lewrockwell--2020-11-09--Just Our ‘Facts,’ Ma’am

Just Our ‘Facts,’ Ma’am

“ News is what somebody somewhere wants to suppress ; all the rest is advertising.
” Francisco Pizarro rode well ahead of the pack earning the title “ Evil European Oppressor.
” In the bad old days of Eurocentric 20th century style history , textbooks had already drawn a bead on him .
The man who took down the Incan empire and assassinated Atahualpa was a devout Papist .
That detail failed to save his reputation anywhere–including the Catholic curriculum .
Balboa ’ s betrayer never got an ounce of whitewash even in an academic era when original white visitors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it .
But there was always something fishy about the story we got in grade school .
How could an illiterate 16th century Spaniard , with crude artillery and ancient ordnance , defeat an empire of 10 million with less than 200 men ?
Some students , who were steeped in the lore of WWII , tended to be skeptical .
The Last Days of the I ... MacQuarrie , Kim Best Price : $ 3.74 Buy New $ 13.64 Teachers used all their guile deflecting questions— “ I don ’ t know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ridiculed for .
The real answer is a dicey one for evangelists of the Europhobic religion .
The old school explanation for conquistador success doesn ’ t leave indigenous inhabitants looking too capable or valiant .
The truth , on the other hand , doesn ’ t jibe at all with sacred tenets of the victimist catechism .
Pizarro was facing impending doom in the pivotal battle .
What saved him from certain destruction wasn ’ t his treachery , Christianity , tactics or fire power—it was the local talent .
It seems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Incan management .
Similar circumstances worked for colonial conquerors all over the globe .
Oppression , if you can believe it , was not invented by the Eurotrash .
People were getting beat up , dehumanized , tortured , enslaved , vivisected , macro and micro aggressed long before any Christians crossed the pond with ballistic weaponry .
Power could be , and invariably was , abused by the P.O.C .
who possessed it , without any pointers from their paler oppressors .
The interaction between Western European navigational powerhouses , Spain , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and non-Europeans post-Columbus is rarely the simple tale trendy academics are telling .
Nothing can excuse the exploits of cutthroats like Pizzaro .
But tyranny was far from uncommon in Africa , Asia or the Americas before the Age of Exploration .
What could the natives in a foreign land expect from a Ming emperor in command of 1000 galleons from Dutch shipyards ?
This was a dynasty that gifted the world death by a thousand cuts—a process that took days .
But a comprehensive accounting of the human condition outside Christendom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than welcome in enlightened circles these days .
When institutional power is exerted to blot out the gory details of human atrocity through the ages—it is awfully dimwitted to believe that any other kind of literal description isn ’ t also fair game .
The truth of that assertion is falling on authors and auteurs daily—if not hourly .
The Stakes : The 2020 E ... Anton , Michael Buy New $ 28.99 The October 18 issue of the NYT magazine features “ Freedom Of Speech Will Preserve Our Democracy ” by Emily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a curve ball .
What the writer ’ s argument actually is is no easy matter to decipher .
She warns repeatedly of people who are deceived by what they ’ d like to believe—and rules herself out of that lot categorically .
She swings fast and loose with broad definitions and abstractions without finding any compulsion to qualify them .
We are told that “ antifa ” is “ a loose term for left-wing activists.
” This shores up—without saying explicitly—the bizarre notion that people who arrive en masse at hundreds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in concert fail to meet the bar of an “ organization.
” It also dodges the fact that most of us only heard of the term “ antifa ” from members themselves who have blasted it at us for the last 5 years .
The article opens with alarm over supposedly false alarms being raised by purveyors of “ disinformation.
” Michael Anton , who warned of “ The Coming Coup ” , comes up first .
“ Democrats were ’ laying the groundwork for revolution right in front of our eyes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American Mind.
” We are told this with no mention of the six different links to various comments and published statements evincing Anton ’ s case .
Dan Bongino , whose videos covering Anton ’ s thesis got six-million views , is next .
One of them is titled “ They are telling you what they are going to do !
” The almost limitless supply of video and print rhetoric from radical voices delivering the threats Bongino describes get no coverage in the article either .
It ’ s not at all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ qualifies as “ disinformation ” ?
Worse hyperbole appears in NYT op-eds daily—and Anton includes the quotes and links that evince his concerns .
Bazelon doesn ’ t think they count .
Follow the Money : The ... Bongino , Dan Buy New $ 25.20 There ’ s little challenge putting Anton and Bongino into context .
Violent demands made by NFAC and other hostile activists weren ’ t faked nor were they disputed by establishment sources , then there was the 525 % crime spike in Seattle ’ s CHOP zone and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ areas at the time .
Diners , who were completely anonymous , were threatened and disrupted mid-meal—few “ coups ” in history resorted to that extreme .
All over the country hooligans spoke directly into the mic about what they ’ d do if government didn ’ t cave to them .
When supposedly reputable scholars like CNN star Reza Aslan warn : “ If they even TRY to replace RBG we burn the entire “ f—ing thing down , ” should we ignore it ?
The newspaper of record did .
Little @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Multitudes have been stocking ordnance and loading for bear recently–it isn ’ t because they have been deceived—it ’ s because they saw what actually happened this summer .
Media can try to bend reality with myopic coverage—their whines only work on the faithful as they lose credibility .
We hear , via The Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard : “ [ T ] hat effective disinformation campaigns are often an ‘ elite driven , mass-media led process ’ in which ‘ social media played only a secondary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election put him in the position to operate directly through Fox News and other conservative media outlets , like Rush Limbaugh ’ s talk-radio show , which have come to function ‘ in effect as a party press , ’ the Harvard researchers found.
” While there may be some truth in this , a few specific examples would have been helpful .
The ones she alludes to leading in fall short of an “ elite driven ” “ process ” by any common usage of the expression .
Most of Bazelon ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not only “ elite ” , but among the elitist of sources .
That ’ s why they read them .
Less pliant readers remain wary of vague assertions whose verity is only backed up by the words “ Harvard researchers.
” “ Along with disinformation campaigns , there is the separate problem of ‘ troll armies ’ –a flood of commenters , often propelled by bots –that ‘ aim to discredit or to destroy the reputation of disfavored speakers and to discourage them from speaking again , ’ Jack Goldsmith , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in an essay in ‘ The Perilous Public Square , ’ a book edited by David E. Pozen that was published this year.
” The Perilous Public Sq ... Best Price : $ 32.31 Buy New $ 25.61 Bazelon is onto something here but it is coming at us from a platform out of the twilight zone .
Where are they being “ discouraged ” ?
In July Bari Weiss ’ resignation letter from the NYT—a former writer for the paper never mentioned in the article– made worldwide news .
The most quoted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not on the masthead of The New York Times .
But Twitter has become its ultimate editor.
” That punch line was overdue .
What does Emily think a “ troll army ” is ?
Is there a media entity out there that is more sensitive to the whims of militant minorities of readership–gunning for dissenting heads–than the NYT ?
If so , Bazelon could have done readers the courtesy of cluing us in .
Goldsmith is a dangerous man to cite—especially in this context .
Earlier this year the professor co-authored a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Atlantic titled : “ Internet Speech Will Never Go Back to Normal.
” It is nothing less than a call for Chinese style enforcement of internet censorship and social conformity right here in the US .
The only thing that could make a source more toxic than that would be membership in a Nazi style Party .
The lady just keeps pouring it on thicker : “ Other democracies , ” we find , “ …have created better conditions for their citizenry to sort what ’ s true from what ’ s not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they want their societies to be .
Here in the United States , meanwhile , we ’ re drowning in lies.
” This assertion is foisted on us without one word of evidence , citation or example .
Would that omission go unnoted in a college essay ?
Many high-school teachers wouldn ’ t accept such ukases .
The NYT has submitted to the “ everybody knows ” standard .
“ Everybody knows Americans are dumb—they don ’ t even trust the media.
” Inevitably , Hannah Arendt is cited .
This was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Heidegger—in the most intimate ways—before and after the war .
Heidegger , supposedly , was the greatest philosopher of the 20th century .
That he paid his dues to the Nazi Party–up until the very last moment of its existence–should have some impact on the reputation of a Jew who made her mark writing about the very Holocaust she escaped .
That it doesn ’ t bears testament to the authoritarian inclinations of the posing academic elite .
Statism—even coming from the ethnic nationalist side of the political compass 180 degrees away—will not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with understanding the notion of what it means to “ be ” – it entailed a boot in the arse for anyone reluctant to participate in a mandatory agenda coming down from megalomaniacs in charge .
Sound familiar ?
Here ’ s a quote citing Heidegger worthy of everyone ’ s attention , it ’ s from Thomas Sheehan in The New York Review of Books : “ ’ Let not theories and ‘ ideas ’ be the rules of your being .
The Führer himself and he alone is German reality and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ future , ” and who wrote to a colleague : “ The individual , wherever he stands , counts for nothing .
The fate of our people in their State is everything.
’ ” ( Original emphasis ) How does the author of such lines retain any credence or respectability in the 20th or 21st centuries ?
This philosopher ’ s academic standing is a posthumous wound to every man left lifeless on a Norman beach in June 1944 .
The motive for letting this unapologetic fascist off the hook is no mystery—the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the establishment have worked their way into an awkward position—assaulting established authority of any kind excepting their own .
Is that the least reminiscent of any 20th century European political parties from east of the Rhine ?
People like Bazelon , Tim Wu and Anne Applebaum always swear allegiance to the 1st amendment while despairing bombastically about what a threat it has become—freedom , taken far enough—cuts into the readership of people like them .
Between the lines we are advised not to let “ free ” speech stand in the way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Meanwhile , in the space of 3 days Shelby Steele ’ s video “ What Killed Michael Brown ?
” was blocked by Amazon , The Babylon Bee was demonetized at Facebook and Brett Weinstein was kicked off the same site .
None of this surfaced on NYT platforms .
Dissident views are booted from comment sections on sites like Slate , Salon and others as martinets in charge vaguely allude to “ rules of the road ” and “ community standards ” that don ’ t come close to applying .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a comment canceled .
Accuracy is irrelevant whenever a sacred demographic ’ s reputation might be impugned .
Bazelon feels compelled to let readers know that The Daily Caller is a “ right-wing outlet.
” While Media Matters for America , is “ a nonprofit media watchdog group.
” Looking over any of their pages going back to 2004 leaves no doubt who is being watched .
They go to some lengths obscuring donors that include George Soros .
And “ Twitter , ” we are informed without a hint of sarcasm , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ makes English sense using Webster ’ s second definition of the verb “ check ” : 2a : to slow or bring to a stop : BRAKEhastily checked the impulse b : to block the progress of ( someone , such as a hockey player ) The latest head to roll is Glenn Greenwald ’ s , who parted ways with The Intercept as they elected to censor his coverage of the Hunter Biden laptop development .
There is presently no boundary of truth suppression media leviathans are not willing to cross .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and disinformation now serve as all purpose rhetoricides—no matter how wide of the mark those criteria actually are .
The dreaded “ bots ” are exactly what social media uses stonewalling inquiry with arbitrary , un-appealable rulings .
It is becoming almost impossible to make headway correcting what media gets unequivocally wrong .
Nearly any outrageous canard purporting bigotry , racism or intolerance gets passed along .
Some reports are true enough but when vetting them equals fascism—who knows about anything ?
Even when mixed up stories get reexamined the facts generally come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of those choosing to lap it up .
This American Conservative article alone contains three salient examples .
The few media outfits with the resources to keep up with what hits the wires daily aren ’ t double checking—they tend to be the false sources .
Prohibitions on “ hate speech ” are dangerous even when the shoe seems to fit .
Is careful examination of historical figures “ hate speech ” ?
Andrew Jackson ’ s standing in the American pantheon has been tumbling towards the historical septic field for years now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facts .
How does this righteous revisionism stack up against unduly admired from other cultures ?
So far as we ’ ve heard from the media nobody has been so much as shoved—much less beheaded–by any of the seventh president ’ s diehard fans .
Morally distinguishing Jackson ’ s sins from the recorded exploits of Mohamed is a tall order for any advocate .
The further adventures of Mohamed and his disciples certainly outpace Jackson by far .
Can we really make cultural allowances for massacre , slavery and worse ?
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what is written about the Prophet in Islam ’ s holiest books .
What can anyone expect to gain studying history if the pretense of strong emotions about a subject precludes its placement in proper perspective ?
It was the Nazis who insisted that oppression , inhumanity and abuse of power were failings that are heavily weighted by genetic components .
Despots domineering from the upper tiers of media and academia today propound the same thing—the rhetorical ordnance has simply been turned on a new , improved demographical bête-noire .
Pointing out this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ historical rendering entailed in it—now passes for “ hate speech.
” Can the default culprit for all societal ills really be deduced by a citizen ’ s ancestry ?
If that ’ s where we stand why bother writing about it ?
It ’ s the kind of ultra-tolerant position that is reached by people who solve things with bludgeons and bayonets .
The Best of Tim Hartnett

