending weapons manufacturers’ stocks soaring. British covert operations in the Syrian Civil War, Curtis argues, also violate numerous laws and put civilians at risk.
While illegally spying on its own citizens, collecting massive amounts of data on them, the British government has also arbitrarily detained and tortured those that risked their lives and liberties to expose the practice. Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange, for example, remains incarcerated in Belmarsh Prison in London, only being moved out of solitary confinement after coordinated protests from the other high-security inmates. Nils Meltzer, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on torture, has demanded the government immediately release the Australian, blasting the government’s “indifference” to his abuse.
(1/6) Just out: My letter to the #UK Govt of 29 Oct 2019, detailing serious due process violations, expressing alarm at #Assange’s detention conditions & health, reiterating my queries & calling for his prompt release. Direct link: https://t.co/mqDEFuYowZ (60 days & no response) pic.twitter.com/bCG2nzmRAn — Nils Melzer (@NilsMelzer) December 31, 2019
One little-known area that the U.K. is breaking international law is in the use of child soldiers. One in four army recruits are now children under the age of 18, with British teenagers being sent to the frontline in Iraq and Afghanistan. The U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child has expressed concern over this recruitment policy multiple times.
While Britain, according to Curtis, qualifies for the term “rogue state,” Americans should perhaps not be so quick to judge, as former State Department official William Blum’s book Rogue State: A Guide to the World’s Only Superpower, catalogs how the U.S. government has attempted to overthrow over fifty foreign governments since 1945, concluding that the U.S. is the number one threat to the world.
Curtis has been a consistent critic of British government policy for many years, exposing Britain’s collusion with radical Islamic groups to overthrow secular Middle Eastern states. In his book Unpeople: Britain’s Secret Human Rights Abuses, he calculated that the U.K. was complicit in the deaths of around ten million people since 1945. Despite this, it is unlikely that the U.S. will be pronouncing its ally a rogue state any time soon, as the term seems to be reserved only for enemies of the empire.
Feature photo | The British flag waves from an armored personnel carrier of the 7th Brigade Royal Scots as it advances along the Basra-Kuwait Highway near Kuwait City following the retreat of Iraqi forces during Operation Desert Storm. Photo | PHC Holmes – Released
Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News. After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent. He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary.


mintpressnews--2020-02-07--Media, Democratic Establishment Panics as Sanders Predicted to Sweep All 50 States

While former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg may have claimed victory at this week ’ s botched Iowa caucus , the real winner , according to statisticians , was Bernie Sanders .
The Vermont senator is now by far the favorite candidate according to bookmakers .
Oddschecker , a betting comparison app , surveyed eighteen different gambling sites and found every one declaring the democratic socialist the clear frontrunner .
Real Clear Politics has also had Sanders as its favorite for over a week , as Bernie surpassed former vice-president Joe Biden , who performed poorly in the first caucus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in October , Massachusetts ’ Elizabeth Warren has crashed , her likelihood of overall victory dropping from 53 percent in the fall to just 7.5 percent today .
Perhaps most notably , statistics and politics website Five Thirty Eight predicts that Sanders is the favorite to win in all 50 states , suggesting he will receive over 200 delegates in California alone – twice the total of any other candidate .
This is all the more surprising as Five Thirty Eight ’ s Editor-in-Chief Nate Silver is a conservative , describing his politics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Johnson .
The site also has a history of downplaying or underestimating Sanders ’ chances .
No matter how much mainstream media attempts to spin the results , Iowa has many of those in the establishment very worried , to say the least .
Writing in New York Magazine , self-described liberal Jonathan Chait was beside himself with worry and was unsure what the best plan of action was to stop the Sanders surge .
“ One strategy would be to rally around Biden , on the grounds that no other candidate has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ties to black voters .
The other strategy is to hope his campaign collapses as quickly as possible , so that another contender can emerge , ” he wrote .
“ At the moment it is not clear which strategy makes sense.
” He bemoaned the lack of coordination from the Democratic establishment to oppose the Vermont senator and claimed that other “ center-left ” candidates like Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar simply do not have the backing of black voters , making a South Carolina victory very unlikely .
He also wrote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ best-case scenario for victory , even though he felt he was just another long shot .
Chait claims to oppose Sanders purely on pragmatic grounds , arguing that Bernie veers way too far left to be elected .
Therefore , selecting him as the candidate would be “ an act of insanity.
” Of course , he also strongly supported the invasion of Iraq and argued that liberals should get behind Trump for the Republican nomination in 2016 as it would destroy the party and lead to an easy Clinton victory .
Therefore @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not feel Chait ’ s pronouncements are a death knell for his campaign .
Leaked audio has shown that Sanders was the only candidate Trump was fearful he could not defeat .
“ Had Clinton picked Bernie Sanders it would have been tougher .