“News is what somebody somewhere wants to suppress; all the rest is advertising.”
— Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe
Francisco Pizarro rode well ahead of the pack earning the title “Evil European Oppressor.” In the bad old days of Eurocentric 20th century style history, textbooks had already drawn a bead on him. The man who took down the Incan empire and assassinated Atahualpa was a devout Papist. That detail failed to save his reputation anywhere–including the Catholic curriculum. Balboa’s betrayer never got an ounce of whitewash even in an academic era when original white visitors to the Western hemisphere were slathered in it. But there was always something fishy about the story we got in grade school. How could an illiterate 16th century Spaniard, with crude artillery and ancient ordnance, defeat an empire of 10 million with less than 200 men? Some students, who were steeped in the lore of WWII, tended to be skeptical.
The Last Days of the I... MacQuarrie, Kim Best Price: $3.74 Buy New $13.64 (as of 03:40 UTC - Details) Teachers used all their guile deflecting questions—“I don’t know” was a response kids were commonly ridiculed for. The real answer is a dicey one for evangelists of the Europhobic religion. The old school explanation for conquistador success doesn’t leave indigenous inhabitants looking too capable or valiant. The truth, on the other hand, doesn’t jibe at all with sacred tenets of the victimist catechism. Pizarro was facing impending doom in the pivotal battle. What saved him from certain destruction wasn’t his treachery, Christianity, tactics or fire power—it was the local talent. It seems there was a plenty of dissatisfaction with Incan management. Similar circumstances worked for colonial conquerors all over the globe.
Oppression, if you can believe it, was not invented by the Eurotrash. People were getting beat up, dehumanized, tortured, enslaved, vivisected, macro and micro aggressed long before any Christians crossed the pond with ballistic weaponry. Power could be, and invariably was, abused by the P.O.C. who possessed it, without any pointers from their paler oppressors.
The interaction between Western European navigational powerhouses, Spain, England, France, Holland and Portugal, and non-Europeans post-Columbus is rarely the simple tale trendy academics are telling. Nothing can excuse the exploits of cutthroats like Pizzaro. But tyranny was far from uncommon in Africa, Asia or the Americas before the Age of Exploration. What could the natives in a foreign land expect from a Ming emperor in command of 1000 galleons from Dutch shipyards? This was a dynasty that gifted the world death by a thousand cuts—a process that took days. But a comprehensive accounting of the human condition outside Christendom over the centuries—an honest one anyway—is less than welcome in enlightened circles these days.
When institutional power is exerted to blot out the gory details of human atrocity through the ages—it is awfully dimwitted to believe that any other kind of literal description isn’t also fair game. The truth of that assertion is falling on authors and auteurs daily—if not hourly. The Stakes: The 2020 E... Anton, Michael Buy New $28.99 (as of 03:16 UTC - Details)
The October 18 issue of the NYT magazine features “Freedom Of Speech Will Preserve Our Democracy” by Emily Bazelon. The title is a bit of a curve ball. What the writer’s argument actually is is no easy matter to decipher. She warns repeatedly of people who are deceived by what they’d like to believe—and rules herself out of that lot categorically. She swings fast and loose with broad definitions and abstractions without finding any compulsion to qualify them.
We are told that “antifa” is “a loose term for left-wing activists.” This shores up—without saying explicitly—the bizarre notion that people who arrive en masse at hundreds of protest sites and proceed to act in concert fail to meet the bar of an “organization.” It also dodges the fact that most of us only heard of the term “antifa” from members themselves who have blasted it at us for the last 5 years.
The article opens with alarm over supposedly false alarms being raised by purveyors of “disinformation.” Michael Anton, who warned of “The Coming Coup”, comes up first. “Democrats were’ laying the groundwork for revolution right in front of our eyes,” Anton wrote without evidence in The American Mind.” We are told this with no mention of the six different links to various comments and published statements evincing Anton’s case.
Dan Bongino, whose videos covering Anton’s thesis got six-million views, is next. One of them is titled “They are telling you what they are going to do!” The almost limitless supply of video and print rhetoric from radical voices delivering the threats Bongino describes get no coverage in the article either.
It’s not at all clear how what Anton and Bongino say qualifies as “disinformation”? Worse hyperbole appears in NYT op-eds daily—and Anton includes the quotes and links that evince his concerns. Bazelon doesn’t think they count.
Follow the Money: The ... Bongino, Dan Buy New $25.20 (as of 06:00 UTC - Details) There’s little challenge putting Anton and Bongino into context. Violent demands made by NFAC and other hostile activists weren’t faked nor were they disputed by establishment sources, then there was the 525% crime spike in Seattle’s CHOP zone and widespread mayhem indulged in scores of urban areas at the time. Diners, who were completely anonymous, were threatened and disrupted mid-meal—few “coups” in history resorted to that extreme. All over the country hooligans spoke directly into the mic about what they’d do if government didn’t cave to them. When supposedly reputable scholars like CNN star Reza Aslan warn: “If they even TRY to replace RBG we burn the entire “f—ing thing down,” should we ignore it? The newspaper of record did. Little listed above was found fit to print.
Multitudes have been stocking ordnance and loading for bear recently–it isn’t because they have been deceived—it’s because they saw what actually happened this summer. Media can try to bend reality with myopic coverage—their whines only work on the faithful as they lose credibility.
We hear, via The Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard:
“[T]hat effective disinformation campaigns are often an ‘elite driven, mass-media led process’ in which ‘social media played only a secondary and supportive role.’ Trump’s election put him in the position to operate directly through Fox News and other conservative media outlets, like Rush Limbaugh’s talk-radio show, which have come to function ‘in effect as a party press,’ the Harvard researchers found.”
While there may be some truth in this, a few specific examples would have been helpful. The ones she alludes to leading in fall short of an “elite driven” “process” by any common usage of the expression. Most of Bazelon’s fans consider her publishers to be not only “elite”, but among the elitist of sources. That’s why they read them. Less pliant readers remain wary of vague assertions whose verity is only backed up by the words “Harvard researchers.”
“Along with disinformation campaigns, there is the separate problem of ‘troll armies’ –a flood of commenters, often propelled by bots –that ‘aim to discredit or to destroy the reputation of disfavored speakers and to discourage them from speaking again,’ Jack Goldsmith, a conservative law professor at Harvard, writes in an essay in ‘The Perilous Public Square,’ a book edited by David E. Pozen that was published this year.”
The Perilous Public Sq... Best Price: $32.31 Buy New $25.61 (as of 03:40 UTC - Details) Bazelon is onto something here but it is coming at us from a platform out of the twilight zone. Where are they being “discouraged”? In July Bari Weiss’ resignation letter from the NYT—a former writer for the paper never mentioned in the article– made worldwide news. The most quoted copy in it went “Twitter is not on the masthead of The New York Times. But Twitter has become its ultimate editor.” That punch line was overdue. What does Emily think a “troll army” is? Is there a media entity out there that is more sensitive to the whims of militant minorities of readership–gunning for dissenting heads–than the NYT? If so, Bazelon could have done readers the courtesy of cluing us in.
Goldsmith is a dangerous man to cite—especially in this context. Earlier this year the professor co-authored a piece with Andrew Keane Woods for The Atlantic titled: “Internet Speech Will Never Go Back to Normal.” It is nothing less than a call for Chinese style enforcement of internet censorship and social conformity right here in the US. The only thing that could make a source more toxic than that would be membership in a Nazi style Party. The lady just keeps pouring it on thicker:
“Other democracies,” we find, “…have created better conditions for their citizenry to sort what’s true from what’s not and to make informed decisions about what they want their societies to be. Here in the United States, meanwhile, we’re drowning in lies.”
This assertion is foisted on us without one word of evidence, citation or example. Would that omission go unnoted in a college essay? Many high-school teachers wouldn’t accept such ukases. The NYT has submitted to the “everybody knows” standard. “Everybody knows Americans are dumb—they don’t even trust the media.”
Inevitably, Hannah Arendt is cited. This was a lady who took up with Martin Heidegger—in the most intimate ways—before and after the war. Heidegger, supposedly, was the greatest philosopher of the 20th century. That he paid his dues to the Nazi Party–up until the very last moment of its existence–should have some impact on the reputation of a Jew who made her mark writing about the very Holocaust she escaped. That it doesn’t bears testament to the authoritarian inclinations of the posing academic elite. Statism—even coming from the ethnic nationalist side of the political compass 180 degrees away—will not be disavowed. Professor Heidegger was obsessed with understanding the notion of what it means to “be”– it entailed a boot in the arse for anyone reluctant to participate in a mandatory agenda coming down from megalomaniacs in charge. Sound familiar? Here’s a quote citing Heidegger worthy of everyone’s attention, it’s from Thomas Sheehan in The New York Review of Books:
“’Let not theories and ‘ideas’ be the rules of your being. The Führer himself and he alone is German reality and its law, today and for the future,” and who wrote to a colleague: “The individual, wherever he stands, counts for nothing. The fate of our people in their State is everything.’” (Original emphasis)
How does the author of such lines retain any credence or respectability in the 20th or 21st centuries? This philosopher’s academic standing is a posthumous wound to every man left lifeless on a Norman beach in June 1944. The motive for letting this unapologetic fascist off the hook is no mystery—the people will be ruled.
Many institutions of the establishment have worked their way into an awkward position—assaulting established authority of any kind excepting their own. Is that the least reminiscent of any 20th century European political parties from east of the Rhine?
People like Bazelon, Tim Wu and Anne Applebaum always swear allegiance to the 1st amendment while despairing bombastically about what a threat it has become—freedom, taken far enough—cuts into the readership of people like them. Between the lines we are advised not to let “free” speech stand in the way of the indispensable speech their camp posseses.
Meanwhile, in the space of 3 days Shelby Steele’s video “What Killed Michael Brown?” was blocked by Amazon, The Babylon Bee was demonetized at Facebook and Brett Weinstein was kicked off the same site. None of this surfaced on NYT platforms. Dissident views are booted from comment sections on sites like Slate, Salon and others as martinets in charge vaguely allude to “rules of the road” and “community standards” that don’t come close to applying. Citing accurate stats with sources can get a comment canceled. Accuracy is irrelevant whenever a sacred demographic’s reputation might be impugned.
Bazelon feels compelled to let readers know that The Daily Caller is a “right-wing outlet.” While Media Matters for America, is “a nonprofit media watchdog group.” Looking over any of their pages going back to 2004 leaves no doubt who is being watched. They go to some lengths obscuring donors that include George Soros. And “Twitter,” we are informed without a hint of sarcasm, “does fact-checking internally.” This actually makes English sense using Webster’s second definition of the verb “check”:
2a: to slow or bring to a stop : BRAKEhastily checked the impulse
b: to block the progress of (someone, such as a hockey player)
The latest head to roll is Glenn Greenwald’s, who parted ways with The Intercept as they elected to censor his coverage of the Hunter Biden laptop development. There is presently no boundary of truth suppression media leviathans are not willing to cross. The pretense of “hate speech” and disinformation now serve as all purpose rhetoricides—no matter how wide of the mark those criteria actually are. The dreaded “bots” are exactly what social media uses stonewalling inquiry with arbitrary, un-appealable rulings.
It is becoming almost impossible to make headway correcting what media gets unequivocally wrong. Nearly any outrageous canard purporting bigotry, racism or intolerance gets passed along. Some reports are true enough but when vetting them equals fascism—who knows about anything? Even when mixed up stories get reexamined the facts generally come out too late to rectify the perception of those choosing to lap it up. This American Conservative article alone contains three salient examples. The few media outfits with the resources to keep up with what hits the wires daily aren’t double checking—they tend to be the false sources.
Prohibitions on “hate speech” are dangerous even when the shoe seems to fit. Is careful examination of historical figures “hate speech”? Andrew Jackson’s standing in the American pantheon has been tumbling towards the historical septic field for years now. Some people object but facts are facts. How does this righteous revisionism stack up against unduly admired from other cultures? So far as we’ve heard from the media nobody has been so much as shoved—much less beheaded–by any of the seventh president’s diehard fans. Morally distinguishing Jackson’s sins from the recorded exploits of Mohamed is a tall order for any advocate. The further adventures of Mohamed and his disciples certainly outpace Jackson by far. Can we really make cultural allowances for massacre, slavery and worse? It is presently illegal in Europe to publicize what is written about the Prophet in Islam’s holiest books.
What can anyone expect to gain studying history if the pretense of strong emotions about a subject precludes its placement in proper perspective?
It was the Nazis who insisted that oppression, inhumanity and abuse of power were failings that are heavily weighted by genetic components. Despots domineering from the upper tiers of media and academia today propound the same thing—the rhetorical ordnance has simply been turned on a new, improved demographical bête-noire. Pointing out this development—or even questioning the coarse, sloppy historical rendering entailed in it—now passes for “hate speech.”
Can the default culprit for all societal ills really be deduced by a citizen’s ancestry? If that’s where we stand why bother writing about it? It’s the kind of ultra-tolerant position that is reached by people who solve things with bludgeons and bayonets.
The Best of Tim Hartnett


lewrockwell--2020-11-09--Biden ‘Victory’ Speech: Was Joe Even There or Was it a Deception?

This is what I saw Friday night .
I was watching the “ Bloomberg QuickTake : Now ” live feed of the Wilmington , Delaware , outdoor space .
Long shot .
Vehicles parked .
Occasional sounds of horns honking .
At the front of the space , lit up in the darkness , an empty stage .
Flags .
A podium .
The Bloomberg crew appeared to be waiting for Biden to walk out on that stage and deliver his speech .
Why else would they set up their cameras and hold on that long shot for minutes ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ I kept watching that shot of the space , the cars , the stage .
Suddenly , two big screens on either side of the stage lit up .
Biden was there , on screen , standing at an INDOOR podium , against a plain background .
He started talking .
I clicked on the TV set .
I flipped through network channels .
Yes , there was Biden , indoors , against that plain background , at that podium , talking .
Delivering his speech .
Except , where was he exactly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ live speech , or had it been pre-recorded ?
AIDS Inc. Rappoport , Jon Best Price : $ 33.29 Buy New $ 18.89 Was this a backup recording , made just in case Biden , disabled , couldn ’ t walk on to the outdoor stage and deliver his message ?
If this indoor speech had been the plan all along , and it was live , why had that Bloomberg crew been set up outside for many minutes , showing viewers the long shot of the empty outdoor stage ?
The audience @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would have no way of knowing that Biden was ( apparently ) supposed to give his speech outdoors ; and the television audience would have no way of knowing whether this indoor speech was live or pre-recorded .
At the end of the speech , Biden walked away from the podium among security people and what appeared to be a few reporters .
There was the sound of applause—but no shots of the indoor audience .
Network news people must have been aware of what certainly seemed like a last-minute switcheroo , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they have said nothing about it .
Maybe there is another explanation for what I ’ m reporting here ; but until I hear it , it seems there was a deception Friday night .
The deception wouldn ’ t mean much if we were talking about a local Chamber of Commerce event .
But this is the presidency of the US , and a candidate , a man who suffered a serious brain aneurysm and an even more serious pulmonary embolism in 1988 , and has experienced a major decline in cognitive/motor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as president , is this what we can expect during his term in office , as long as it lasts ?
Canned , pre-recorded , edited messages to the nation ?
The Best of Jon Rappoport