He is the only one I didn ’ t want her to pick ” for vice-president , Trump told his team , noting that “ If Bernie would have been VP it would have been tougher.
” MSNBC host Joy Ann Reid , who recently invited a quack body @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bernie ’ s supposed sexism , tried to downplay Sanders ’ large lead in the Iowa vote share .
“ Am I wrong to think that 6,000 votes is not exactly a revolutionary margin either way so neither of the top two finishers in Iowa got much out of it regardless of the outcome ?
” she wrote .
6,000 votes equate to around three percent – a wider margin of victory than Hillary Clinton over Trump in the 2016 popular vote .
Clinton has been sounding the alarm for weeks over Sanders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ endorse him if he wins the nomination .
Late last month she claimed that “ nobody likes him ” and that she hates the “ culture around him , ” specifically his “ rabid followers , ” using a word usually reserved in English for diseased and dangerous animals to describe the two-thirds of Americans who have a favorable opinion of him , according to a January poll .
Evidently , Clinton still has the same tactical nowse as in 2016 .
Former Maryland governor Mmintpartin O ’ Malley , who ran as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ primaries , also expressed his alarm at the rapidly leftward moving party .
“ Look , I know in my own generation we fell for the Nigerian prince scam , but how do you all fall for the Bernie Sanders scam ?
I don ’ t get that , ” he said to The Guardian .
Regardless of the objections of establishment Democrats , Sanders ’ campaign appears to be gathering momentum .
The next primary is on Tuesday in New Hampshire , where Bernie has a strong organization .
Another victory will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Feature photo | Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders , I-Vt. , uses the back entrance of his New Hampshire headquarters , before a new conference , Feb. 6 , 2020 in Manchester , N.H. Pablo Martinez Monsivais | AP Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News .
After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books : Bad News From Venezuela : Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age : Still Manufacturing Consent .
He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , The Grayzone , Jacobin Magazine , Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary .

While former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg may have claimed victory at this week’s botched Iowa caucus, the real winner, according to statisticians, was Bernie Sanders. The Vermont senator is now by far the favorite candidate according to bookmakers. Oddschecker, a betting comparison app, surveyed eighteen different gambling sites and found every one declaring the democratic socialist the clear frontrunner. Real Clear Politics has also had Sanders as its favorite for over a week, as Bernie surpassed former vice-president Joe Biden, who performed poorly in the first caucus of the year. The runaway favorite in October, Massachusetts’ Elizabeth Warren has crashed, her likelihood of overall victory dropping from 53 percent in the fall to just 7.5 percent today.
Perhaps most notably, statistics and politics website Five Thirty Eight predicts that Sanders is the favorite to win in all 50 states, suggesting he will receive over 200 delegates in California alone – twice the total of any other candidate. This is all the more surprising as Five Thirty Eight’s Editor-in-Chief Nate Silver is a conservative, describing his politics as lying between Mitt Romney and Gary Johnson. The site also has a history of downplaying or underestimating Sanders’ chances.
No matter how much mainstream media attempts to spin the results, Iowa has many of those in the establishment very worried, to say the least. Writing in New York Magazine, self-described liberal Jonathan Chait was beside himself with worry and was unsure what the best plan of action was to stop the Sanders surge. “One strategy would be to rally around Biden, on the grounds that no other candidate has or will have his name recognition and ties to black voters. The other strategy is to hope his campaign collapses as quickly as possible, so that another contender can emerge,” he wrote. “At the moment it is not clear which strategy makes sense.” He bemoaned the lack of coordination from the Democratic establishment to oppose the Vermont senator and claimed that other “center-left” candidates like Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar simply do not have the backing of black voters, making a South Carolina victory very unlikely. He also wrote that Mike Bloomberg might be liberals’ best-case scenario for victory, even though he felt he was just another long shot.
Chait claims to oppose Sanders purely on pragmatic grounds, arguing that Bernie veers way too far left to be elected. Therefore, selecting him as the candidate would be “an act of insanity.” Of course, he also strongly supported the invasion of Iraq and argued that liberals should get behind Trump for the Republican nomination in 2016 as it would destroy the party and lead to an easy Clinton victory. Therefore, those who do support Bernie might not feel Chait’s pronouncements are a death knell for his campaign. Leaked audio has shown that Sanders was the only candidate Trump was fearful he could not defeat. “Had Clinton picked Bernie Sanders it would have been tougher. He is the only one I didn’t want her to pick” for vice-president, Trump told his team, noting that “If Bernie would have been VP it would have been tougher.”
MSNBC host Joy Ann Reid, who recently invited a quack body language expert on her show to discuss Bernie’s supposed sexism, tried to downplay Sanders’ large lead in the Iowa vote share. “Am I wrong to think that 6,000 votes is not exactly a revolutionary margin either way so neither of the top two finishers in Iowa got much out of it regardless of the outcome?” she wrote. 6,000 votes equate to around three percent – a wider margin of victory than Hillary Clinton over Trump in the 2016 popular vote.
Clinton has been sounding the alarm for weeks over Sanders’ rise, refusing to agree to endorse him if he wins the nomination. Late last month she claimed that “nobody likes him” and that she hates the “culture around him,” specifically his “rabid followers,” using a word usually reserved in English for diseased and dangerous animals to describe the two-thirds of Americans who have a favorable opinion of him, according to a January poll. Evidently, Clinton still has the same tactical nowse as in 2016.
Former Maryland governor Mmintpartin O’Malley, who ran as a “moderate” in the 2016 primaries, also expressed his alarm at the rapidly leftward moving party. “Look, I know in my own generation we fell for the Nigerian prince scam, but how do you all fall for the Bernie Sanders scam? I don’t get that,” he said to The Guardian.
Regardless of the objections of establishment Democrats, Sanders’ campaign appears to be gathering momentum. The next primary is on Tuesday in New Hampshire, where Bernie has a strong organization. Another victory will likely turn angst into full blown panic.
Feature photo | Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., uses the back entrance of his New Hampshire headquarters, before a new conference, Feb. 6, 2020 in Manchester, N.H. Pablo Martinez Monsivais | AP
Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News. After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent. He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary.


mintpressnews--2020-02-10--Journalist Abby Martin Sues State of Georgia Over Law Requiring Pledge of Allegiance to Israel

After refusing to sign a pledge of allegiance to the state of Israel , the state of Georgia shut down a media literacy conference featuring journalist and filmmaker Abby Martin at Georgia Southern University .
Martin had recently released a documentary critical of the Israeli government called “ Gaza Fights for Freedom.
” Now she is suing the state , claiming the decision is a violation of the First Amendment .
Along with the Council on American-Islamic Relations ( CAIR ) and the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund ( PCJF ) , today she filed a federal free speech lawsuit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Martin was dismayed by the university ’ s decision : “ This censorship of my talk based on forced compliance to anti-BDS laws in Georgia is just one level of a nationwide campaign to protect Israel from grassroots pressure .
We must stand firmly opposed to these efforts and not cower in fear to these blatant violations of free speech , ” she said .
Twenty-eight states have already mandated loyalty pledges to Israel as a means to outlaw dissent .
But in December , President Trump passed legislation effectively criminalizing the Boycott @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that aims to put pressure on the Jewish state through economic action , along the lines of the anti-Apartheid struggle in South Africa .
The law mandates that any public institution would be subject to losing all funding if the government deems that they are not doing enough to stamp out anti-Semitism , which , it explicitly states , includes any criticism of the Israeli government .
In December , MintPress reported that the British government under Boris Johnson is planning to introduce similar legislation .
“ The hyperbolic notion that conservatives are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has made blatant censorship campaigns against people for criticism of Israel , or other progressive protests , go completely ignored , ” Martin wrote .
The PCJF likened the BDS movement to the boycotts of the civil rights movement in the mid-twentieth century , its Executive Director Mara Verheyden-Hilliard described the laws as “ extraordinary , outrageous , illegal and unconstitutional.
” In 1956 Martin Luther King and his movement were criminalized for carrying out boycotts , as Southern states passed legislation to penalize their behavior , only for it to be later @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This is what Martin and the alliance of non-governmental organizations is hoping will happen here too .
Why should I have to “ contractually pledge loyalty to a foreign country ?
” she asked at her press conference today .
In 2016 , Georgia Governor Nathan Deal signed a law requiring any person or organization entering into a contract with the state worth at least $ 1,000 sign an oath promising that they would not oppose the Israeli government in any fashion .
CAIR has reason to believe they could overturn the law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mitchell , called “ blatantly and hilariously unconstitutional.
” In 2018 , Bahia Amawi , a Houston-based children ’ s speech pathologist who worked with autistic , speech-impaired and other developmentally disabled children , lost her job after she refused to sign a similar document .
Amawi had been at her job for nine years previously without a problem .
CAIR took up Amawi ’ s case and managed to overturn every Texas boycott law on the grounds of their unconstitutionality and she is now free to return to work .
They appear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Martin began as a citizen journalist covering the Occupy movement in her native California .
From 2012 to 2015 she hosted the show Breaking the Set on RT .
In the famous D.N.I .
report into alleged Russian interference into the 2016 election , the U.S. government accused her of “ promoting radical discontent ” in America , something she appears to wear as a badge of honor .
Her current documentary series , Empire Files , is broadcast on TeleSUR English .
However , due to sanctions against the Venezuelan government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
She is also the host of Media Roots Radio .