This is what I saw Friday night.
I was watching the “Bloomberg QuickTake: Now” live feed of the Wilmington, Delaware, outdoor space. Long shot. Vehicles parked. Occasional sounds of horns honking. At the front of the space, lit up in the darkness, an empty stage. Flags. A podium.
The Bloomberg crew appeared to be waiting for Biden to walk out on that stage and deliver his speech. Why else would they set up their cameras and hold on that long shot for minutes?
I assumed Biden was late. So I kept watching that shot of the space, the cars, the stage.
Suddenly, two big screens on either side of the stage lit up. Biden was there, on screen, standing at an INDOOR podium, against a plain background. He started talking.
What??
I clicked on the TV set. I flipped through network channels. Yes, there was Biden, indoors, against that plain background, at that podium, talking. Delivering his speech.
Except, where was he exactly? And when? Was this a live speech, or had it been pre-recorded? AIDS Inc. Rappoport, Jon Best Price: $33.29 Buy New $18.89 (as of 03:34 UTC - Details)
Was this a backup recording, made just in case Biden, disabled, couldn’t walk on to the outdoor stage and deliver his message?
If this indoor speech had been the plan all along, and it was live, why had that Bloomberg crew been set up outside for many minutes, showing viewers the long shot of the empty outdoor stage?
The audience, watching Biden on network television, would have no way of knowing that Biden was (apparently) supposed to give his speech outdoors; and the television audience would have no way of knowing whether this indoor speech was live or pre-recorded.
At the end of the speech, Biden walked away from the podium among security people and what appeared to be a few reporters. There was the sound of applause—but no shots of the indoor audience.
Network news people must have been aware of what certainly seemed like a last-minute switcheroo, in the venue. But of course, they have said nothing about it.
Maybe there is another explanation for what I’m reporting here; but until I hear it, it seems there was a deception Friday night. The deception wouldn’t mean much if we were talking about a local Chamber of Commerce event. But this is the presidency of the US, and a candidate, a man who suffered a serious brain aneurysm and an even more serious pulmonary embolism in 1988, and has experienced a major decline in cognitive/motor abilities.
If Biden is eventually installed as president, is this what we can expect during his term in office, as long as it lasts? Canned, pre-recorded, edited messages to the nation?
Reprinted with permission from Jon Rappoport’s blog.
The Best of Jon Rappoport


lewrockwell--2020-11-09--The Stolen Election and the End of America: Is Separation the Answer?

As of Friday , November 6 , the votes are still being counted in at least six states .
The large pro-Trump margins that seemed to prevail late election night have now disappeared as mail in votes , many of doubtful legality have begun to trickle in .
Large Democratically-controlled cities like Philadelphia , Detroit , and Atlanta have miraculously produced tranches of almost completely Biden votes—legal Republican poll watchers have been excluded from observing the vote count—mail-in votes with unverified signatures of doubtful provenance have been counted .
In short the safeguards that would guarantee a fair election have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , heavily Democratic and where armed Black militia groups have been known to exert what they call “ vigilance ” over polling places , once again seems like “ ground zero ” in this year ’ s election .
Whereas almost all counties in Pennsylvania were strongly supportive of the president , the local machine in urban Philadelphia was once again grinding out huge—and unbelievable—majorities for Joe Biden , almost like clockwork .
Can a truly fair election be held when what is essentially a political mafia masquerading as a political party has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are counted but , more importantly , which votes are counted—and when ?
Is this what has become of the American republic ?
American Secession : Th ... F.H .
Buckley Best Price : $ 15.64 Buy New $ 16.22 President Trump may well lose this presidential election .
But if he does , there will always be a lurking and burning question : Is this really what happened ?
Was not this election , in fact , stolen ?
I realize some may dislike my language , and even reading this very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I raise such a specter , such a possibility in our great democracy ?
I have written before that American progressivists engage in a form of “ gaslighting ” and projection onto their opponents of the very actions they themselves are guilty of .
For how many months now have we heard Representatives Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi and multiple talking heads at CNN , NBC and most all the media claim that Trump threatens “ our democracy , ” in particular the insanely bogus accusation that the Russians have corrupted our elections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yet , it is exactly those political allies and minions of Pelosi and Schiff significantly on the state level who continue to seriously imperil what is left of the old American republic .
It is they , using the COVID-19 panic and resulting shutdowns in a number of states , who implemented the most far-reaching and dangerous destruction of election security in our history , enabling the utter disaster we see unfolding before us .
Despite all the suffocating fog of this election , despite the apparent vote manipulation and fraud , despite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and scandalously dishonest allies—despite all this , and even with the potential toppling of the “ man with the orange hair , ” the progressivist Left has to be aware in those moments of private reflection that Donald Trump in a real sense may “ triumph even from his political grave.
” That is , the forces and the citizens that he has roused can not be forced back into silence , pushed back into their previously quiet acquiescence .
All across the United States the generally predicted “ blue wave ” that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would occur simply did not happen .
On the contrary , in state after state , congressional district after district , the strongest advocates of the Trumpian populist message won election , even against huge odds and millions of campaign dollars from Silicon Valley billionaires , Wall Street hedge fund manipulators , entertainment magnates and the concerted efforts of the media .
Donald J. Trump Signat ... Buy New $ 49.95 In North Carolina , Democratic Senate candidate Cal Cunningham , running with a dishonest smirk on his face , railed against “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pharma , ” while actually receiving nearly 100 million dollars in campaign funds , mostly from the billionaires of Silicon Valley , Michael Bloomberg , and big hedge funders .
Yet , despite the mobilization of thousands of zombie-brained Millennials and soccer-moms ( whose voting patterns argue strenuously for the repeal of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution ) , it was that very working , tax paying middle class North Carolina citizenry , those voters whom Cunningham appealed to , who voted largely for incumbent Republican Senator Thom Tillis .
Cunningham was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ win .
True , there was a scandal involving him and the wife of a military man .
But we were informed by the media that he would win despite that .
Tillis , you see , was the puppet of those shadowy moneyed types—and indeed , he does get some support from them .
But what the voters figured out along the way was that Cunningham was far more indebted to dark money and the elites than Tillis .
And it was , without doubt , the “ Trump effect , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that proved critical in Tillis ’ win .
In my local precinct , in what is arguably a mixed suburban/rural area of Wake County , President Trump received nearly 60 % of the vote ( unofficial ) .
In past elections Democrat and Republican vote totals have been roughly equivalent .
Yet , this year—this election—seemingly the landscape has been transformed .
This is what has happened all across North Carolina and in other states : Trump rolling up large margins in mostly rural areas but more significantly in those working class/blue collar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unquestioned loyalty , while Democrats strengthened their control in major metropolitan centers .
Most national Democrats and the media continue to slam Trump now that he is down , pronouncing his presidency dead : the “ man with the orange hair ” will finally be gone , they exult .
Still , a few staunch Democrat columnists—perhaps not yet getting their cues from those national founts of thought control—have actually seen something , and at least for the moment stumbled across what may be occurring , what may be bubbling up in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ old republic .
Veteran Democrat progressive Thomas Mills , who has damned the president from the beginning , wrote in his column ( “ Wow , Was I Wrong , ” November 5 ) : The Republican Workers ... Buckley , F.H .
Best Price : $ 3.40 Buy New $ 11.98 “ Last night , I learned how little I understand North Carolina politics .
For years , I thought I had a pretty good handle on my native state .
Since 2016 , though , most of my assumptions have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would have such bad night in this state .
“ Several of my assumptions about politics , and North Carolina politics in particular , no longer hold .
It will take a while for me to better understand what happened , but I will certainly need to find new assumptions and data points .
And I ’ ll have to stop believing the polls… .
“ Money matters less than pundits and consultants believe .
Democrats had a staggering financial advantage and it clearly didn ’ t pay off in North Carolina .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and won most of the Council of State seats as well as the U.S. Senate race and the presidential contest despite healthy Democratic war chests.
” Mills ’ early sentiments were echoed by Gary Pearce , another long-time Democrat operative ( “ Democrats Overdo It , ” November 5 ) : “ By the wee hours Wednesday morning , Democrats went into full finger-pointing , breast-beating mode as Trump swept the South and Republicans won big in North Carolina : President , U.S. Senate , legislature , Council of State and judicial races @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the window.
” “ … ‘ I think in NC specifically , we are communicating to an electorate that doesn ’ t quite exist yet – the demographic blue wave that ’ s hitting our cities , but is probably still a decade or so away from fundamentally reshaping our politics – at the expense of rural and urban-adjacent counties , where we have effectively zero support anymore ’ .
” Donald Trump President ... Buy New $ 24.75 Obviously , Mills and Pearce had not yet gotten the memo—but no doubt it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ soul searching , they will most likely be securely back mouthing the platitudes and template proclaimed on high by the Deep State apparatchiks who drool at the prospect of recapturing 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue .
Let us assume that Biden will finally win…horribile dictu !
…which , of course , is still quite debatable at this point ( with legal contests looming ) .
Some pundits ( mostly on Fox ) have sought to reassure us that Republicans will continue to control the US Senate and will have at least five to seven additional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ break on a Biden presidency .
Yet , doubts about just how strong and resistant this congressional “ opposition , ” this GOP establishment , will be to a President Biden are not at all unreasonable given the past inglorious history and cowardice of our Washington representatives .
But beyond all this , what is becoming ever so clear and evident is that the nation we call the United States of America has now become de facto two countries with populations which not only disagree fundamentally with each other , but can not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all .
They—we—speak entirely different languages , they—we—think in entirely different ways , and those differences are growing wider and more irreconcilable not less so .
This election—2020—underlines and emphasizes that radical and unbridgeable divide .
# DELETED : Big Tech & rsq ... Bokhari , Allum Buy New $ 28.00 Throughout this year there has been increasing talk of some sort of nationwide separation , regional secession , as the only means to avoid continued , heightened and potentially violent conflict .
Scholar Frank H. Buckley ( at the George Mason University @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fascinating book on the topic : American Secession : The Looming Threat of a National Breakup ( Encounter Books ) .
Although Buckley laments it , he begrudgingly admits that the nation we know as America can not last , and that some sort of constitutional break-up might be a way out .
The time for that serious discussion , and on a national level , has arrived .
As Professor Donald Livingston writes in his review in Chronicles magazine ( October 2020 ) of Buckley ’ s volume : “ When two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it is best to separate them .
Secession could do that for a deeply dysfunctional and hate-filled America .
”