Correction | An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the state of Georgia shut down a screening of Abby Martin ’ s documentary film “ Gaza Fights for Freedom.
” Feature photo | Journalist Abby Martin announces a federal free speech lawsuit to overturn Georgia ’ s unconstitutional Israel boycott in partnership with CAIR and the Partnership for Justice Fund .
Photo | Facebook Screenshot Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News .
After completing his PhD in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News From Venezuela : Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age : Still Manufacturing Consent .
He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting , The Guardian , Salon , The Grayzone , Jacobin Magazine , Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary .

After refusing to sign a pledge of allegiance to the state of Israel, the state of Georgia shut down a media literacy conference featuring journalist and filmmaker Abby Martin at Georgia Southern University. Martin had recently released a documentary critical of the Israeli government called “Gaza Fights for Freedom.” Now she is suing the state, claiming the decision is a violation of the First Amendment. Along with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund (PCJF), today she filed a federal free speech lawsuit against the university system of Georgia.
Martin was dismayed by the university’s decision: “This censorship of my talk based on forced compliance to anti-BDS laws in Georgia is just one level of a nationwide campaign to protect Israel from grassroots pressure. We must stand firmly opposed to these efforts and not cower in fear to these blatant violations of free speech,” she said.
After I was scheduled to give keynote speech at an upcoming @GeorgiaSouthern conference, organizers said I must comply w/ Georgia’s anti-BDS law & sign a contractual pledge to not boycott Israel. I refused & my talk was canceled. The event fell apart after colleagues supported me — Abby Martin (@AbbyMartin) January 11, 2020
Twenty-eight states have already mandated loyalty pledges to Israel as a means to outlaw dissent. But in December, President Trump passed legislation effectively criminalizing the Boycott Divestments and Sanctions (BDS) movement that aims to put pressure on the Jewish state through economic action, along the lines of the anti-Apartheid struggle in South Africa. The law mandates that any public institution would be subject to losing all funding if the government deems that they are not doing enough to stamp out anti-Semitism, which, it explicitly states, includes any criticism of the Israeli government. In December, MintPress reported that the British government under Boris Johnson is planning to introduce similar legislation.
“The hyperbolic notion that conservatives are the ones being persecuted on college campuses has made blatant censorship campaigns against people for criticism of Israel, or other progressive protests, go completely ignored,” Martin wrote.
CAIR’s Legal Defense Fund Senior Litigation Attorney Gadeir Abbas said,
There is no place where free speech is more important than on campus. And this attempt to suppress Abby’s views – denying students, academics, and others from hearing her lecture – is as brazen as it is illegal. In adopting this anti-BDS law, Georgia has prioritized the policy preferences of a foreign country over the free speech rights of Americans, like Abby, who speak on this state’s college campuses.”
The PCJF likened the BDS movement to the boycotts of the civil rights movement in the mid-twentieth century, its Executive Director Mara Verheyden-Hilliard described the laws as “extraordinary, outrageous, illegal and unconstitutional.” In 1956 Martin Luther King and his movement were criminalized for carrying out boycotts, as Southern states passed legislation to penalize their behavior, only for it to be later struck down by the Supreme Court. This is what Martin and the alliance of non-governmental organizations is hoping will happen here too. Why should I have to “contractually pledge loyalty to a foreign country?” she asked at her press conference today.
In 2016, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal signed a law requiring any person or organization entering into a contract with the state worth at least $1,000 sign an oath promising that they would not oppose the Israeli government in any fashion. CAIR has reason to believe they could overturn the law its Georgia Executive Director, Edward Ahmed Mitchell, called “blatantly and hilariously unconstitutional.”
In 2018, Bahia Amawi, a Houston-based children’s speech pathologist who worked with autistic, speech-impaired and other developmentally disabled children, lost her job after she refused to sign a similar document. Amawi had been at her job for nine years previously without a problem. CAIR took up Amawi’s case and managed to overturn every Texas boycott law on the grounds of their unconstitutionality and she is now free to return to work. They appear confident of a similar victory in Georgia.
Martin began as a citizen journalist covering the Occupy movement in her native California. From 2012 to 2015 she hosted the show Breaking the Set on RT. In the famous D.N.I. report into alleged Russian interference into the 2016 election, the U.S. government accused her of “promoting radical discontent” in America, something she appears to wear as a badge of honor. Her current documentary series, Empire Files, is broadcast on TeleSUR English. However, due to sanctions against the Venezuelan government, Gaza Fights for Freedom was crowdfunded. She is also the host of Media Roots Radio.
Correction | An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the state of Georgia shut down a screening of Abby Martin’s documentary film “Gaza Fights for Freedom.”
Feature photo | Journalist Abby Martin announces a federal free speech lawsuit to overturn Georgia’s unconstitutional Israel boycott in partnership with CAIR and the Partnership for Justice Fund. Photo | Facebook Screenshot
Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News. After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent. He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary.


mintpressnews--2020-02-10--Despite Iowa Caucus Fiasco, Nevada Democrats Plan to Use New Software “Tool”

LAS VEGAS – Even while the chaos of the recent Iowa Caucus remains fresh in voters ’ minds , the Nevada State Democratic Party is setting itself up for more of the same by using a new software application for reporting results that is set to be coded and tested in less than a month .
The application , still currently under development , will come preloaded onto iPads that will be distributed to precinct chairs during Nevada ’ s upcoming caucus , scheduled for February 22 .
The scramble to create this new application followed revelations that the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blamed for the Iowa debacle – known as Shadow Inc. – had also developed the two applications that Nevada Democrats had planned to use both for early voting and for Caucus Day .
Volunteers for Nevada ’ s upcoming caucus were told at a recent training session about the software ’ s existence and the rough details of how it will operate , but very little other information according to a report in the Nevada Independent .
Notably , volunteers were urged not to refer to the application as an “ app ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” likely due to the fact that Nevada Democrats said they would not use any apps for their upcoming caucus in light of what happened in Iowa .
CBS News previously reported on the existence of this “ tool ” last Friday but was also short on specifics .
During the volunteer training session , a party staffer told participants the following : Then the staffer , whose comments were recorded and were first reported by the Nevada Independent , described the function of this “ tool ” as “ flow [ ing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so that you can have the information for your precinct caucus , so that when you do your viability calculations , you ’ re able to get the number of people who voted early and then when you see the results of your first alignment , you ’ re able to key in that early vote information so that you have every piece of information you need to run your precinct caucus.
” When a volunteer asked the staffer how the software “ tool ” would transmit results from one place to another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but instead stated that “ … We ’ re still working out some of the details around those so I ’ ll make sure that everyone has more information as we ’ re able to share it.
” Nevada ’ s decision to use a software program to be developed in less than a month is jarring considering that the failure of Iowa ’ s caucus was blamed on the rushed development of the Shadow Inc.-created app that resulted in only partial results of the caucus being reported .
Yet , the Shadow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ developed over a period of roughly two months , though the company ’ s CEO , Gerard Niemira , has since claimed that the app ’ s creation began last August .
In contrast , Nevada Democrats are now slated to use a software application developed in less than half that time , thereby raising the likelihood of undiscovered coding errors and other functionality issues of this app significantly .
Another issue is the fact that Nevada Democrats decided to go this route after consulting “ a group of tech and security folks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provided .
As previously mentioned , after the Iowa debacle , several media reports quoted technology and cybersecurity experts as well as software developers who had cited the rushed development of the Shadow Inc. app as having largely led to the app ’ s failure and the resulting chaos in Iowa .
It thus seems odd that a group of “ tech and security folks ” are urging Nevada Democrats to pay for the development of a new program in an even shorter time frame as a way to prevent Nevada ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Though the identity of this group remains unknown , concerns have been raised that some may have links to the 2020 presidential campaign of Pete Buttigieg , given that the Shadow Inc.-developed app used in Iowa was found to have ties to the Buttigieg campaign and the Iowa caucus chaos clearly benefited the Buttigieg campaign .
Concerns about possible connections between these tech and security consultants and the Buttigieg campaign have only grown since it was revealed that Nevada Democrats recently hired an organizer for Pete Buttigieg ’ s 2020 presidential campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ Voter Protection Director , just weeks before the caucus is set to take place .
Goldman also previously interned at the Brookings Institute , whose chair recently authored a piece in the Wall Street Journal entitled “ Stop Bernie Sanders Now.
” After Goldman ’ s connections to the Buttigieg were revealed , she deleted her work history on LinkedIn and locked her Twitter account .
Goldman ’ s new position at the Nevada State Democratic Party tasks her with “ ensur [ ing ] that all eligible Nevadans are able to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ development of a new app , the lack of transparency regarding the Nevada Democrats ’ technology consultants and Emily Goldman ’ s recent hire , concerns that Nevada ’ s upcoming caucus will repeat the chaos seen in Iowa have hardly been assuaged .
Worse still , the very volunteers who attended the recent caucus training workshop described the sentiment in the room as “ frustration and confusion ” , with one caucus site leader telling the Nevada Independent that “ there was ‘ not a bit of proof ’ at the training @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iowa.
” Another volunteer told the Nevada Independent that “ the people participating in the training didn ’ t even seem to understand the basic details of how to carry out the caucus process and didn ’ t know that precinct chairs can ’ t also be precinct captains on behalf of a campaign , ” while other volunteers said they were not told how to properly realign early voters ’ preferences on Caucus Day should the new tool fail .