As of Friday, November 6, the votes are still being counted in at least six states. The large pro-Trump margins that seemed to prevail late election night have now disappeared as mail in votes, many of doubtful legality have begun to trickle in. Large Democratically-controlled cities like Philadelphia, Detroit, and Atlanta have miraculously produced tranches of almost completely Biden votes—legal Republican poll watchers have been excluded from observing the vote count—mail-in votes with unverified signatures of doubtful provenance have been counted. In short the safeguards that would guarantee a fair election have been egregiously ignored and violated.
Philadelphia, heavily Democratic and where armed Black militia groups have been known to exert what they call “vigilance” over polling places, once again seems like “ground zero” in this year’s election. Whereas almost all counties in Pennsylvania were strongly supportive of the president, the local machine in urban Philadelphia was once again grinding out huge—and unbelievable—majorities for Joe Biden, almost like clockwork.
Can a truly fair election be held when what is essentially a political mafia masquerading as a political party has a stranglehold not only on how votes are counted but, more importantly, which votes are counted—and when? Is this what has become of the American republic? American Secession: Th... F.H. Buckley Best Price: $15.64 Buy New $16.22 (as of 10:56 UTC - Details)
President Trump may well lose this presidential election. But if he does, there will always be a lurking and burning question: Is this really what happened? Was not this election, in fact, stolen?
I realize some may dislike my language, and even reading this very question may seem distasteful. How dare I raise such a specter, such a possibility in our great democracy?
I have written before that American progressivists engage in a form of “gaslighting” and projection onto their opponents of the very actions they themselves are guilty of. For how many months now have we heard Representatives Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi and multiple talking heads at CNN, NBC and most all the media claim that Trump threatens “our democracy,” in particular the insanely bogus accusation that the Russians have corrupted our elections, if not the president himself ? Yet, it is exactly those political allies and minions of Pelosi and Schiff significantly on the state level who continue to seriously imperil what is left of the old American republic. It is they, using the COVID-19 panic and resulting shutdowns in a number of states, who implemented the most far-reaching and dangerous destruction of election security in our history, enabling the utter disaster we see unfolding before us.
Despite all the suffocating fog of this election, despite the apparent vote manipulation and fraud, despite the use of the media as unpaid and scandalously dishonest allies—despite all this, and even with the potential toppling of the “man with the orange hair,” the progressivist Left has to be aware in those moments of private reflection that Donald Trump in a real sense may “triumph even from his political grave.” That is, the forces and the citizens that he has roused cannot be forced back into silence, pushed back into their previously quiet acquiescence.
All across the United States the generally predicted “blue wave” that the near totality of pollsters told us would occur simply did not happen. On the contrary, in state after state, congressional district after district, the strongest advocates of the Trumpian populist message won election, even against huge odds and millions of campaign dollars from Silicon Valley billionaires, Wall Street hedge fund manipulators, entertainment magnates and the concerted efforts of the media.
Donald J. Trump Signat... Buy New $49.95 (as of 03:36 UTC - Details) In North Carolina, Democratic Senate candidate Cal Cunningham, running with a dishonest smirk on his face, railed against “big business, big banks and big pharma,” while actually receiving nearly 100 million dollars in campaign funds, mostly from the billionaires of Silicon Valley, Michael Bloomberg, and big hedge funders. Yet, despite the mobilization of thousands of zombie-brained Millennials and soccer-moms (whose voting patterns argue strenuously for the repeal of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution), it was that very working, tax paying middle class North Carolina citizenry, those voters whom Cunningham appealed to, who voted largely for incumbent Republican Senator Thom Tillis.
Cunningham was, we were told, supposed to win. True, there was a scandal involving him and the wife of a military man. But we were informed by the media that he would win despite that. Tillis, you see, was the puppet of those shadowy moneyed types—and indeed, he does get some support from them. But what the voters figured out along the way was that Cunningham was far more indebted to dark money and the elites than Tillis. And it was, without doubt, the “Trump effect,” the rousing of the Tar Heel citizenry that proved critical in Tillis’ win.
In my local precinct, in what is arguably a mixed suburban/rural area of Wake County, President Trump received nearly 60% of the vote (unofficial). In past elections Democrat and Republican vote totals have been roughly equivalent. Yet, this year—this election—seemingly the landscape has been transformed. This is what has happened all across North Carolina and in other states: Trump rolling up large margins in mostly rural areas but more significantly in those working class/blue collar regions where the Democratic Party once commanded unquestioned loyalty, while Democrats strengthened their control in major metropolitan centers.
Most national Democrats and the media continue to slam Trump now that he is down, pronouncing his presidency dead: the “man with the orange hair” will finally be gone, they exult. Still, a few staunch Democrat columnists—perhaps not yet getting their cues from those national founts of thought control—have actually seen something, and at least for the moment stumbled across what may be occurring, what may be bubbling up in the remaining sensible and sane areas of the old republic.
Veteran Democrat progressive Thomas Mills, who has damned the president from the beginning, wrote in his column (“Wow, Was I Wrong,” November 5): The Republican Workers... Buckley, F.H. Best Price: $3.40 Buy New $11.98 (as of 04:28 UTC - Details)
“Last night, I learned how little I understand North Carolina politics. For years, I thought I had a pretty good handle on my native state. Since 2016, though, most of my assumptions have been proven wrong. I never thought Democrats would have such bad night in this state.
“Several of my assumptions about politics, and North Carolina politics in particular, no longer hold. It will take a while for me to better understand what happened, but I will certainly need to find new assumptions and data points. And I’ll have to stop believing the polls….
“Money matters less than pundits and consultants believe. Democrats had a staggering financial advantage and it clearly didn’t pay off in North Carolina. Republicans added seats in the state house and won most of the Council of State seats as well as the U.S. Senate race and the presidential contest despite healthy Democratic war chests.”
Mills’ early sentiments were echoed by Gary Pearce, another long-time Democrat operative (“Democrats Overdo It,” November 5):
“By the wee hours Wednesday morning, Democrats went into full finger-pointing, breast-beating mode as Trump swept the South and Republicans won big in North Carolina: President, U.S. Senate, legislature, Council of State and judicial races. They sounded ready to jump out the window.”
Pearce continues, quoting another Democrat:
“…‘I think in NC specifically, we are communicating to an electorate that doesn’t quite exist yet – the demographic blue wave that’s hitting our cities, but is probably still a decade or so away from fundamentally reshaping our politics – at the expense of rural and urban-adjacent counties, where we have effectively zero support anymore’.” Donald Trump President... Buy New $24.75 (as of 03:43 UTC - Details)
Obviously, Mills and Pearce had not yet gotten the memo—but no doubt it is coming, and after the requisite soul searching, they will most likely be securely back mouthing the platitudes and template proclaimed on high by the Deep State apparatchiks who drool at the prospect of recapturing 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Let us assume that Biden will finally win…horribile dictu!…which, of course, is still quite debatable at this point (with legal contests looming). Some pundits (mostly on Fox) have sought to reassure us that Republicans will continue to control the US Senate and will have at least five to seven additional seats in the House of Representatives—potentially a break on a Biden presidency. Yet, doubts about just how strong and resistant this congressional “opposition,” this GOP establishment, will be to a President Biden are not at all unreasonable given the past inglorious history and cowardice of our Washington representatives.
But beyond all this, what is becoming ever so clear and evident is that the nation we call the United States of America has now become de facto two countries with populations which not only disagree fundamentally with each other, but cannot communicate or talk with each other at all. They—we—speak entirely different languages, they—we—think in entirely different ways, and those differences are growing wider and more irreconcilable not less so.
This election—2020—underlines and emphasizes that radical and unbridgeable divide.
#DELETED: Big Tech&rsq... Bokhari, Allum Buy New $28.00 (as of 04:48 UTC - Details) Throughout this year there has been increasing talk of some sort of nationwide separation, regional secession, as the only means to avoid continued, heightened and potentially violent conflict. Scholar Frank H. Buckley (at the George Mason University School of Law) has authored a fascinating book on the topic: American Secession: The Looming Threat of a National Breakup (Encounter Books). Although Buckley laments it, he begrudgingly admits that the nation we know as America cannot last, and that some sort of constitutional break-up might be a way out.
The time for that serious discussion, and on a national level, has arrived. As Professor Donald Livingston writes in his review in Chronicles magazine (October 2020) of Buckley’s volume: “When two people are about to come to blows, it is best to separate them. Secession could do that for a deeply dysfunctional and hate-filled America.”
Reprinted with the author’s permission.