Though the fallout from the Iowa Caucus is still fresh , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen in Iowa have not served as a warning to some in the Democratic Party , but instead a roadmap .
Feature photo | A precinct captain from Des Moines , Iowa , holds his iPhone that shows the Iowa Democratic Party ’ s caucus reporting app .
On Friday , Feb. 7 , 2020 .
Charlie Neibergall | AP Whitney Webb is a MintPress News journalist based in Chile .
She has contributed to several independent media outlets including Global Research , EcoWatch , the Ron Paul Institute and 21st Century Wire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ several radio and television appearances and is the 2019 winner of the Serena Shim Award for Uncompromised Integrity in Journalism .

LAS VEGAS – Even while the chaos of the recent Iowa Caucus remains fresh in voters’ minds, the Nevada State Democratic Party is setting itself up for more of the same by using a new software application for reporting results that is set to be coded and tested in less than a month. The application, still currently under development, will come preloaded onto iPads that will be distributed to precinct chairs during Nevada’s upcoming caucus, scheduled for February 22.
The scramble to create this new application followed revelations that the same company that had developed the software largely blamed for the Iowa debacle – known as Shadow Inc. – had also developed the two applications that Nevada Democrats had planned to use both for early voting and for Caucus Day.
Volunteers for Nevada’s upcoming caucus were told at a recent training session about the software’s existence and the rough details of how it will operate, but very little other information according to a report in the Nevada Independent. Notably, volunteers were urged not to refer to the application as an “app” but instead as a “tool,” likely due to the fact that Nevada Democrats said they would not use any apps for their upcoming caucus in light of what happened in Iowa. CBS News previously reported on the existence of this “tool” last Friday but was also short on specifics.
During the volunteer training session, a party staffer told participants the following:
What we’ve done after Iowa is consult with a group of tech and security folks who are helping us through this process and making sure that we’re doing this in a way that is simple and efficient and secure for all of you so that we’re giving you the best tools we can possible on Caucus Day. (emphasis added)”
Then the staffer, whose comments were recorded and were first reported by the Nevada Independent, described the function of this “tool” as “flow[ing] your precinct early vote data, so that you can have the information for your precinct caucus, so that when you do your viability calculations, you’re able to get the number of people who voted early and then when you see the results of your first alignment, you’re able to key in that early vote information so that you have every piece of information you need to run your precinct caucus.”
When a volunteer asked the staffer how the software “tool” would transmit results from one place to another, the staffer did not provide details but instead stated that “… We’re still working out some of the details around those so I’ll make sure that everyone has more information as we’re able to share it.”
Shadowy connections
Nevada’s decision to use a software program to be developed in less than a month is jarring considering that the failure of Iowa’s caucus was blamed on the rushed development of the Shadow Inc.-created app that resulted in only partial results of the caucus being reported. Yet, the Shadow Inc. app was reported to have been developed over a period of roughly two months, though the company’s CEO, Gerard Niemira, has since claimed that the app’s creation began last August. In contrast, Nevada Democrats are now slated to use a software application developed in less than half that time, thereby raising the likelihood of undiscovered coding errors and other functionality issues of this app significantly.
Another issue is the fact that Nevada Democrats decided to go this route after consulting “a group of tech and security folks” whose names and affiliations were not provided. As previously mentioned, after the Iowa debacle, several media reports quoted technology and cybersecurity experts as well as software developers who had cited the rushed development of the Shadow Inc. app as having largely led to the app’s failure and the resulting chaos in Iowa. It thus seems odd that a group of “tech and security folks” are urging Nevada Democrats to pay for the development of a new program in an even shorter time frame as a way to prevent Nevada’s caucus from repeating Iowa’s failures.
Though the identity of this group remains unknown, concerns have been raised that some may have links to the 2020 presidential campaign of Pete Buttigieg, given that the Shadow Inc.-developed app used in Iowa was found to have ties to the Buttigieg campaign and the Iowa caucus chaos clearly benefited the Buttigieg campaign.
Concerns about possible connections between these tech and security consultants and the Buttigieg campaign have only grown since it was revealed that Nevada Democrats recently hired an organizer for Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 presidential campaign, Emily Goldman, as the Caucus’ Voter Protection Director, just weeks before the caucus is set to take place. Goldman also previously interned at the Brookings Institute, whose chair recently authored a piece in the Wall Street Journal entitled “Stop Bernie Sanders Now.” After Goldman’s connections to the Buttigieg were revealed, she deleted her work history on LinkedIn and locked her Twitter account.
So Emily Goodman, the paid Buttigieg campaign insider now "Voter Protection Director" for the Nevada caucus used to work at the Brookings Institute, one of whose Chairs wrote an article today called "Stop Bernie Sanders Now." This is shady as hell.https://t.co/aSQR8DQhsI pic.twitter.com/euSRuHB35M — Alan MacLeod (@AlanRMacLeod) February 10, 2020
Goldman’s new position at the Nevada State Democratic Party tasks her with “ensur[ing] that all eligible Nevadans are able to cast their ballot.”
Given the rushed development of a new app, the lack of transparency regarding the Nevada Democrats’ technology consultants and Emily Goldman’s recent hire, concerns that Nevada’s upcoming caucus will repeat the chaos seen in Iowa have hardly been assuaged.
Worse still, the very volunteers who attended the recent caucus training workshop described the sentiment in the room as “frustration and confusion”, with one caucus site leader telling the Nevada Independent that “there was ‘not a bit of proof’ at the training that Nevada wouldn’t be another Iowa.” Another volunteer told the Nevada Independent that “the people participating in the training didn’t even seem to understand the basic details of how to carry out the caucus process and didn’t know that precinct chairs can’t also be precinct captains on behalf of a campaign,” while other volunteers said they were not told how to properly realign early voters’ preferences on Caucus Day should the new tool fail.
Though the fallout from the Iowa Caucus is still fresh, it appears that the technology-driven chaos and corruption seen in Iowa have not served as a warning to some in the Democratic Party, but instead a roadmap.
Feature photo | A precinct captain from Des Moines, Iowa, holds his iPhone that shows the Iowa Democratic Party’s caucus reporting app. On Friday, Feb. 7, 2020. Charlie Neibergall | AP
Whitney Webb is a MintPress News journalist based in Chile. She has contributed to several independent media outlets including Global Research, EcoWatch, the Ron Paul Institute and 21st Century Wire, among others. She has made several radio and television appearances and is the 2019 winner of the Serena Shim Award for Uncompromised Integrity in Journalism.


mintpressnews--2020-02-10--“I Will Put an End to Endless Wars:” Is Pete Buttigieg As Antiwar As He Claims?

Former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg has developed a habit of putting out clever , catchy phrases as part of his bid to win the Democratic presidential nomination .
On Friday he released an image of himself reading , “ The shape of our democracy is the issue that affects every other issue , ” something that was immediately panned by his detractors .
Former Democratic candidate Marianne Williamson remarked , “ If I had said it , there ’ d be jokes about my being on acid .
And I would never have said it.
” Unconcerned by his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it again , claiming that , “ I will put an end to endless wars.
” With the statement , the Harvard graduate attempted to channel the widespread American fatigue with conflicts started during the Bush administration , using a phrase often associated with the antiwar movement .
However , there are reasons to suspect a Buttigieg presidency would not be as pacifist as the pronouncement implies .
International relations are not a leading feature of Mayor Pete ’ s presidential bid ; his campaign website ’ s foreign policy section features only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is “ time to put an end to endless wars ” but also that we must “ restore American credibility ” on the world stage .
The phrase “ restoring credibility ” is an ominous one for those with long memories , as it was exactly the justification NATO used in bombing Yugoslavia in 1998 ; President Clinton announcing that failure to follow through with threats would “ discredit NATO.
” “ Our mission is clear , to demonstrate the seriousness of NATO ’ s purpose , ” he said .
British @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s sentiments claiming that to draw back from bombing Yugoslavia would “ destroy NATO ’ s credibility.
” Furthermore , when interviewed by The New York Times on foreign policy , the former South Bend mayor gave many answers that appear at odds with a more dovish America he suggests he would lead .
When asked if he would potentially use force for humanitarian intervention or to pre-emptively combat Iran or North Korea , he simply responded “ yes.
” Furthermore , he said he would not agree to remove American troops from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ occupied the South since 1945 and participated in a bloody civil war that saw up to a quarter of the population wiped out .
Buttigieg also opposed the idea of moving the American embassy in Jerusalem back to Tel Aviv .
He also did not answer the question if he saw himself ordering U.S. troops to kill or remove foreign leaders , not a difficult question to answer for someone skeptical of war .
Perhaps most at odds with his apparent anti-war stance is Buttigieg ’ s grand vision for the return of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is for this proposal to create a pathway towards a universal , national expectation of service for all 4 million high school graduates every year , ” his campaign website proclaims .
While insisting it would be “ strictly optional , ” it also states that , “ we hope service becomes so common that the first question asked of every college freshman or new hire is : ‘ where did you serve ?
’ ” While in the army and working for the McKinsey Corporation , Buttigieg worked alongside the C.I.A .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ endorsement among the national security and intelligence community , adding further fuel to the theories that he is an asset .
In December , over 200 foreign policy and national security professionals endorsed him en masse .
Among those were former Secretary of the Army Eric Fanning , former deputy CIA director David S. Cohen and former Assistant Secretary of State Philip Gordon .