lewrockwell--2020-11-09--Americans Do Not Need the American Empire

This piece is being written as voters are going to the polls on election day in the United States .
While it has been useful to consider how things might change , possibly for the worse , one must also recognize that much of what happens in the U.S. and in its far-flung empire operates by virtue of its own internal dynamics and rules , something that is often referred to as the “ Deep State ” or perhaps more accurately as the Establishment .
Witness for example the occasional possibly sincere but unsuccessful White House attempts over the past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ numbers of U.S. troops embroiled in various armed conflicts worldwide .
All of those initiatives have been frustrated or redirected in one way or another and it is not simply a question of bungling by a politically insensitive Donald Trump versus the result that might have been obtained by a more experienced and responsible Democrat .
What drives the empire ’ s engine is essentially bipartisan , even in its own way , apolitical , existing as it does as a form of leaderless shadow government that functions as a community-of-interest rather than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reflective of the real centers of power in the country , namely the national security state and Wall Street .
Dorfman-Pacific Weathe ... Buy New $ 39.95 In a recent article Pepe Escobar dispels any expectation that a kinder , gentler foreign policy might emerge from the election .
He describes with some alarm how victory by Biden will mean that the national security “ Blob ” team that wrecked Syria , Yemen , Ukraine and Libya while also assassinating Americans overseas under President Barack Obama will be back .
He cites former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ describes the “ Blob ” as the MICIMATT ( the Military-Industrial-Congressional-Intelligence-Media-Academia-Think-Tank complex ) .
One might well add the Federal Reserve Bank to that list .
So , the engine keeps chugging on , driven my its own self-interests and completely oblivious to what is going on around it .
The irony is that the crisis in confidence that simultaneously is besetting the United States in part reflects a very real , largely self-inflicted decline in America ’ s place in the world due to insistence that it maintain global hegemony .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is entering into a phase of increasing irrelevancy which many of the key players involved are either unable or unwilling to recognize , no matter what their political affiliation might be .
That means that the United States is locked into a pattern of behavior that it is incapable of changing .
It is a nation that has become addicted to war for no good reason , and that addiction has brought neither security nor prosperity .
The signs are everywhere .
The costs of empire continue to rise while real benefits to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The United States government spends far more on a bloated defense budget than it can afford , adding to an unsustainable national debt that currently exceeds $ 27 trillion , which is 128 % of the country ’ s entire gross domestic product .
The debt will likely increase dramatically if there are any more coronavirus stimulus packages .
The nation is becoming hollowed out as a result .
Legendary Whitetails M ... Buy New $ 79.99 America ’ s “ allies ” have inevitably rightly become increasingly disengaged from Washington , reluctant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and demands , while the developing transition from the dollar as the world ’ s reserve currency is proceeding and will have catastrophic consequences .
When the U.S. Treasury stops being able to print money at will , there will be national insolvency .
In terms of the United States ’ interaction with the world , a country that not so long ago was widely respected is now regarded as the principal source of international instability , disliked everywhere but Israel , another rogue nation .
And the internal damage inside the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evident , to include increasingly dysfunctional schools that focus on political correctness rather than education , crumbling infrastructure , a broken health care system , and a dying industrial and manufacturing base .
Unique among all developed countries , life expectancy among working class Americans is declining .
At the root of it all is what Yale professor Paul Kennedy once described as “ imperial overstretch , ” which means projection of power in support of global commitments that are not essential to national well-being and bankrupting oneself in the process .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” acquisition is done purely for exploitative reasons , as Belgium did in the Congo , having an empire operates at a considerable loss .
Napoleon “ overstretched ” when he invaded Russia and both Russia and Austria-Hungary collapsed as a result of the First World War because the stress of external conflict made their obligations far exceed their resources .
Great Britain ’ s Empire likewise became expendable after World War Two when the costs of maintaining outposts “ east of Suez ” became much larger than the benefits .
Ariat Men @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 149.95 So , there are many good reasons for the United States to retrench and again become a “ normal ” nation , if that is at all possible , but the fact that no candidate but Tulsi Gabbard and Bernie Sanders even suggested that America ’ s global interventionism might be reconsidered or even reversed is telling .
Both were eliminated by the Democratic party establishment .
In the case of Gabbard , the executioner was no less than Hillary Clinton .
Whoever is the new president , he will inherit the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leader of the free world.
” It is past time for a serious discussion of America ’ s proper place in the world , but that will require completely overturning the country ’ s Establishment and challenging the “ exceptionalism ” view that the U.S. must dominate as a “ force for good.
” Unfortunately , there is no politician anywhere on the horizon who is able and willing to take the lead on such an endeavor .
The views of individual contributors do not necessarily represent those of the Strategic Culture Foundation @ @ @ @ @ @

This piece is being written as voters are going to the polls on election day in the United States. While it has been useful to consider how things might change, possibly for the worse, one must also recognize that much of what happens in the U.S. and in its far-flung empire operates by virtue of its own internal dynamics and rules, something that is often referred to as the “Deep State” or perhaps more accurately as the Establishment.
Witness for example the occasional possibly sincere but unsuccessful White House attempts over the past four years to withdraw or reduce the numbers of U.S. troops embroiled in various armed conflicts worldwide. All of those initiatives have been frustrated or redirected in one way or another and it is not simply a question of bungling by a politically insensitive Donald Trump versus the result that might have been obtained by a more experienced and responsible Democrat. What drives the empire’s engine is essentially bipartisan, even in its own way, apolitical, existing as it does as a form of leaderless shadow government that functions as a community-of-interest rather than a bureaucracy. It is inclusive and reflective of the real centers of power in the country, namely the national security state and Wall Street.
Dorfman-Pacific Weathe... Buy New $39.95 (as of 03:44 UTC - Details) In a recent article Pepe Escobar dispels any expectation that a kinder, gentler foreign policy might emerge from the election. He describes with some alarm how victory by Biden will mean that the national security “Blob” team that wrecked Syria, Yemen, Ukraine and Libya while also assassinating Americans overseas under President Barack Obama will be back. He cites former CIA presidential briefer Ray McGovern who persuasively describes the “Blob” as the MICIMATT (the Military-Industrial-Congressional-Intelligence-Media-Academia-Think-Tank complex). One might well add the Federal Reserve Bank to that list.
So, the engine keeps chugging on, driven my its own self-interests and completely oblivious to what is going on around it. The irony is that the crisis in confidence that simultaneously is besetting the United States in part reflects a very real, largely self-inflicted decline in America’s place in the world due to insistence that it maintain global hegemony. It comes at a time when the empire is entering into a phase of increasing irrelevancy which many of the key players involved are either unable or unwilling to recognize, no matter what their political affiliation might be. That means that the United States is locked into a pattern of behavior that it is incapable of changing. It is a nation that has become addicted to war for no good reason, and that addiction has brought neither security nor prosperity.
The signs are everywhere. The costs of empire continue to rise while real benefits to be derived from it are elusive. The United States government spends far more on a bloated defense budget than it can afford, adding to an unsustainable national debt that currently exceeds $27 trillion, which is 128% of the country’s entire gross domestic product. The debt will likely increase dramatically if there are any more coronavirus stimulus packages. The nation is becoming hollowed out as a result. Legendary Whitetails M... Buy New $79.99 (as of 03:44 UTC - Details)
America’s “allies” have inevitably rightly become increasingly disengaged from Washington, reluctant to comply with Washington’s directions and demands, while the developing transition from the dollar as the world’s reserve currency is proceeding and will have catastrophic consequences. When the U.S. Treasury stops being able to print money at will, there will be national insolvency.
In terms of the United States’ interaction with the world, a country that not so long ago was widely respected is now regarded as the principal source of international instability, disliked everywhere but Israel, another rogue nation. And the internal damage inside the U.S. to core values and expectations is also evident, to include increasingly dysfunctional schools that focus on political correctness rather than education, crumbling infrastructure, a broken health care system, and a dying industrial and manufacturing base. Unique among all developed countries, life expectancy among working class Americans is declining.
At the root of it all is what Yale professor Paul Kennedy once described as “imperial overstretch,” which means projection of power in support of global commitments that are not essential to national well-being and bankrupting oneself in the process. The reality is that unless an “imperial” acquisition is done purely for exploitative reasons, as Belgium did in the Congo, having an empire operates at a considerable loss. Napoleon “overstretched” when he invaded Russia and both Russia and Austria-Hungary collapsed as a result of the First World War because the stress of external conflict made their obligations far exceed their resources. Great Britain’s Empire likewise became expendable after World War Two when the costs of maintaining outposts “east of Suez” became much larger than the benefits. Ariat Men’s Ramb... Buy New $149.95 (as of 03:44 UTC - Details)
So, there are many good reasons for the United States to retrench and again become a “normal” nation, if that is at all possible, but the fact that no candidate but Tulsi Gabbard and Bernie Sanders even suggested that America’s global interventionism might be reconsidered or even reversed is telling. Both were eliminated by the Democratic party establishment. In the case of Gabbard, the executioner was no less than Hillary Clinton. Whoever is the new president, he will inherit the awful conceit that he is the “leader of the free world.” It is past time for a serious discussion of America’s proper place in the world, but that will require completely overturning the country’s Establishment and challenging the “exceptionalism” view that the U.S. must dominate as a “force for good.” Unfortunately, there is no politician anywhere on the horizon who is able and willing to take the lead on such an endeavor.
The views of individual contributors do not necessarily represent those of the Strategic Culture Foundation.
The Best of Philip Giraldi


lewrockwell--2020-11-09--E. Howard Hunt’s Presence in Dallas on Nov 22, 1963 — and the Veracity of His Confessions Forty+ Yea

E. Howard Hunt’s Presence in Dallas on Nov 22, 1963 — and the Veracity of His Confessions Forty+ Years Later

Fifteen years after JFK ’ s assassination the world awoke to the news from the House Selection Committee on Assassinations ( HSCA ) that the man who had been “ in the middle ” of the Watergate burglary scandal was now suspected as having also been involved , mysteriously , in JFK ’ s murder .
E. Howard Hunt had a long history with the CIA and many of the other operatives working under James Jesus Angleton and Cord Meyer ; the next highest in the hierarchy was Bill Harvey , from Operation Mongoose .
In 1961-63 , Harvey had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and was arguably the foremost hater of both Kennedys , especially Robert , who had taken over the “ Special Group ” assigned to oversee that operation .
Among the others were a number of born renegades , all fellow haters of the Kennedys — David Morales , Rip Robertson and Antonio Veciana , the ruthless leader of Alpha 66 .
Veciana ’ s CIA handler was David Atlee Phillips , a key planner/supervisor who essentially “ confessed ” his role to his brother before his own death .
Morales was one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was to testify before the HSCA in 1978 .
Plausible Denial : Was ... Lane , Mark Best Price : $ 1.50 Buy New $ 13.65 One of the more significant results of the House Select Committee on Assassinations ( HSCA ) in 1977-78 was the alleged discovery of a secret 1966 CIA memorandum which purportedly revealed the fact that E. Howard Hunt had been in Dallas on November 22 , 1963 .
Yet , as quickly as it appeared in the newspaper headline ( above ) on August 20 , 1978 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That article was presumed by many to have been based upon the publication of an essay titled “ CIA TO ADMIT HUNT INVOLVEMENT IN KENNEDY SLAYING ” just six days before , on August 14 , 1978 .
It had been published by the conservative , right-wing Liberty Lobby in its magazine The Spotlight , and authored by the retired veteran CIA officer Victor Marchetti , who later had become one of its most prominent critics .
That original article , much-more provocative than the newspaper article above , was reproduced in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is presented in pages 4-7 below .
[ 1 ] However , the two articles were not related , they had separately sprang from some third party source because , as Mark Lane established , the two authors had never met and barely knew of the other ’ s existence and , when Joe Trento wrote his article on August 20th , he had no knowledge of the existence of Marchetti ’ s article published on August 14th : In fact , he only learned of it in the middle of 1984 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ 2 ] As Lane also discovered , Marchetti had not actually seen the 1966 CIA memo himself , but stated that he was told about it by William R. Corson , an Army veteran and subsequently a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Marine Corps who served the majority of his career as an intelligence officer on special assignment with the CIA .
He was also an author of several books , most notably , The Betrayal , in 1968 .
Corson denied having told Marchetti about it , though the complete @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( who had also known Corson , according to Lane ) , had both separately learned about the secret CIA memo indicating that Hunt had been in Dallas when JFK was assassinated—will probably never be known .
In fact , when Richard Helms—the alleged author of the 1966 memorandum— was questioned under oath , “ Have you ever heard from any personnel , past or present , that the Agency had decided to sacrifice Hunt to protect its interest ?
, ” his response was “ I don ’ t recall.
” [ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that , in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal , by 1978—with the onslaught of serial high-level inquiries of the so-called “ intelligence community ” , beginning with the Rockefeller investigation , followed by the “ Church Committee ” and then the House Select Committee on Assassinations ( HSCA ) —leading to the revelations of the “ family jewels ” of the CIA under William Colby , it could be a major understatement to suggest that there were a lot of high-echelon people very upset with Mr. E. Howard Hunt .
And that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leak might have been authorized by those very highly-placed officials to be placed through their man Bill Corson to Messrs. Marchetti and Trento , proffering E. Howard Hunt ’ s name as the sacrificial limited hang-out .
That might even explain why Richard Helms did not categorically deny such an assertion .
Rush To Judgment : The ... Lane , Mark Best Price : $ 7.68 Buy New $ 16.95 Several photos ( e.g .
Rickerby , Altgens 4 among countless others ) were alleged to show a half dozen or more CIA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of many long-time researchers—Edward Lansdale , Lucien Conein , Grayston Lynch , Ted Shackley , Tracy Barnes and William “ Rip ” Robertson .
Veteran researcher Edgar F. Tatro has stated that the listing of suspicious on-lookers also included a person who looked “ remarkably like Joseph Milteer , ” the right-wing reactionary caught on tape discussing the planned assassination in Miami the week before the “ Big Event ” in Dealey Plaza .
[ 4 ] Chauncey Marvin Holt , the CIA operative and Mob associate who many believe was one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Tatro , who corresponded extensively with him , and in 1994 Holt spent a week-end in his home , where he got to know him personally , would later state that while Holt did look like that tramp , but he felt that , despite the resemblance then , he could not have looked that age thirty years earlier ) , admitted to having prepared fifteen sets of forged Secret Service IDs for use in and around the plaza .
Holt stated that he had seen “ more mercenaries and assassins in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Soldiers of Fortune convention.
” The most likely explanation for that , as explained by Holt , was to create a load of “ red herrings ” if an investigation were to pursue those who were there , which would create much “ rabbit hole ” confusion for investigators or researchers who might ever attempt to track down those leads .
All of this begs the question : What were so many people looking like well-known “ spooks ” doing in Dealey Plaza that day ?
And , if they were who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it is most likely that the ones purported to be CIA officials were probably there to pay their “ last respects ” to a man whose death they had helped to plan or at least had long-wished would happen .
The killing of a president , after all , was a historic event , which they wanted to witness .
These inferences regarding the motives of so many men with that common but unlikely denominator , though somewhat speculative , are also reasonable presumptions in light of the many other indications of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the truth of that point , it does not follow that the origin of the plot resided within any edifice in Langley , Virginia .
E. Howard Hunt—whose distinctive appearance proves that his presence there was a near certainty—was caught in the Rickerby photo above ; his son , Saint John Hunt , personally told me that he agrees that the man in a three-quarter-length trench coat and Fedora hat crossing Elm Street shortly after the assassination with many others “ does resemble his overall appearance , ” and believes for that and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , though he has no absolute “ proof ” of that .
Last Word : My Indictme ... Lane , Mark Best Price : $ 8.60 Buy New $ 16.99 Ed Tatro , commenting to me about Howard Hunt ’ s character , stated that “ the key issue is his credibility .
Hunt was known as a pathological liar who could concoct his conspiratorial pyramid of conspirators for diverse and deceptive reasons and motives , but he was also positioned so that his allegations may have been the truth.
” The original @ @ @ @ @ @ @ detailing Saint John ’ s life story and how he came to the realization of his father ’ s role in JFK ’ s assassination—one of the most fascinating as any article ever published under that banner—may be found HERE .
Speculation about Hunt ’ s purpose in being there ranged from merely being a “ read-in ” witness , to having a supervisory role , to being a “ paymaster ” for the multiple snipers who would expect an immediate payment to facilitate their get-away , and finally , being assigned the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never make it out of the crime scene under his own power ( if true , a major failure on his part ) .
One of the several videos of E. Howard Hunt ’ s confession , in which he further explains LBJ ’ s involvement , motives and goals , follows : As Billie Sol Estes experienced in his efforts to “ come clean ” and seek redemption for his earlier sins and crimes in his latter years , so had E. Howard Hunt , in his plaintive pleas to his son @ @ @ @ @ @ @ personal level , clearly more importantly to him than an appeal to the public .
As one explores this subject further on the internet it becomes clear rather quickly that the usual “ suspects ” —those whose desire to protect the “ legacy ” of Lyndon B. Johnson and point everyone in the direction of the CIA , and only the CIA , knowing that that will lead to a thousand rabbit-holes in the Land of Oz—have relentlessly attacked Hunt ’ s confession : First , and most curiously , pointing out that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since it was initiated in 2004/2005 and he didn ’ t die until 2007 , as if he should have known more precisely his eventual date with destiny .
And then , complaining about him not furnishing better documentation that would support every one of his assertions , much of which , of course , is still—to this day—locked away in .
.
.
guess where ?
.
.
.
THE CIA ’ S MOST SECRET VAULTS !
( Note the critic ’ s blatant use of “ circular reasoning ” distraction techniques @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with another 500+ words but these two examples adequately make the point : Howard Hunt was merely outlining the essential elements of the plot ’ s broader aspects while attempting to offer some consolation to Saint John , by claiming his own role was merely that of a “ benchwarmer ” as a way to acknowledge what had become painfully obvious to his son—that he was “ read in ” on the operation , though not as an active participant .
To illustrate the overall dimensions of the plot to assassinate President Kennedy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Chart ” with the names of the primary key plotters : Perhaps if , in his confession , E. Howard Hunt had left off the “ top box , ” labeled “ LBJ , ” the people who reject his appeal might have embraced it instead .
Bond of Secrecy : My Li ... Saint John Hunt Best Price : $ 7.41 Buy New $ 2.99 [ 4 ] Regarding the identification of these , and a number of other persons who strongly resemble certain other affiliated CIA , FBI , Mob @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who populate the various extant lists , Mr. Tatro has long promoted the idea of the use of currently available facial recognition and/or photographic enhancement software to enable specialist researchers to prove , or disprove , the numerous examples of this dilemma which exist , with a degree of certainty .
Any future honest “ official investigation ” of this non-closed case ( no apology to Mr. Posner , who claims otherwise ) should be among the first action-items on that agenda .
NOTE : To increase size of documents for easier reading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ select “ open page in new window ” from menu the go to the newly-created page to read .
The Best of Phillip F. Nelson

Partial Copy of Newspaper Dated 8/20/1978 — Full Article Presented Below (pages 2-3)
Fifteen years after JFK’s assassination the world awoke to the news from the House Selection Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) that the man who had been “in the middle” of the Watergate burglary scandal was now suspected as having also been involved, mysteriously, in JFK’s murder. E. Howard Hunt had a long history with the CIA and many of the other operatives working under James Jesus Angleton and Cord Meyer; the next highest in the hierarchy was Bill Harvey, from Operation Mongoose. In 1961-63, Harvey had attempted to neutralize Cuban President Fidel Castro and was arguably the foremost hater of both Kennedys, especially Robert, who had taken over the “Special Group” assigned to oversee that operation. Among the others were a number of born renegades, all fellow haters of the Kennedys — David Morales, Rip Robertson and Antonio Veciana, the ruthless leader of Alpha 66. Veciana’s CIA handler was David Atlee Phillips, a key planner/supervisor who essentially “confessed” his role to his brother before his own death. Morales was one of several men who died mysteriously just before he was to testify before the HSCA in 1978. Plausible Denial: Was ... Lane, Mark Best Price: $1.50 Buy New $13.65 (as of 03:46 UTC - Details)
One of the more significant results of the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) in 1977-78 was the alleged discovery of a secret 1966 CIA memorandum which purportedly revealed the fact that E. Howard Hunt had been in Dallas on November 22, 1963. Yet, as quickly as it appeared in the newspaper headline (above) on August 20, 1978, all references to it subsequently disappeared.
That article was presumed by many to have been based upon the publication of an essay titled “CIA TO ADMIT HUNT INVOLVEMENT IN KENNEDY SLAYING” just six days before, on August 14, 1978. It had been published by the conservative, right-wing Liberty Lobby in its magazine The Spotlight, and authored by the retired veteran CIA officer Victor Marchetti, who later had become one of its most prominent critics. That original article, much-more provocative than the newspaper article above, was reproduced in Mark Lane’s Plausible Denial and is presented in pages 4-7 below.[1] However, the two articles were not related, they had separately sprang from some third party source because, as Mark Lane established, the two authors had never met and barely knew of the other’s existence and, when Joe Trento wrote his article on August 20th, he had no knowledge of the existence of Marchetti’s article published on August 14th: In fact, he only learned of it in the middle of 1984, when Lane informed him of it.[2]
As Lane also discovered, Marchetti had not actually seen the 1966 CIA memo himself, but stated that he was told about it by William R. Corson, an Army veteran and subsequently a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Marine Corps who served the majority of his career as an intelligence officer on special assignment with the CIA. He was also an author of several books, most notably, The Betrayal, in 1968. Corson denied having told Marchetti about it, though the complete truth—about how both Marchetti and Joe Trento (who had also known Corson, according to Lane), had both separately learned about the secret CIA memo indicating that Hunt had been in Dallas when JFK was assassinated—will probably never be known.
In fact, when Richard Helms—the alleged author of the 1966 memorandum— was questioned under oath, “Have you ever heard from any personnel, past or present, that the Agency had decided to sacrifice Hunt to protect its interest?,” his response was “I don’t recall.”[3]
It is pertinent to note that, in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal, by 1978—with the onslaught of serial high-level inquiries of the so-called “intelligence community”, beginning with the Rockefeller investigation, followed by the “Church Committee” and then the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) —leading to the revelations of the “family jewels” of the CIA under William Colby, it could be a major understatement to suggest that there were a lot of high-echelon people very upset with Mr. E. Howard Hunt. And that begs the question of whether a mysterious leak might have been authorized by those very highly-placed officials to be placed through their man Bill Corson to Messrs. Marchetti and Trento, proffering E. Howard Hunt’s name as the sacrificial limited hang-out. That might even explain why Richard Helms did not categorically deny such an assertion.
Photographic Evidence: CIA Personnel in Dealey Plaza?
Rush To Judgment: The ... Lane, Mark Best Price: $7.68 Buy New $16.95 (as of 03:46 UTC - Details) Several photos (e.g. Rickerby, Altgens 4 among countless others) were alleged to show a half dozen or more CIA officials, including—according to the considered opinions of many long-time researchers—Edward Lansdale, Lucien Conein, Grayston Lynch, Ted Shackley, Tracy Barnes and William “Rip” Robertson. Veteran researcher Edgar F. Tatro has stated that the listing of suspicious on-lookers also included a person who looked “remarkably like Joseph Milteer,” the right-wing reactionary caught on tape discussing the planned assassination in Miami the week before the “Big Event” in Dealey Plaza.[4]
Chauncey Marvin Holt, the CIA operative and Mob associate who many believe was one of the “tramps” (though doubted by Tatro, who corresponded extensively with him, and in 1994 Holt spent a week-end in his home, where he got to know him personally, would later state that while Holt did look like that tramp, but he felt that, despite the resemblance then, he could not have looked that age thirty years earlier), admitted to having prepared fifteen sets of forged Secret Service IDs for use in and around the plaza. Holt stated that he had seen “more mercenaries and assassins in Dealey Plaza than you would find at a Soldiers of Fortune convention.” The most likely explanation for that, as explained by Holt, was to create a load of “red herrings” if an investigation were to pursue those who were there, which would create much “rabbit hole” confusion for investigators or researchers who might ever attempt to track down those leads.
All of this begs the question: What were so many people looking like well-known “spooks” doing in Dealey Plaza that day? And, if they were who they’ve been alleged to be, it is most likely that the ones purported to be CIA officials were probably there to pay their “last respects” to a man whose death they had helped to plan or at least had long-wished would happen. The killing of a president, after all, was a historic event, which they wanted to witness. These inferences regarding the motives of so many men with that common but unlikely denominator, though somewhat speculative, are also reasonable presumptions in light of the many other indications of CIA collaboration. Yet, regardless of the truth of that point, it does not follow that the origin of the plot resided within any edifice in Langley, Virginia.
Rickerby Photo
E. Howard Hunt—whose distinctive appearance proves that his presence there was a near certainty—was caught in the Rickerby photo above; his son, Saint John Hunt, personally told me that he agrees that the man in a three-quarter-length trench coat and Fedora hat crossing Elm Street shortly after the assassination with many others “does resemble his overall appearance,” and believes for that and other reasons that it is his father, though he has no absolute “proof” of that. Last Word: My Indictme... Lane, Mark Best Price: $8.60 Buy New $16.99 (as of 03:46 UTC - Details)
Ed Tatro, commenting to me about Howard Hunt’s character, stated that “the key issue is his credibility. Hunt was known as a pathological liar who could concoct his conspiratorial pyramid of conspirators for diverse and deceptive reasons and motives, but he was also positioned so that his allegations may have been the truth.”
The original April 5, 2007 Rolling Stone article detailing Saint John’s life story and how he came to the realization of his father’s role in JFK’s assassination—one of the most fascinating as any article ever published under that banner—may be found HERE.
Speculation about Hunt’s purpose in being there ranged from merely being a “read-in” witness, to having a supervisory role, to being a “paymaster” for the multiple snipers who would expect an immediate payment to facilitate their get-away, and finally, being assigned the task of ensuring Lee H. Oswald would never make it out of the crime scene under his own power (if true, a major failure on his part).
One of the several videos of E. Howard Hunt’s confession, in which he further explains LBJ’s involvement, motives and goals, follows:
As Billie Sol Estes experienced in his efforts to “come clean” and seek redemption for his earlier sins and crimes in his latter years, so had E. Howard Hunt, in his plaintive pleas to his son Saint John, seeking absolution on a personal level, clearly more importantly to him than an appeal to the public.
As one explores this subject further on the internet it becomes clear rather quickly that the usual “suspects”—those whose desire to protect the “legacy” of Lyndon B. Johnson and point everyone in the direction of the CIA, and only the CIA, knowing that that will lead to a thousand rabbit-holes in the Land of Oz—have relentlessly attacked Hunt’s confession: First, and most curiously, pointing out that it was no “deathbed” situation since it was initiated in 2004/2005 and he didn’t die until 2007, as if he should have known more precisely his eventual date with destiny. And then, complaining about him not furnishing better documentation that would support every one of his assertions, much of which, of course, is still—to this day—locked away in . . . guess where? . . . THE CIA’S MOST SECRET VAULTS! (Note the critic’s blatant use of “circular reasoning” distraction techniques).
This issue could be expanded with another 500+ words but these two examples adequately make the point: Howard Hunt was merely outlining the essential elements of the plot’s broader aspects while attempting to offer some consolation to Saint John, by claiming his own role was merely that of a “benchwarmer” as a way to acknowledge what had become painfully obvious to his son—that he was “read in” on the operation, though not as an active participant. To illustrate the overall dimensions of the plot to assassinate President Kennedy, Mr. Hunt drew an “Org. Chart” with the names of the primary key plotters:
Howard Hunt’s Hand-drawn Diagram of Assassination Plotters[5]
Perhaps if, in his confession, E. Howard Hunt had left off the “top box,” labeled “LBJ,” the people who reject his appeal might have embraced it instead. Bond of Secrecy: My Li... Saint John Hunt Best Price: $7.41 Buy New $2.99 (as of 08:15 UTC - Details)
ENDNOTES:
[1] Lane, Mark, Plausible Denial, Thunder’s Mouth Press, 1991, pp. 129-132 (See attached pages 4-7)
[2] Ibid, pp. 155-156
[3] Ibid., p. 219
[4] Regarding the identification of these, and a number of other persons who strongly resemble certain other affiliated CIA, FBI, Mob, or the many far-right-wing zealots, who populate the various extant lists, Mr. Tatro has long promoted the idea of the use of currently available facial recognition and/or photographic enhancement software to enable specialist researchers to prove, or disprove, the numerous examples of this dilemma which exist, with a degree of certainty. Any future honest “official investigation” of this non-closed case (no apology to Mr. Posner, who claims otherwise) should be among the first action-items on that agenda.
[5] Hunt, Saint John, Bond of Secrecy, p. 133
ATTACHMENTS (Click on Page Number)
NOTE: To increase size of documents for easier reading, “right-click” on document, select “open page in new window” from menu the go to the newly-created page to read.
Page 2: First page of Sunday News Journal
Page 3: Second page of SNJ
Page 4: Victor Marchetti’s original article (first page)
Page 5: V.M. article p. 2
Page 6: V.M. article p. 3
Page 7: V.M. article p. 4
Reprinted with the author’s permission.
The Best of Phillip F. Nelson