After a strong showing at the Iowa caucus , Mayor Pete has emerged as a potential frontrunner in the race for the Democratic nomination .
While Sanders received more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in virtually every state , his support was more localized in urban locations like university towns whereas Buttigieg ’ s was more evenly spread .
However , there is also considerable hostility towards him from some quarters .
During the New Hampshire Democratic debate last Friday , both Sanders and Andrew Yang used the phrase “ nibble at the edges ” when discussing Buttigieg , which many took as an allusion to his online depiction as a dishonest rat .
Thus , while Buttigieg rhetorically opposes endless wars , his history of militarism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a few screenshots to convince those skeptics that he represents a genuine break with the past .
Feature photo | Democratic presidential candidate former South Bend , Ind.
, Mayor Pete Buttigieg arrives to speak at the McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club Dinner , Feb. 8 , 2020 , in Manchester , N.H. Matt Rourke | AP Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News .
After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books : Bad News From Venezuela : Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting , The Guardian , Salon , The Grayzone , Jacobin Magazine , Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary .

Former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg has developed a habit of putting out clever, catchy phrases as part of his bid to win the Democratic presidential nomination. On Friday he released an image of himself reading, “The shape of our democracy is the issue that affects every other issue,” something that was immediately panned by his detractors. Former Democratic candidate Marianne Williamson remarked, “If I had said it, there’d be jokes about my being on acid. And I would never have said it.” Unconcerned by his critics, this weekend Buttigieg was at it again, claiming that, “I will put an end to endless wars.”
With the statement, the Harvard graduate attempted to channel the widespread American fatigue with conflicts started during the Bush administration, using a phrase often associated with the antiwar movement. However, there are reasons to suspect a Buttigieg presidency would not be as pacifist as the pronouncement implies. International relations are not a leading feature of Mayor Pete’s presidential bid; his campaign website’s foreign policy section features only five sentences, where he again states it is “time to put an end to endless wars” but also that we must “restore American credibility” on the world stage. The phrase “restoring credibility” is an ominous one for those with long memories, as it was exactly the justification NATO used in bombing Yugoslavia in 1998; President Clinton announcing that failure to follow through with threats would “discredit NATO.” “Our mission is clear, to demonstrate the seriousness of NATO’s purpose,” he said. British Prime Minister Tony Blair echoed Clinton’s sentiments claiming that to draw back from bombing Yugoslavia would “destroy NATO’s credibility.”
Furthermore, when interviewed by The New York Times on foreign policy, the former South Bend mayor gave many answers that appear at odds with a more dovish America he suggests he would lead. When asked if he would potentially use force for humanitarian intervention or to pre-emptively combat Iran or North Korea, he simply responded “yes.” Furthermore, he said he would not agree to remove American troops from the Korean peninsula. U.S. forces have occupied the South since 1945 and participated in a bloody civil war that saw up to a quarter of the population wiped out. Buttigieg also opposed the idea of moving the American embassy in Jerusalem back to Tel Aviv. He also did not answer the question if he saw himself ordering U.S. troops to kill or remove foreign leaders, not a difficult question to answer for someone skeptical of war.
Perhaps most at odds with his apparent anti-war stance is Buttigieg’s grand vision for the return of the military draft. “Our intention is for this proposal to create a pathway towards a universal, national expectation of service for all 4 million high school graduates every year,” his campaign website proclaims. While insisting it would be “strictly optional,” it also states that, “we hope service becomes so common that the first question asked of every college freshman or new hire is: ‘where did you serve?’”
While in the army and working for the McKinsey Corporation, Buttigieg worked alongside the C.I.A. He has also garnered widespread support and endorsement among the national security and intelligence community, adding further fuel to the theories that he is an asset. In December, over 200 foreign policy and national security professionals endorsed him en masse. Among those were former Secretary of the Army Eric Fanning, former deputy CIA director David S. Cohen and former Assistant Secretary of State Philip Gordon.
After a strong showing at the Iowa caucus, Mayor Pete has emerged as a potential frontrunner in the race for the Democratic nomination. While Sanders received more votes and is projected as the favorite in virtually every state, his support was more localized in urban locations like university towns whereas Buttigieg’s was more evenly spread. However, there is also considerable hostility towards him from some quarters. During the New Hampshire Democratic debate last Friday, both Sanders and Andrew Yang used the phrase “nibble at the edges” when discussing Buttigieg, which many took as an allusion to his online depiction as a dishonest rat. Thus, while Buttigieg rhetorically opposes endless wars, his history of militarism will mean it will take more than a few screenshots to convince those skeptics that he represents a genuine break with the past.
Feature photo | Democratic presidential candidate former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg arrives to speak at the McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club Dinner, Feb. 8, 2020, in Manchester, N.H. Matt Rourke | AP
Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News. After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent. He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary.