lewrockwell--2020-10-26--America Has No Allies, Only Hostages

America Has No Allies, Only Hostages

The US-centralized empire functions like a giant blob that absorbs nations and turns them into imperial client states .
Once absorbed , it is rare for a country to escape and rejoin other genuinely sovereign nations .
The new president-elect of Bolivia , Luis Arce , has told the Spanish international news agency EFE that he intends to restore the nation ’ s relations with Cuba , Venezuela and Iran .
This reverses the policies of the US-backed coup regime which immediately began closing embassies , kicking out doctors and severing relations with those nations after illegally seizing power last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relations with Russia and China .
Woke : A Field Guide Fo ... Johnstone , Caitlin Best Price : $ 20.37 Buy New $ 23.02 “ We are going to re-establish all relations , ” he told EFE .
“ This government has acted very ideologically , depriving the Bolivian people of access to Cuban medicine , to Russian medicine , to advances in China .
For a purely ideological issue , it has exposed the population in a way that is unnecessary and harmful.
” Arce expressed a willingness to “ open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only requirement is that they respect us and respect our sovereignty , nothing more .
All countries , no matter the size , who want a relationship with Bolivia , the only requirement is that we respect each other as equals .
If that is so , we have no problem.
“ If you know anything about US imperialism and global politics , you will recognize that last bit as brazen heresy against imperial doctrine .
War is a Racket : The A ... Smedley Darlington Butler Best Price : $ 6.45 Buy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the empire-like cluster of international allies that is loosely centralized around the United States does not recognize the sovereignty of other nations , much less respect them as equals .
This empire takes it as a given that it has every right to determine what every nation in the world does , who their leaders will be , where their resources will go , and what their military posture on the world stage will be .
If a government refuses to accept the empire ’ s right to determine these things , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and eventually replaced with a puppet regime .
The US-centralized empire functions like a giant blob that slowly works to absorb nations which have not yet been converted into imperial client states .
It is rare that a nation is able to escape from that blob and rejoin the unabsorbed nations like China , Russia , Iran , Venezuela and Cuba in their fight for self-sovereignty , and it is encouraging that it was able to do so .
We saw the dynamics of the imperial blob explained quite vividly last year by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ debate hosted by the Australian think tank Center for Independent Studies .
Mearsheimer told his audience that the US is going to do everything it can to halt China ’ s rise and prevent it from becoming the regional hegemon in the eastern hemisphere , and that Australia should align with the US in that battle or else it would face the wrath of Washington .
“ The question that ’ s on the table is what should Australia ’ s foreign policy be in light of the rise of China , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tell you what I would suggest if I were an Australian.
” Mearsheimer said China is going to continue to grow economically and will convert that economic power into military power to dominate Asia “ the way the US dominates the western hemisphere , ” and explained why he think the US and its allies have every ability to prevent that from happening .
“ Now the question is what does this all mean for Australia ?
” Mearsheimer said .
“ Well , you ’ re in a quandary for sure .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ And by the way you ’ re not the only country in East Asia that ’ s in this quandary .
You trade a lot with China , and that trade is very important for your prosperity , no question about that .
Security-wise , you really want to go with us .
It makes just a lot more sense , right ?
And you understand that security is more important than prosperity , because if you don ’ t survive , you ’ re not gon na prosper .
“ Now some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : you can go with China , ” said Mearsheimer .
“ Right , you have a choice here : you can go with China rather the United States .
There ’ s two things I ’ ll say about that .
Number one , if you go with China you want to understand you are our enemy .
You are then deciding to become an enemy of the United States .
Because again , we ’ re talking about an intense security competition .
“ You ’ re either with us or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ And if you ’ re trading extensively with China , and you ’ re friendly with China , you ’ re undermining the United States in this security competition .
You ’ re feeding the beast , from our perspective .
And that is not going to make us happy .
And when we are not happy you do not want to underestimate how nasty we can be .
Just ask Fidel Castro.
” Nervous laughter from the Australian think tank audience punctuated Mearsheimer ’ s more incendiary observations .
The CIA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to assassinate Castro .
If you ’ ve ever wondered how the the US is so successful in getting other nations around the world to align with its interests , this is how .
It ’ s not that the US is a good actor on the world stage or a kind friend to its allies , it ’ s that it will destroy you if you disobey it .
The Complete Book Of A ... Johnstone , Caitlin Best Price : $ 1.67 Buy New $ 14.99 Australia is not aligned with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Australia is aligned with the US to protect itself from the US .
As a Twitter follower recently observed , the US doesn ’ t have allies , only hostages .
As the recently released Palace Letters illustrated , the CIA staged a coup to oust Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam because he was prioritizing the nation ’ s self-sovereignty .
Journalist John Pilger wrote in 2014 after Whitlam ’ s death : Australia briefly became an independent state during the Whitlam years , 1972-75 .
An American commentator wrote that no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ international affairs so totally without going through a domestic revolution.
” Whitlam ended his nation ’ s colonial servility .
He abolished royal patronage , moved Australia towards the Non-Aligned Movement , supported “ zones of peace ” and opposed nuclear weapons testing .
The primary difference between the coup in Australia and the one in Bolivia was that the Bolivians refused to roll over and take it while we shrugged and said ‘ No worries mate.
’ We had every option to become a real nation and insist on our own self-sovereignty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , were too thoroughly propagandized and placid .
Some hostages escape , some don ’ t .
The US empire got rid of Whitlam , and then when we elected in 2007 a prime minister who was considered too friendly with China they did it again ; in order to facilitate the Obama administration ’ s “ pivot ” against Beijing the pro-China Kevin Rudd was replaced by the compliant Julia Gillard .
World Socialist Website reports : Secret US diplomatic cables published by WikiLeaks in December 2010 revealed that “ protected sources @ @ @ @ @ @ @ figures in Gillard ’ s elevation .
For months , key coup plotters , including senators Mark Arbib and David Feeney , and Australian Workers Union ( AWU ) chief Paul Howes , secretly provided the US embassy with regular updates on internal government discussions and divisions within the leadership… Rudd had proposed an Asia-Pacific Community , attempting to mediate the escalating strategic rivalry between the US and China , and opposed the formation of a quadrilateral military alliance between the US , India , Japan and Australia , aimed against China .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ credentials through Australia-US and Australia-Israel leadership forums , was literally selected by the US embassy as a reliable replacement to Rudd .
In her first public appearance after knifing Rudd , she demonstrated her devotion to Washington by posing for a photo op with the US ambassador , flanked by US and Australian flags .
She soon had a phone call with Obama , who had previously twice postponed a planned visit to Australia under Rudd .
The centrality of Australia to the US preparations for war against China became apparent in November @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pivot to Asia ” in the Australian parliament , rather than the White House .
During the visit , Gillard and Obama signed an agreement to station American Marines in Darwin and allow greater US access to other military bases , placing the Australian population on the front line of any conflict with China .
Gillard ’ s government also sanctioned the expansion of the major US spying and weapons-targeting base at Pine Gap , agreed to the US military ’ s increased use of Australian ports and airbases , and stepped up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ top-level “ Five Eyes ” global surveillance network , which monitors the communications and online activities of millions of people worldwide .
Rudd ’ s removal marked a turning point .
US imperialism , via the Obama administration , sent a blunt message : There was no longer any room for equivocation by the Australian ruling elite .
Regardless of which party was in office , it had to line up unconditionally behind the US conflict with China , no matter what the consequences for the loss of its massive export markets in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re seeing all around the world now : a slow motion third world war being waged by the US power alliance against the remaining nations which have resisted being absorbed into it .
As the most powerful of the unabsorbed nations by far , China is the ultimate target of this war .
If the empire succeeds in its ultimate goal of stopping China , it will have attained a de facto planetary government which no population will be able to oppose or dissent from .
I don ’ t know about you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world where powerful nuclear-armed forces wave Armageddon weapons at each other while fighting for planetary domination and subverting less powerful nations if they don ’ t play along with their Cold War games .
Detente and peace must be sought and obtained , and we must all work to live together on this planet in collaboration with each other and with our ecosystem .
This omnicidal , ecocidal way of living that the oligarchic empire has laid out for us does not suit our species , and it will drive us to extinction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ species if we do not find a way to end it .
Rulers historically do not cede their power willingly , so we ordinary human beings as a collective are going to have to find a way to destroy their propaganda engine , force an end to imperialism , and build a healthy world .
The statements , views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT .

The US-centralized empire functions like a giant blob that absorbs nations and turns them into imperial client states. Once absorbed, it is rare for a country to escape and rejoin other genuinely sovereign nations.
The new president-elect of Bolivia, Luis Arce, has told the Spanish international news agency EFE that he intends to restore the nation’s relations with Cuba, Venezuela and Iran. This reverses the policies of the US-backed coup regime which immediately began closing embassies, kicking out doctors and severing relations with those nations after illegally seizing power last year.
Arce also spoke of warm relations with Russia and China. Woke: A Field Guide Fo... Johnstone, Caitlin Best Price: $20.37 Buy New $23.02 (as of 10:35 UTC - Details)
“We are going to re-establish all relations,” he told EFE. “This government has acted very ideologically, depriving the Bolivian people of access to Cuban medicine, to Russian medicine, to advances in China. For a purely ideological issue, it has exposed the population in a way that is unnecessary and harmful.”
Arce expressed a willingness to “open the door to all countries, the only requirement is that they respect us and respect our sovereignty, nothing more. All countries, no matter the size, who want a relationship with Bolivia, the only requirement is that we respect each other as equals. If that is so, we have no problem.“
If you know anything about US imperialism and global politics, you will recognize that last bit as brazen heresy against imperial doctrine.
Bolivia will restore diplomatic relations with Cuba, Venezuela and Iran, said President-elect Luis Arce in an interview with EFE. He will also re-establish good relations with China & Russia. Arce condems the coup govt for its ideological & pro-US approach to foreign policy. pic.twitter.com/3ATXjSVbuF — Kawsachun News (@KawsachunNews) October 20, 2020
War is a Racket: The A... Smedley Darlington Butler Best Price: $6.45 Buy New $3.79 (as of 03:45 UTC - Details) The unofficial doctrine of the empire-like cluster of international allies that is loosely centralized around the United States does not recognize the sovereignty of other nations, much less respect them as equals. This empire takes it as a given that it has every right to determine what every nation in the world does, who their leaders will be, where their resources will go, and what their military posture on the world stage will be. If a government refuses to accept the empire’s right to determine these things, it is targeted, sabotaged, attacked, and eventually replaced with a puppet regime.
The US-centralized empire functions like a giant blob that slowly works to absorb nations which have not yet been converted into imperial client states. It is rare that a nation is able to escape from that blob and rejoin the unabsorbed nations like China, Russia, Iran, Venezuela and Cuba in their fight for self-sovereignty, and it is encouraging that it was able to do so.
We saw the dynamics of the imperial blob explained quite vividly last year by American political analyst John Mearsheimer at a debate hosted by the Australian think tank Center for Independent Studies. Mearsheimer told his audience that the US is going to do everything it can to halt China’s rise and prevent it from becoming the regional hegemon in the eastern hemisphere, and that Australia should align with the US in that battle or else it would face the wrath of Washington.
The rules based human rights defending democratic order, ladies and gentlemen https://t.co/ZEfxGm6LFi — RaHoWarrior Steve Bannon, 1st Boomer Division (@healingbyhenry) October 8, 2020
“The question that’s on the table is what should Australia’s foreign policy be in light of the rise of China,” Mearsheimer said. “I’ll tell you what I would suggest if I were an Australian.”
Mearsheimer said China is going to continue to grow economically and will convert that economic power into military power to dominate Asia “the way the US dominates the western hemisphere,” and explained why he think the US and its allies have every ability to prevent that from happening.
“Now the question is what does this all mean for Australia?” Mearsheimer said. “Well, you’re in a quandary for sure. Everybody knows what the quandary is. And by the way you’re not the only country in East Asia that’s in this quandary. You trade a lot with China, and that trade is very important for your prosperity, no question about that. Security-wise, you really want to go with us. It makes just a lot more sense, right? And you understand that security is more important than prosperity, because if you don’t survive, you’re not gonna prosper.
“Now some people say there’s an alternative: you can go with China,” said Mearsheimer. “Right, you have a choice here: you can go with China rather the United States. There’s two things I’ll say about that. Number one, if you go with China you want to understand you are our enemy. You are then deciding to become an enemy of the United States. Because again, we’re talking about an intense security competition.
“You’re either with us or against us,” he continued. “And if you’re trading extensively with China, and you’re friendly with China, you’re undermining the United States in this security competition. You’re feeding the beast, from our perspective. And that is not going to make us happy. And when we are not happy you do not want to underestimate how nasty we can be. Just ask Fidel Castro.”
Nervous laughter from the Australian think tank audience punctuated Mearsheimer’s more incendiary observations. The CIA is known to have made numerous attempts to assassinate Castro.
If you’ve ever wondered how the the US is so successful in getting other nations around the world to align with its interests, this is how. It’s not that the US is a good actor on the world stage or a kind friend to its allies, it’s that it will destroy you if you disobey it. The Complete Book Of A... Johnstone, Caitlin Best Price: $1.67 Buy New $14.99 (as of 06:12 UTC - Details)
Australia is not aligned with the US to protect itself from China. Australia is aligned with the US to protect itself from the US. As a Twitter follower recently observed, the US doesn’t have allies, only hostages.
As the recently released Palace Letters illustrated, the CIA staged a coup to oust Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam because he was prioritizing the nation’s self-sovereignty. Journalist John Pilger wrote in 2014 after Whitlam’s death:
Australia briefly became an independent state during the Whitlam years, 1972-75. An American commentator wrote that no country had “reversed its posture in international affairs so totally without going through a domestic revolution.” Whitlam ended his nation’s colonial servility. He abolished royal patronage, moved Australia towards the Non-Aligned Movement, supported “zones of peace” and opposed nuclear weapons testing.
The primary difference between the coup in Australia and the one in Bolivia was that the Bolivians refused to roll over and take it while we shrugged and said ‘No worries mate.’ We had every option to become a real nation and insist on our own self-sovereignty, but we, unlike the Bolivians, were too thoroughly propagandized and placid. Some hostages escape, some don’t.
The US empire got rid of Whitlam, and then when we elected in 2007 a prime minister who was considered too friendly with China they did it again; in order to facilitate the Obama administration’s “pivot” against Beijing the pro-China Kevin Rudd was replaced by the compliant Julia Gillard. World Socialist Website reports:
Secret US diplomatic cables published by WikiLeaks in December 2010 revealed that “protected sources” of the US embassy were pivotal figures in Gillard’s elevation. For months, key coup plotters, including senators Mark Arbib and David Feeney, and Australian Workers Union (AWU) chief Paul Howes, secretly provided the US embassy with regular updates on internal government discussions and divisions within the leadership…
Rudd had proposed an Asia-Pacific Community, attempting to mediate the escalating strategic rivalry between the US and China, and opposed the formation of a quadrilateral military alliance between the US, India, Japan and Australia, aimed against China.
Gillard, who had cultivated her pro-US credentials through Australia-US and Australia-Israel leadership forums, was literally selected by the US embassy as a reliable replacement to Rudd. In her first public appearance after knifing Rudd, she demonstrated her devotion to Washington by posing for a photo op with the US ambassador, flanked by US and Australian flags. She soon had a phone call with Obama, who had previously twice postponed a planned visit to Australia under Rudd.
The centrality of Australia to the US preparations for war against China became apparent in November 2011, when Obama announced his “pivot to Asia” in the Australian parliament, rather than the White House. During the visit, Gillard and Obama signed an agreement to station American Marines in Darwin and allow greater US access to other military bases, placing the Australian population on the front line of any conflict with China.
Gillard’s government also sanctioned the expansion of the major US spying and weapons-targeting base at Pine Gap, agreed to the US military’s increased use of Australian ports and airbases, and stepped up Australia’s role in the US-led top-level “Five Eyes” global surveillance network, which monitors the communications and online activities of millions of people worldwide.
Rudd’s removal marked a turning point. US imperialism, via the Obama administration, sent a blunt message: There was no longer any room for equivocation by the Australian ruling elite. Regardless of which party was in office, it had to line up unconditionally behind the US conflict with China, no matter what the consequences for the loss of its massive export markets in China.
This is what we’re seeing all around the world now: a slow motion third world war being waged by the US power alliance against the remaining nations which have resisted being absorbed into it. As the most powerful of the unabsorbed nations by far, China is the ultimate target of this war. If the empire succeeds in its ultimate goal of stopping China, it will have attained a de facto planetary government which no population will be able to oppose or dissent from.
I don’t know about you, but I never consented to a world where powerful nuclear-armed forces wave Armageddon weapons at each other while fighting for planetary domination and subverting less powerful nations if they don’t play along with their Cold War games. Detente and peace must be sought and obtained, and we must all work to live together on this planet in collaboration with each other and with our ecosystem.
This omnicidal, ecocidal way of living that the oligarchic empire has laid out for us does not suit our species, and it will drive us to extinction along with God knows how many other species if we do not find a way to end it. Rulers historically do not cede their power willingly, so we ordinary human beings as a collective are going to have to find a way to destroy their propaganda engine, force an end to imperialism, and build a healthy world.
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.


lewrockwell--2020-10-26--Treason in America: An Overview of the FBI, CIA, and Matters of ‘National Security

“ Treason doth never prosper ; what is the reason ?
Why , if it prosper , none dare call it treason.
” As Shakespeare would state in his play Hamlet , “ Something is rotten in the state of Denmark , ” like a fish that rots from head to tail , so do corrupt government systems rot from top to bottom .
This is a reference to the ruling system of Denmark and not just the foul murder that King Claudius has committed against his brother , Hamlet ’ s father .
This is showcased in the play @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being in a state of shambles and that the Danish people are ready to revolt since they are on the verge of starving .
King Claudius has only been king for a couple of months , and thus this state of affairs , though he inflames , did not originate with him .
Thus , during our time of great upheaval we should ask ourselves ; what constitutes the persisting “ ruling system , ” of the United States , and where do the injustices in its state of affairs truly originate from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just lie in the action ( or lack of action ) of one man , but rather , it is contained in the choices and actions of all its main characters .
Each character fails to see the longer term consequences of their own actions , which leads not only to their ruin but towards the ultimate collapse of Denmark .
The characters are so caught up in their antagonism against one another that they fail to foresee that their very own destruction is intertwined with the other .
This is a reflection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that , though it believes itself to be fighting tooth and nail for its very survival , is only digging a deeper grave .
A system that is incapable of generating any real solutions to the problems it faces .
The only way out of this is to address that very fact .
The most important issue that will decide the fate of the country is what sort of changes are going to occur in the political and intelligence apparatus , such that a continuation of this tyrannical treason is finally stopped in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discord and chaos .
When the Matter of “ Truth ” Becomes a Threat to “ National Security ” When the matter of truth is depicted as a possible threat to those that govern a country , you no longer have a democratic state .
True , not everything can be disclosed to the public in real time , but we are sitting on a mountain of classified intelligence material that goes back more than 60 years .
Intelligence Activitie ... United States Best Price : $ 13.10 Buy New $ 17.99 How @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American people have the right to know the truth behind what their government agencies have been doing within their own country and abroad in the name of the “ free ” world ?
From this recognition , the whole matter of declassifying material around the Russigate scandal in real time , and not highly redacted 50 years from now , is essential to addressing this festering putrefaction that has been bubbling over since the heinous assassination of President Kennedy on Nov. 22nd , 1963 and to which we are still waiting for full @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
If the American people really want to finally see who is standing behind that curtain in Oz , now is the time .
These intelligence bureaus need to be reviewed for what kind of method and standard they are upholding in collecting their “ intelligence , ” that has supposedly justified the Mueller investigation and the never-ending Flynn investigation which have provided conclusive evidence to back up their allegations and which have massively infringed on the elected government ’ s ability to make the changes that they had committed to the American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Libya war that was based off of cooked British intelligence ( refer here and here ) , Russiagate appears to have also had its impetus from our friends over at MI6 as well .
It is no surprise that Sir Richard Dearlove , who was then MI6 chief ( 1999-2004 ) and who oversaw and stood by the fraudulent intelligence on Iraq stating they bought uranium from Niger to build a nuclear weapon , is the very same Sir Richard Dearlove who promoted the Christopher Steele dossier as something “ credible ” to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same man who is largely responsible for encouraging the illegal invasion of Iraq , which set off the never-ending wars on “ terror , ” that was justified with cooked British intelligence is also responsible for encouraging the Russian spook witch-hunt that has been occurring within the U.S. for the last four years…over more cooked British intelligence , and the FBI and CIA are knowingly complicit in this .
Neither the American people , nor the world as a whole , can afford to suffer any more of the so-called “ mistaken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that these intelligence bureaus are held accountable for at best criminal negligence , at worst , treason against their own country .
When Great Figures of Hope Are Targeted as Threats to “ National Security ” The Family Jewels report , which was an investigation conducted by the CIA to investigate , was spurred by the Watergate Scandal and the CIA ’ s unconstitutional role in the whole affair .
This investigation by the CIA reviewed its own conduct from the 1950s to mid-1970s .
The Family Jewels report was only partially declassified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years later ) .
Along with the release of the redacted report included a six-page summary with the following introduction : “ The Central Intelligence Agency until revelations of illegal wiretapping , domestic surveillance , assassination plots , and human experimentation led to official investigations and reforms in the 1970s.
” [ emphasis added ] The FBI , COINTELPRO , A ... Committee , Church Best Price : $ 17.83 Buy New $ 11.99 Despite this acknowledged violation of its charter for 25 years , which is pretty much since its inception , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not just the public but major governmental bodies and it was left to the agency itself to judge how best to “ reform ” its ways .
On Dec. 22 , 1974 , The New York Times published an article by Seymour Hersh exposing illegal operations conducted by the CIA , dubbed the “ family jewels ” .
This included , covert action programs involving assassination attempts on foreign leaders and covert attempts to subvert foreign governments , which were reported for the first time .
In addition , the article discussed efforts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the political activities of U.S. citizens .
Largely as a reaction to Hersh ’ s findings , the creation of the Church Committee was approved on January 27 , 1975 , by a vote of 82 to 4 in the Senate .
The Church Committee ’ s final report was published in April 1976 , including seven volumes of Church Committee hearings in the Senate .
The Church Committee also published an interim report titled “ Alleged Assassination Plots Involving Foreign Leaders ” , which investigated alleged attempts to assassinate foreign leaders , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trujillo of the Dominican Republic , Ngo Dinh Diem of Vietnam , Gen. René Schneider of Chile and Fidel Castro of Cuba .
President Ford attempted to withhold the report from the public , but failed and reluctantly issued Executive Order 11905 after pressure from the public and the Church Committee .
Executive Order 11905 is a United States Presidential Executive Order signed on February 18 , 1976 , by a very reluctant President Ford in an attempt to reform the United States Intelligence Community , improve oversight on foreign intelligence activities , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is now regarded as a failure and was largely undone by President Reagan who issued Executive Order 12333 , which extended the powers and responsibilities of U.S. intelligence agencies and directed leaders of the U.S. federal agencies to co-operate fully with the CIA , which was the original arrangement that CIA have full authority over clandestine operations ( for more information on this refer to my papers here and here ) .
In addition , the Church Committee produced seven case studies on covert operations , but only the one on Chile was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chile : 1963–1973 “ .
The rest were kept secret at the CIA ’ s request .
Among the most shocking revelation of the Church Committee was the discovery of Operation SHAMROCK , in which the major telecommunications companies shared their traffic with the NSA from 1945 to the early 1970s .
The information gathered in this operation fed directly into the NSA Watch List .
It was found out during the committee investigations that Senator Frank Church , who was overseeing the committee , was among the prominent names under surveillance on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Church Committee decided to unilaterally declassify the particulars of this operation , against the objections of President Ford ’ s administration ( refer here and here for more information ) .
The Church Committee ’ s reports constitute the most extensive review of intelligence activities ever made available to the public .
Much of the contents were classified , but over 50,000 pages were declassified under the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 .
President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas , Texas on Nov. 22nd , 1963 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hate-Kennedy handbill ( see picture ) was circulated in Dallas accusing the president of treasonous activities including being a communist sympathizer .
On March 1st , 1967 New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison arrested and charged Clay Shaw with conspiring to assassinate President Kennedy , with the help of David Ferrie and others .
After a little over a one month long trial , Shaw was found not guilty on March 1st , 1969 .
David Ferrie , a controller of Lee Harvey Oswald , was going to be a key witness and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” evidence linking himself to Clay Shaw , was likely murdered on Feb. 22nd , 1967 , less than a week after news of Garrison ’ s investigation broke in the media .
According to Garrison ’ s team findings , there was reason to believe that the CIA was involved in the orchestrations of President Kennedy ’ s assassination but access to classified material ( which was nearly everything concerning the case ) was necessary to continue such an investigation .
Though Garrison ’ s team lacked direct evidence , they were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ circumstantial evidence , which should have given the justification for access to classified material for further investigation .
Instead the case was thrown out of court prematurely and is now treated as if it were a circus .
[ Refer to Garrison ’ s book for further details and Oliver Stone ’ s excellently researched movie JFK ] To date , it is the only trial to be brought forward concerning the assassination of President Kennedy .
The Assassination Records Review Board ( ARRB ) was created in 1994 by the Congress enacted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Act of 1992 , which mandated that all assassination-related material be housed in a single collection within the National Archives and Records Administration .
In July 1998 , a staff report released by the ARRB emphasized shortcomings in the original autopsy .
The ARRB wrote , “ One of the many tragedies of the assassination of President Kennedy has been the and the suspicion caused by the shroud of secrecy that has surrounded the records that do exist.
” [ emphasis added ] Alleged Assassination ... Church Committee Best Price : $ 30.00 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the Assassinations Records Review Board contended that brain photographs in the Kennedy records are not of Kennedy ’ s brain and show much less damage than Kennedy sustained .
“ Asked about the lunchroom episode [ where he was overheard stating his notes of the autopsy went missing ] in a May 1996 deposition , Finck said he did not remember it .
He was also vague about how many notes he took during the autopsy but confirmed that “ after the autopsy I also wrote notes ” and that he turned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chief autopsy physician , James J. Humes .
It has long been known that Humes in a fireplace at his home on Nov. 24 , 1963 .
He told the Warren Commission that what he burned was an original draft of his autopsy report .
Under persistent questioning at a February 1996 deposition by the Review Board , Humes said he destroyed the draft and his “ original notes.
” …Shown official autopsy photographs of Kennedy from the National Archives , [ Saundra K. ] Spencer [ who worked in “ the White @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not the ones she helped process and were printed on different paper .
She said “ there was no blood or opening cavities ” and the wounds were much smaller in the pictures… [ than what she had ] worked on… John T. Stringer , who said he was the only one to take photos during the autopsy itself , said some of those were missing as well .
He said that pictures he took of Kennedy ’ s brain at a “ supplementary autopsy ” were different from the official set that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ added ] This not only shows that evidence tampering did indeed occur , as even the Warren Commission acknowledges , but this puts into question the reliability of the entire assassination record of John F. Kennedy and to what degree evidence tampering and forgery have occurred in these records .
We would also do well to remember the numerous crimes that the FBI and CIA have been guilty of committing upon the American people such as during the period of McCarthyism .
That the FBI ’ s COINTELPRO has been implicated in covert @ @ @ @ @ @ @ movement , including Martin Luther King Jr. during the 1960s .
That FBI director J. Edgar Hoover made no secret of his hostility towards Dr. King and his ludicrous belief that King was influenced by communists , despite having no evidence to that effect .
King was assassinated on April 4th , 1968 and the civil rights movement took a major blow .
In November 1975 , as the Church Committee was completing its investigation , the Department of Justice formed a Task Force to examine the FBI ’ s program of harassment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ FBI ’ s security investigations of him , his assassination and the FBI conducted criminal investigation that followed .
One aspect of the Task force study was to determine “ whether any action taken in relation to Dr. King by the FBI before the assassination had , or might have had , an effect , direct or indirect , on that event.
” In its report , the Task Force criticized the FBI not for the opening , but for the protracted continuation of , its security investigation of Dr. King : “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both physical and technical surveillance , should have been terminated … in 1963 .
That it was intensified and augmented by a COINTELPRO type campaign against Dr. King was unwarranted ; the COINTELPRO type campaign , moreover , was ultra vires and very probably … felonious.
” In 1999 , King Family v. Jowers civil suit in Memphis , Tennessee occurred , the full transcript of the trial can be found here .
The jury found that Lloyd Jowers and unnamed others , including those in high ranking positions within government agencies , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ King .
During the four week trial , it was pointed out that the rifle allegedly used to assassinate King did not have a scope that was sighted , which meant you could not have hit the broad side of a barn with that rifle , thus it could not have been the murder weapon .
This was only remarked on over 30 years after King was murdered and showed the level of incompetence , or more likely , evidence tampering that was committed from previous investigations conducted by the FBI .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the highest profile assassination cases in American history , and it has been shown in both cases that evidence tampering has indeed occurred , despite being in the center of the public eye .
What are we then to expect as the standard of investigation for all the other cases of malfeasance ?
What expectation can we have that justice is ever upheld ?
With a history of such blatant misconduct , it is clear that the present demand to declassify the Russiagate papers now , and not 50 years later , needs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the level of criminality that is going on behind the scenes and which will determine the fate of the country .
The American People Deserve to Know Today we see the continuation of the over seven decades ’ long ruse , the targeting of individuals as Russian agents without any basis , in order to remove them from the political arena .
The present effort to declassify the Russiagate papers and exonerate Michael Flynn , so that he may freely speak of the intelligence he knows , is a threat to national security @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who have committed treason against their country .
On Oct. 6th , 2020 , President Trump ordered the declassification of the Russia Probe documents along with the classified documents on the findings concerning the Hillary Clinton emails .
The release of these documents threatens to expose the entrapment of the Trump campaign by the Clinton campaign with help of the U.S. intelligence agencies .
The Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe released some of these documents recently , including former CIA Director John Brennan ’ s handwritten notes for a meeting with former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hillary Clinton approved a plan to “ vilify Donald Trump by stirring up scandal claiming interference by the Russian security service.
” Trey Gowdy , who was Chair of the House Oversight Committee from June 13th , 2017 – Jan. 3rd , 2019 , has stated in an interview on Oct. 7th , 2020 that he has never seen these documents .
Devin Nunes , who was Chair of the House Intelligence Committee from Jan. 3rd , 2015 – Jan. 3rd , 2019 , has also said in a recent interview that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yet , both the FBI and CIA were aware and had access to these documents and sat on them for four years , withholding their release from several government-led investigations that were looking into the Russiagate scandal and who were requesting relevant material that was in the possession of both intelligence bureaus .
Do these intelligence bureaus sound like they are working for the “ national security ” of the American people ?
The truth must finally be brought to light , or the country will rot from its head to tail .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ necessarily represent those of the Strategic Culture Foundation .

“Treason doth never prosper; what is the reason? Why, if it prosper, none dare call it treason.”
– Sir John Harrington.
As Shakespeare would state in his play Hamlet, “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark,” like a fish that rots from head to tail, so do corrupt government systems rot from top to bottom.
This is a reference to the ruling system of Denmark and not just the foul murder that King Claudius has committed against his brother, Hamlet’s father. This is showcased in the play by reference to the economy of Denmark being in a state of shambles and that the Danish people are ready to revolt since they are on the verge of starving. King Claudius has only been king for a couple of months, and thus this state of affairs, though he inflames, did not originate with him.
Thus, during our time of great upheaval we should ask ourselves; what constitutes the persisting “ruling system,” of the United States, and where do the injustices in its state of affairs truly originate from?
The tragedy of Hamlet does not just lie in the action (or lack of action) of one man, but rather, it is contained in the choices and actions of all its main characters. Each character fails to see the longer term consequences of their own actions, which leads not only to their ruin but towards the ultimate collapse of Denmark. The characters are so caught up in their antagonism against one another that they fail to foresee that their very own destruction is intertwined with the other.
This is a reflection of a failing system.
A system that, though it believes itself to be fighting tooth and nail for its very survival, is only digging a deeper grave. A system that is incapable of generating any real solutions to the problems it faces.
The only way out of this is to address that very fact. The most important issue that will decide the fate of the country is what sort of changes are going to occur in the political and intelligence apparatus, such that a continuation of this tyrannical treason is finally stopped in its tracks and unable to sow further discord and chaos.
When the Matter of “Truth” Becomes a Threat to “National Security”
When the matter of truth is depicted as a possible threat to those that govern a country, you no longer have a democratic state. True, not everything can be disclosed to the public in real time, but we are sitting on a mountain of classified intelligence material that goes back more than 60 years. Intelligence Activitie... United States Best Price: $13.10 Buy New $17.99 (as of 06:15 UTC - Details)
How much time needs to elapse before the American people have the right to know the truth behind what their government agencies have been doing within their own country and abroad in the name of the “free” world?
From this recognition, the whole matter of declassifying material around the Russigate scandal in real time, and not highly redacted 50 years from now, is essential to addressing this festering putrefaction that has been bubbling over since the heinous assassination of President Kennedy on Nov. 22nd, 1963 and to which we are still waiting for full disclosure of classified papers 57 years later.
If the American people really want to finally see who is standing behind that curtain in Oz, now is the time.
These intelligence bureaus need to be reviewed for what kind of method and standard they are upholding in collecting their “intelligence,” that has supposedly justified the Mueller investigation and the never-ending Flynn investigation which have provided zero conclusive evidence to back up their allegations and which have massively infringed on the elected government’s ability to make the changes that they had committed to the American people.
Just like the Iraq and Libya war that was based off of cooked British intelligence (refer here and here), Russiagate appears to have also had its impetus from our friends over at MI6 as well. It is no surprise that Sir Richard Dearlove, who was then MI6 chief (1999-2004) and who oversaw and stood by the fraudulent intelligence on Iraq stating they bought uranium from Niger to build a nuclear weapon, is the very same Sir Richard Dearlove who promoted the Christopher Steele dossier as something “credible” to American intelligence.
In other words, the same man who is largely responsible for encouraging the illegal invasion of Iraq, which set off the never-ending wars on “terror,” that was justified with cooked British intelligence is also responsible for encouraging the Russian spook witch-hunt that has been occurring within the U.S. for the last four years…over more cooked British intelligence, and the FBI and CIA are knowingly complicit in this.
Neither the American people, nor the world as a whole, can afford to suffer any more of the so-called “mistaken” intelligence bumblings. It is time that these intelligence bureaus are held accountable for at best criminal negligence, at worst, treason against their own country.
When Great Figures of Hope Are Targeted as Threats to “National Security”
The Family Jewels report, which was an investigation conducted by the CIA to investigate itself , was spurred by the Watergate Scandal and the CIA’s unconstitutional role in the whole affair. This investigation by the CIA reviewed its own conduct from the 1950s to mid-1970s.
The Family Jewels report was only partially declassified in June 25, 2007 (30 years later). Along with the release of the redacted report included a six-page summary with the following introduction:
“The Central Intelligence Agency violated its charter for 25 years until revelations of illegal wiretapping, domestic surveillance, assassination plots, and human experimentation led to official investigations and reforms in the 1970s.” [emphasis added] The FBI, COINTELPRO, A... Committee, Church Best Price: $17.83 Buy New $11.99 (as of 06:15 UTC - Details)
Despite this acknowledged violation of its charter for 25 years, which is pretty much since its inception, the details of this information were kept classified for 30 years from not just the public but major governmental bodies and it was left to the agency itself to judge how best to “reform” its ways.
On Dec. 22, 1974, The New York Times published an article by Seymour Hersh exposing illegal operations conducted by the CIA, dubbed the “family jewels”. This included, covert action programs involving assassination attempts on foreign leaders and covert attempts to subvert foreign governments, which were reported for the first time . In addition, the article discussed efforts by intelligence agencies to collect information on the political activities of U.S. citizens.
Largely as a reaction to Hersh’s findings, the creation of the Church Committee was approved on January 27, 1975, by a vote of 82 to 4 in the Senate.
The Church Committee’s final report was published in April 1976, including seven volumes of Church Committee hearings in the Senate.
The Church Committee also published an interim report titled “Alleged Assassination Plots Involving Foreign Leaders”, which investigated alleged attempts to assassinate foreign leaders, including Patrice Lumumba of Zaire, Rafael Trujillo of the Dominican Republic, Ngo Dinh Diem of Vietnam, Gen. René Schneider of Chile and Fidel Castro of Cuba. President Ford attempted to withhold the report from the public, but failed and reluctantly issued Executive Order 11905 after pressure from the public and the Church Committee.
Executive Order 11905 is a United States Presidential Executive Order signed on February 18, 1976, by a very reluctant President Ford in an attempt to reform the United States Intelligence Community, improve oversight on foreign intelligence activities, and ban political assassination.
The attempt is now regarded as a failure and was largely undone by President Reagan who issued Executive Order 12333, which extended the powers and responsibilities of U.S. intelligence agencies and directed leaders of the U.S. federal agencies to co-operate fully with the CIA, which was the original arrangement that CIA have full authority over clandestine operations (for more information on this refer to my papers here and here).
In addition, the Church Committee produced seven case studies on covert operations, but only the one on Chile was released, titled “Covert Action in Chile: 1963–1973“. The rest were kept secret at the CIA’s request.
Among the most shocking revelation of the Church Committee was the discovery of Operation SHAMROCK, in which the major telecommunications companies shared their traffic with the NSA from 1945 to the early 1970s. The information gathered in this operation fed directly into the NSA Watch List. It was found out during the committee investigations that Senator Frank Church, who was overseeing the committee, was among the prominent names under surveillance on this NSA Watch List.
In 1975, the Church Committee decided to unilaterally declassify the particulars of this operation, against the objections of President Ford’s administration (refer here and here for more information).
The Church Committee’s reports constitute the most extensive review of intelligence activities ever made available to the public. Much of the contents were classified, but over 50,000 pages were declassified under the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992.
President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas on Nov. 22nd, 1963. Two days before his assassination a hate-Kennedy handbill (see picture) was circulated in Dallas accusing the president of treasonous activities including being a communist sympathizer.
On March 1st, 1967 New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison arrested and charged Clay Shaw with conspiring to assassinate President Kennedy, with the help of David Ferrie and others. After a little over a one month long trial, Shaw was found not guilty on March 1st, 1969.
David Ferrie, a controller of Lee Harvey Oswald, was going to be a key witness and would have provided the ”smoking gun” evidence linking himself to Clay Shaw, was likely murdered on Feb. 22nd, 1967, less than a week after news of Garrison’s investigation broke in the media.
According to Garrison’s team findings, there was reason to believe that the CIA was involved in the orchestrations of President Kennedy’s assassination but access to classified material (which was nearly everything concerning the case) was necessary to continue such an investigation.
Though Garrison’s team lacked direct evidence, they were able to collect an immense amount of circumstantial evidence, which should have given the justification for access to classified material for further investigation. Instead the case was thrown out of court prematurely and is now treated as if it were a circus. [Refer to Garrison’s book for further details and Oliver Stone’s excellently researched movie JFK]
To date, it is the only trial to be brought forward concerning the assassination of President Kennedy.
The Assassination Records Review Board (ARRB) was created in 1994 by the Congress enacted President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992, which mandated that all assassination-related material be housed in a single collection within the National Archives and Records Administration. In July 1998, a staff report released by the ARRB emphasized shortcomings in the original autopsy.
The ARRB wrote, “One of the many tragedies of the assassination of President Kennedy has been the incompleteness of the autopsy record and the suspicion caused by the shroud of secrecy that has surrounded the records that do exist.” [emphasis added] Alleged Assassination ... Church Committee Best Price: $30.00 Buy New $14.99 (as of 06:15 UTC - Details)
The staff report for the Assassinations Records Review Board contended that brain photographs in the Kennedy records are not of Kennedy’s brain and show much less damage than Kennedy sustained.
The Washington Post reported:
“Asked about the lunchroom episode [where he was overheard stating his notes of the autopsy went missing] in a May 1996 deposition, Finck said he did not remember it. He was also vague about how many notes he took during the autopsy but confirmed that “after the autopsy I also wrote notes” and that he turned over whatever notes he had to the chief autopsy physician, James J. Humes.
It has long been known that Humes destroyed some original autopsy papers in a fireplace at his home on Nov. 24, 1963. He told the Warren Commission that what he burned was an original draft of his autopsy report. Under persistent questioning at a February 1996 deposition by the Review Board, Humes said he destroyed the draft and his “original notes.”
…Shown official autopsy photographs of Kennedy from the National Archives, [Saundra K.] Spencer [who worked in “the White House lab”] said they were not the ones she helped process and were printed on different paper. She said “there was no blood or opening cavities” and the wounds were much smaller in the pictures… [than what she had] worked on…
John T. Stringer, who said he was the only one to take photos during the autopsy itself, said some of those were missing as well. He said that pictures he took of Kennedy’s brain at a “supplementary autopsy” were different from the official set that was shown to him.” [emphasis added]
This not only shows that evidence tampering did indeed occur, as even the Warren Commission acknowledges, but this puts into question the reliability of the entire assassination record of John F. Kennedy and to what degree evidence tampering and forgery have occurred in these records.
We would also do well to remember the numerous crimes that the FBI and CIA have been guilty of committing upon the American people such as during the period of McCarthyism. That the FBI’s COINTELPRO has been implicated in covert operations against members of the civil rights movement, including Martin Luther King Jr. during the 1960s. That FBI director J. Edgar Hoover made no secret of his hostility towards Dr. King and his ludicrous belief that King was influenced by communists, despite having no evidence to that effect.
King was assassinated on April 4th, 1968 and the civil rights movement took a major blow.
In November 1975, as the Church Committee was completing its investigation, the Department of Justice formed a Task Force to examine the FBI’s program of harassment directed at Dr. King, including the FBI’s security investigations of him, his assassination and the FBI conducted criminal investigation that followed. One aspect of the Task force study was to determine “whether any action taken in relation to Dr. King by the FBI before the assassination had, or might have had, an effect, direct or indirect, on that event.”
In its report, the Task Force criticized the FBI not for the opening, but for the protracted continuation of, its security investigation of Dr. King:
“We think the security investigation which included both physical and technical surveillance, should have been terminated … in 1963. That it was intensified and augmented by a COINTELPRO type campaign against Dr. King was unwarranted; the COINTELPRO type campaign, moreover, was ultra vires and very probably … felonious.”
In 1999, King Family v. Jowers civil suit in Memphis, Tennessee occurred, the full transcript of the trial can be found here. The jury found that Lloyd Jowers and unnamed others, including those in high ranking positions within government agencies, participated in a conspiracy to assassinate Dr. King.
During the four week trial, it was pointed out that the rifle allegedly used to assassinate King did not have a scope that was sighted, which meant you could not have hit the broad side of a barn with that rifle, thus it could not have been the murder weapon.
This was only remarked on over 30 years after King was murdered and showed the level of incompetence, or more likely, evidence tampering that was committed from previous investigations conducted by the FBI.
The case of JFK and MLK are among the highest profile assassination cases in American history, and it has been shown in both cases that evidence tampering has indeed occurred, despite being in the center of the public eye. What are we then to expect as the standard of investigation for all the other cases of malfeasance? What expectation can we have that justice is ever upheld?
With a history of such blatant misconduct, it is clear that the present demand to declassify the Russiagate papers now, and not 50 years later, needs to occur if we are to address the level of criminality that is going on behind the scenes and which will determine the fate of the country.
The American People Deserve to Know
Today we see the continuation of the over seven decades’ long ruse, the targeting of individuals as Russian agents without any basis, in order to remove them from the political arena. The present effort to declassify the Russiagate papers and exonerate Michael Flynn, so that he may freely speak of the intelligence he knows, is not a threat to national security, it is a threat to those who have committed treason against their country.
On Oct. 6th, 2020, President Trump ordered the declassification of the Russia Probe documents along with the classified documents on the findings concerning the Hillary Clinton emails. The release of these documents threatens to expose the entrapment of the Trump campaign by the Clinton campaign with help of the U.S. intelligence agencies.
The Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe released some of these documents recently, including former CIA Director John Brennan’s handwritten notes for a meeting with former President Obama, the notes revealing that Hillary Clinton approved a plan to “vilify Donald Trump by stirring up scandal claiming interference by the Russian security service.”
Trey Gowdy, who was Chair of the House Oversight Committee from June 13th, 2017 – Jan. 3rd, 2019, has stated in an interview on Oct. 7th, 2020 that he has never seen these documents. Devin Nunes, who was Chair of the House Intelligence Committee from Jan. 3rd, 2015 – Jan. 3rd, 2019, has also said in a recent interview that he has never seen these documents.
And yet, both the FBI and CIA were aware and had access to these documents and sat on them for four years, withholding their release from several government-led investigations that were looking into the Russiagate scandal and who were requesting relevant material that was in the possession of both intelligence bureaus. Do these intelligence bureaus sound like they are working for the “national security” of the American people?
The truth must finally be brought to light, or the country will rot from its head to tail.
The views of individual contributors do not necessarily represent those of the Strategic Culture Foundation.


lewrockwell--2020-10-26--The Sound of Inevitability

The Sound of Inevitability

I recall reading about the lead up to the Great War , and the feeling of inevitability .
Europe , having had decades of peace since the Franco-Prussian War , offered a sense of foreboding .
War was coming , and there was really nothing that could be done about it .
All it took was a single bullet , the event that opened the floodgates .
But bullet or not , war was coming .
That ’ s how things feel today .
Not , hopefully , with such a cataclysmic result as in the Great War – approximately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ half of these deaths .
We know what is coming election week – everything will be contested , fabricated ; nothing will be decided .
We know what is coming to the streets .
We see what is happening to the country – nothing approaching a nation , with some common values acting as glue .
We can envision this calamity carrying on for weeks , maybe months .
The Cost : Trump , China ... Freeman , James Buy New $ 25.20 We know that there is no desire by any meaningful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is coming – because to avoid it would require truth , and a good amount of prison time for countless thousands of politicians , bureaucrats , media personalities , university presidents , and church leaders .
And we know truth has been removed from society , and the justice of prison time is not possible without truth .
Let alone working to avoid it , these same actors are fueling it .
There is no conspiracy theory here , it is visible to see for anyone with eyes .
We know what is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Best of Bionic Mosquito

I recall reading about the lead up to the Great War, and the feeling of inevitability. Europe, having had decades of peace since the Franco-Prussian War, offered a sense of foreboding. War was coming, and there was really nothing that could be done about it. All it took was a single bullet, the event that opened the floodgates. But bullet or not, war was coming.
That’s how things feel today. Not, hopefully, with such a cataclysmic result as in the Great War – approximately forty million casualties, more or less half of these deaths.
We know what is coming election week – everything will be contested, fabricated; nothing will be decided. We know what is coming to the streets. We see what is happening to the country – nothing approaching a nation, with some common values acting as glue. We can envision this calamity carrying on for weeks, maybe months. The Cost: Trump, China... Freeman, James Buy New $25.20 (as of 06:15 UTC - Details)
We know that there is no desire by any meaningful political or media leader to avoid what is coming – because to avoid it would require truth, and a good amount of prison time for countless thousands of politicians, bureaucrats, media personalities, university presidents, and church leaders. And we know truth has been removed from society, and the justice of prison time is not possible without truth.
Let alone working to avoid it, these same actors are fueling it. There is no conspiracy theory here, it is visible to see for anyone with eyes.
We know what is coming and we know it is inevitable.
Reprinted with permission from Bionic Mosquito.
The Best of Bionic Mosquito


lewrockwell--2020-10-26--The US Is Running Out of These 9 Foods Fast

Over the past several weeks , I have written numerous articles on the state of the food supply chain and the coming food shortages .
From the time I began writing those articles to now , pending food shortage claims have gone from “ dangerous conspiracy theories ” to mainstream news topics .
While the government began the alleged pandemic stating that there were no disruptions to the supply chain ( which was patently absurd ) , it now openly admits there “ may ” be shortages of certain foods and supplies over the coming months .
The concept of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ real As governments continue to use COVID as an excuse to enable their ulterior motives , the financial stability of many will become shakier .
That will cause consumer ’ s habits to change .
Shoppers will be less likely to buy luxury foods .
As a result of the change in these habits , the supply itself will drastically change .
And in addition to all that , producers are going to have difficulty processing and packaging foods .
Great American Food Sh ... Fisher , J.R. Best Price : $ 16.25 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and are now being openly discussed , even in mainstream circles .
For instance , Carolyn Dimitri , associate professor of nutrition and food studies at New York University , says : Items consumers may see less of in the coming months An article published on Business Insider offers some insight into the possible shortages we may be facing , as well as explanations for why this may be happening .
Here are 9 of those items : Beef – The National Cattleman ’ s Beef Association has stated that cattle ranchers face @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will continue through 2021 .
The Food and Environment Reporting Network has claimed over 11,496 factory workers in the meatpacking industry , and food plants have contracted COVID .
Those claims are significant not because of the virus itself but because of the shutdowns and strain it puts on the individual factories , consumers , and industry as a whole .
Pork – NPR has reported that a Smithfield pork processing plant in Sioux Falls , South Dakota , recently shut down after around 300 employees tested positive for COVID .
The facility @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at risk of experiencing the same thing .
Keep in mind that the factory supplies between 4 and 5 % of the US pork supply .
Chicken – Chicken plants are also in danger due to the “ close quarters ” of the facilities .
Whole Deli Sections – Gomez also pointed out that deli sections , in general , are in danger because they “ typically need more employees and preparation in-store.
” Wise Company Emergency ... Buy New $ 109.99 Imported foods – “ Many countries that export commodities are worried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some are restricting exports of certain commodities to ensure enough availability in the countries , ” said Gomez .
Highly Perishable Foods – As the food supply begins to show signs of weakening , consumers are likely to pass over foods with a short shelf life in favor of more easily stored products .
Lockdowns and shutdowns will likely create the same reaction .
“ In terms of what we see consumers buying more of , we see things they can store for a long time , ” Gomez said .
“ For @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because they last longer in the refrigerator than broccoli or things that are very perishable.
” Think about what happens when the tide begins to turn , and consumers start buying more storable goods .
How long do you think those storable goods are going to last on the shelves ?
What will the next empty shelf syndrome be ?
“ Fancy ” perishables and berries – The shift from buying fancy foods to basics has already begun .
Instead of buying more expensive fruits , consumers are buying basic , cheaper fruits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being thrifty with their food budgets by not buying expensive products , the supply chain will be further affected .
Those less expensive items will eventually become hard to get as well .
Lettuce – There is already a lettuce shortage happening right now .
Due to extreme heat , fires , and a virus attacking lettuce plants in California , lettuce is currently in short supply , with major chains like Wendy ’ s already limiting the vegetable on their sandwiches .
Augason Farms Lunch an ... Buy New $ 62.68 Seasonable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , these items are already experiencing a “ change ” in supply .
“ We are heading into the US domestic production season , and we tend to supply most of the produce until the early winter , so I don ’ t anticipate seeing a huge effect at the grocery store until we have a change in season , ” she said .
Dimitri explained that labor shortage in other countries and the slow down in the supply chain would result in spoiled produce before reaching the United States .
Food shortage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ These experts are advising us to take action now .
Keep in mind we may soon be facing another round of lockdowns , which will strain the supply chain even further .
• Here ’ s what to buy to prepare for a lockdown .
• Here ’ s what to buy when the things you want are out of stock .
• Here are 9 things to buy every time you go to the store .
While there ’ s still some time to prepare , events are unfolding quickly .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Venezuela .
Let that be a cautionary tale and purchase while you can .
After that , focus on what you can produce or acquire locally – the global supply chain is no longer a reliable source of food .
Reprinted with permission from The Organic Prepper .

Over the past several weeks, I have written numerous articles on the state of the food supply chain and the coming food shortages. From the time I began writing those articles to now, pending food shortage claims have gone from “dangerous conspiracy theories” to mainstream news topics.
While the government began the alleged pandemic stating that there were no disruptions to the supply chain (which was patently absurd), it now openly admits there “may” be shortages of certain foods and supplies over the coming months.
The concept of food shortages has gone from theoretical to real
As governments continue to use COVID as an excuse to enable their ulterior motives, the financial stability of many will become shakier. That will cause consumer’s habits to change. Shoppers will be less likely to buy luxury foods. As a result of the change in these habits, the supply itself will drastically change. And in addition to all that, producers are going to have difficulty processing and packaging foods. Great American Food Sh... Fisher, J.R. Best Price: $16.25 Buy New $15.95 (as of 04:49 UTC - Details)
The food shortages and are now being openly discussed, even in mainstream circles. For instance, Carolyn Dimitri, associate professor of nutrition and food studies at New York University, says:
“Because agriculture is so labor dependent, if you end up having a huge outbreak during the planting season or the harvest season (and it’s kind of hard to predict when that will happen) it will disrupt the ability of people to work either on the farm or in the processing facilities, and there will continually be problems.” (source)
Items consumers may see less of in the coming months
An article published on Business Insider offers some insight into the possible shortages we may be facing, as well as explanations for why this may be happening. Here are 9 of those items:
Beef – The National Cattleman’s Beef Association has stated that cattle ranchers face over $13 billion in losses that will continue through 2021. The Food and Environment Reporting Network has claimed over 11,496 factory workers in the meatpacking industry, and food plants have contracted COVID.
Those claims are significant not because of the virus itself but because of the shutdowns and strain it puts on the individual factories, consumers, and industry as a whole.
Pork – NPR has reported that a Smithfield pork processing plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, recently shut down after around 300 employees tested positive for COVID. The facility did reopen, but other facilities are at risk of experiencing the same thing. Keep in mind that the factory supplies between 4 and 5% of the US pork supply.
Chicken – Chicken plants are also in danger due to the “close quarters” of the facilities.
Whole Deli Sections – Gomez also pointed out that deli sections, in general, are in danger because they “typically need more employees and preparation in-store.” Wise Company Emergency... Buy New $109.99 (as of 06:17 UTC - Details)
Imported foods – “Many countries that export commodities are worried about food security. In response, some are restricting exports of certain commodities to ensure enough availability in the countries,” said Gomez.
Highly Perishable Foods – As the food supply begins to show signs of weakening, consumers are likely to pass over foods with a short shelf life in favor of more easily stored products. Lockdowns and shutdowns will likely create the same reaction.
“In terms of what we see consumers buying more of, we see things they can store for a long time,” Gomez said. “For example, they prefer to buy apples because they last longer in the refrigerator than broccoli or things that are very perishable.”
Think about what happens when the tide begins to turn, and consumers start buying more storable goods. How long do you think those storable goods are going to last on the shelves? What will the next empty shelf syndrome be?
“Fancy” perishables and berries – The shift from buying fancy foods to basics has already begun. Instead of buying more expensive fruits, consumers are buying basic, cheaper fruits like bananas and oranges.
With consumers being thrifty with their food budgets by not buying expensive products, the supply chain will be further affected. Those less expensive items will eventually become hard to get as well.
Lettuce – There is already a lettuce shortage happening right now. Due to extreme heat, fires, and a virus attacking lettuce plants in California, lettuce is currently in short supply, with major chains like Wendy’s already limiting the vegetable on their sandwiches. Augason Farms Lunch an... Buy New $62.68 (as of 04:28 UTC - Details)
Seasonable fruits and vegetables – According to Dimitri, these items are already experiencing a “change” in supply.
“We are heading into the US domestic production season, and we tend to supply most of the produce until the early winter, so I don’t anticipate seeing a huge effect at the grocery store until we have a change in season,” she said.
Dimitri explained that labor shortage in other countries and the slow down in the supply chain would result in spoiled produce before reaching the United States.
Prepare now.
Food shortage is no longer a conspiracy theory. These experts are advising us to take action now. Keep in mind we may soon be facing another round of lockdowns, which will strain the supply chain even further.
While there’s still some time to prepare, events are unfolding quickly. We’ve watched a similar scenario unfold in Venezuela. Let that be a cautionary tale and purchase while you can. After that, focus on what you can produce or acquire locally – the global supply chain is no longer a reliable source of food.
Reprinted with permission from The Organic Prepper.


lewrockwell--2020-10-26--South Korean Doctors & Politicians Call To Stop Flu Shots After 48 People Die

What Happened : It ’ s that time of year and flu shot programs are rolling out across the globe .
The number of South Koreans who have died after getting the flu shot has now risen to 48 and some South Korean doctors and politicians have called to stop flu shots as a result , according to Reuters .
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency ( KDCA ) has decided not to stop the program , and that flu vaccines would continue to be given and will reduce the chance of having simultaneous epidemics in the era of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have explained that they ’ ve found no direct link between these deaths and the shots .
KDCA Director Jeong Eun-kyung said , “ After reviewing death cases so far , it is not the time to suspend a flu vaccination programme since vaccination is very crucial this year , considering…the COVID-19 outbreaks.
” According to Reuters , “ Some initial autopsy results from the police and the National Forensic Service showed that 13 people died of cardiovascular , cerebrovascular and other disorders not caused by the vaccination.
” Fauci : The Bernie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 5.99 The South Korean government is hopeful to vaccinate approximately 30 million of the country ’ s 54 million people .
Concerns Some People Have With The Flu Shot : One concern many people seem to have is the worry of a severe adverse reaction .
Dr. Alvin Moss , MD and professor at the West Virginia University School of Medicine emphasizes in this video : Moss is one of many who believe that the flu vaccine is not as effective as it ’ s been marketed to be .
For example @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Advances In Health & Medicine titled “ Ascorbate as Prophylaxis and Therapy for COVID-19—Update From Shanghai and U.S. Medical Institutions outlines the following : A VOYAGE IN IMAGINATIO ... Holmes , Dr Joel S Buy New $ 9.95 Dr. Peter Doshi is an associate editor at The BMJ ( British Medical Journal ) published a paper in The BMJ titled “ Influenza : Marketing Vaccines By Marketing Disease.
” In it , he points out that the CDC pledges “ to base all public health decisions on the highest quality of scientific data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and how this isn ’ t the case when it comes to the flu vaccine and its marketing .
He stresses that “ the vaccine may be less beneficial and less safe than has been claimed , and that “ the threat of influenza seems to be overstated.
” These are just a few examples out of many claiming that the flu shot has not really been effective , opposing others that claim it is .
Mercury that ’ s still present in some flu shots also seems to be a concern .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ paid more than $ 4 billion to families of vaccine injured children .
A 2010 HHS pilot study by the Federal Agency for Health Care Research ( AHCR ) found that 1 in every 39 vaccines causes injury , a shocking comparison to the claims from the CDC of 1 in every million .
Professor Heidi Larson , a Professor of Anthropology and the Risk and Decision Scientist Director at the Vaccine Confidence Project stated at a World Health Organization ( WHO ) conference that more doctors are starting to be hesitant when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Corruption : ... Mikovits , Judy Buy New $ 16.51 This is no secret , and actions against mandates are being taken .
The University of California was recently sued for making the flu shot mandatory .
That trial will begin soon , and you can read more about it here , and find information regarding the claim that the flu shot can help in the times of COVID-19 .
The Takeaway : We are living in an age of extreme censorship of information , no matter how credible or how much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against the grain always seems to receive a harsh backlash from mainstream media as well as social media outlets .
Why is there a digital fact checker patrolling the internet ?
Should people not have the right to examine information openly and freely and determine for themselves what is and what isn ’ t ?
As far as vaccines are concerned , despite the fact that there are many safety issues the scientific community is bringing up , a push for vaccine mandates continues and the idea that we are protecting other people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pushed hard .
Vaccine skepticism is growing at a fast pace among people of all professions , and people aren ’ t stupid .
There ’ s a reason why more and more people are starting to question what we ’ ve been told for years , and those reasons should be acknowledged and openly discussed amongst people on both sides of the coin .

What Happened: It’s that time of year and flu shot programs are rolling out across the globe. The number of South Koreans who have died after getting the flu shot has now risen to 48 and some South Korean doctors and politicians have called to stop flu shots as a result, according to Reuters. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) has decided not to stop the program, and that flu vaccines would continue to be given and will reduce the chance of having simultaneous epidemics in the era of COVID-19.
Health authorities in South Korea have explained that they’ve found no direct link between these deaths and the shots. KDCA Director Jeong Eun-kyung said, “After reviewing death cases so far, it is not the time to suspend a flu vaccination programme since vaccination is very crucial this year, considering…the COVID-19 outbreaks.”
According to Reuters, “Some initial autopsy results from the police and the National Forensic Service showed that 13 people died of cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and other disorders not caused by the vaccination.” Fauci: The Bernie Mado... Ortleb, Charles Buy New $5.99 (as of 02:55 UTC - Details)
The South Korean government is hopeful to vaccinate approximately 30 million of the country’s 54 million people.
Concerns Some People Have With The Flu Shot: One concern many people seem to have is the worry of a severe adverse reaction.
Dr. Alvin Moss, MD and professor at the West Virginia University School of Medicine emphasizes in this video:
The flu vaccine happens to be the vaccine that causes the most injury in this country. The vaccine injury compensation program, 40 percent of all vaccinations in this country are flu shots, but 60 percent of all the compensations are for the flu vaccine. So a disproportionate number of vaccine related injuries are the flu shot.
Moss is one of many who believe that the flu vaccine is not as effective as it’s been marketed to be. For example, A study recently published in Global Advances In Health & Medicine titled “Ascorbate as Prophylaxis and Therapy for COVID-19—Update From Shanghai and U.S. Medical Institutions outlines the following:
Recently outlined A recent consensus statement from a group of renowned infectious disease clinicians observed that vaccine programs have proven ill-suited to the fast-changing viruses underlying these illnesses, with efficacy ranging from 19% to 54% in the past few years.
A VOYAGE IN IMAGINATIO... Holmes, Dr Joel S Buy New $9.95 (as of 04:21 UTC - Details) Dr. Peter Doshi is an associate editor at The BMJ (British Medical Journal) published a paper in The BMJ titled “Influenza: Marketing Vaccines By Marketing Disease.” In it, he points out that the CDC pledges “to base all public health decisions on the highest quality of scientific data, openly and objectively derived,” and how this isn’t the case when it comes to the flu vaccine and its marketing. He stresses that “the vaccine may be less beneficial and less safe than has been claimed, and that “the threat of influenza seems to be overstated.”
These are just a few examples out of many claiming that the flu shot has not really been effective, opposing others that claim it is. Mercury that’s still present in some flu shots also seems to be a concern.
The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act has paid more than $4 billion to families of vaccine injured children. A 2010 HHS pilot study by the Federal Agency for Health Care Research (AHCR) found that 1 in every 39 vaccines causes injury, a shocking comparison to the claims from the CDC of 1 in every million.
Professor Heidi Larson, a Professor of Anthropology and the Risk and Decision Scientist Director at the Vaccine Confidence Project stated at a World Health Organization (WHO) conference that more doctors are starting to be hesitant when it comes to recommending vaccines.
The other thing that’s a trend, and an issue, is not just confidence in providers but confidence of health care providers, we have a very wobbly health professional frontline that is starting to question vaccines and the safety of vaccines. That’s a huge problem, because to this day any study I’ve seen… still, the most trusted person on any study I’ve seen globally is the health care provider…
Plague of Corruption: ... Mikovits, Judy Buy New $16.51 (as of 02:59 UTC - Details) This is no secret, and actions against mandates are being taken. The University of California was recently sued for making the flu shot mandatory. That trial will begin soon, and you can read more about it here, and find information regarding the claim that the flu shot can help in the times of COVID-19.
The Takeaway: We are living in an age of extreme censorship of information, no matter how credible or how much evidence is provided, information that goes against the grain always seems to receive a harsh backlash from mainstream media as well as social media outlets. Why is there a digital fact checker patrolling the internet? Should people not have the right to examine information openly and freely and determine for themselves what is and what isn’t?
As far as vaccines are concerned, despite the fact that there are many safety issues the scientific community is bringing up, a push for vaccine mandates continues and the idea that we are protecting other people is usually the narrative that’s pushed hard. Vaccine skepticism is growing at a fast pace among people of all professions, and people aren’t stupid. There’s a reason why more and more people are starting to question what we’ve been told for years, and those reasons should be acknowledged and openly discussed amongst people on both sides of the coin.
Reprinted with permission from Collective Evolution.


lewrockwell--2020-10-26--Nails Used To Crucify Jesus_Have Fragments of Ancient Bone and Wood Embedded in Them, Study Reveals

NAILS controversially linked to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ have fragments of ancient bone and wood embedded in them , a bombshell new study has revealed .
The nails were allegedly found in Jerusalem , in a first-century burial cave believed to be the resting place of Caiaphas – the Jewish priest who sent Jesus to his death in the Bible .
At some point after the cave was excavated in 1990 , however , the nails went missing .
Years later , filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici claimed to have found the nails , even saying that they were used to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Nails Of The Cross .
At the time , scholars slammed the suggestion , denying that the nails Jacobovici had found were the same ones from Caiaphas ’ tomb .
From Joshua to Caiapha ... James VanderKam Buy New $ 5.99 But now an explosive new study has concluded that the nails are indeed the same ones – and that they were probably used to crucify someone too .
Lead author Dr Aryeh Shimron made the jaw-dropping find after comparing material from the nails with material from the tomb ’ s ossuaries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bones of the dead .
He said : “ The materials invading caves differ subtly from cave to cave depending on topography , soil composition in the area , the microclimate and neighbouring vegetation .
“ The physical and chemical properties of the materials which , over centuries , have invaded the tomb and its ossuaries were investigated .
“ Our analysis clearly and unequivocally demonstrates that these materials are chemically and physically identical to those which have , over centuries , also become attached to the nails.
” Caiaphas ’ cave was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 25 tombs tested , Dr Shimron found .
He continued : “ We have also discovered fine slivers of wood accreted within the iron oxide rust of the nails .
“ It is well preserved and entirely petrified… the wood is therefore ancient and not a chance or man-made fake attachment to the nails .
“ Within the rust and sediment attached to the nails , we also identified and photographed a number of microscopic fragments of bone.
” For Dr Shimron , a retired geologist who worked with Israel ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evidence .
“ I believe that the scientific evidence that the nails were used to crucify somebody is indeed powerful , ” he said .
The CAIAPHAS CODE : An ... Teixeira , Urcelia Buy New $ 14.99 It ’ s also important to note that nails used in crucifixion were once considered to have powerful healing properties , and were therefore kept as amulets .
As such , the nails may have been kept by a remorseful Caiaphas , Jacobovici argues .
He further argues that the relics would have been sufficient @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crossbeam – and that they may have been bent at the end to prevent a condemned man freeing himself .
Yet Dr Shimron stops short of linking the nails to Christ himself .
“ The evidence that the nails were used in a crucifixion is indeed powerful , ” he said .
“ But the only evidence we have that they were used to crucify the Jesus of the Gospels is that they were found in the tomb of Caiaphas .
“ Does our evidence suffice ?
I really can not say , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rather than speculation .
“ Perhaps a reader of the full manuscript should rely on his or her own judgment .
”

NAILS controversially linked to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ have fragments of ancient bone and wood embedded in them, a bombshell new study has revealed.
The nails were allegedly found in Jerusalem, in a first-century burial cave believed to be the resting place of Caiaphas – the Jewish priest who sent Jesus to his death in the Bible.
At some point after the cave was excavated in 1990, however, the nails went missing.
Years later, filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici claimed to have found the nails, even saying that they were used to crucify Jesus himself in the 2011 documentary, Nails Of The Cross.
At the time, scholars slammed the suggestion, denying that the nails Jacobovici had found were the same ones from Caiaphas’ tomb. From Joshua to Caiapha... James VanderKam Buy New $5.99 (as of 06:18 UTC - Details)
But now an explosive new study has concluded that the nails are indeed the same ones – and that they were probably used to crucify someone too.
Lead author Dr Aryeh Shimron made the jaw-dropping find after comparing material from the nails with material from the tomb’s ossuaries – limestone boxes used to store the bones of the dead.
He said: “The materials invading caves differ subtly from cave to cave depending on topography, soil composition in the area, the microclimate and neighbouring vegetation.
“Consequently caves have distinct physical and chemical signatures.
CRUCIFIXION ‘PROOF’
“The physical and chemical properties of the materials which, over centuries, have invaded the tomb and its ossuaries were investigated.
“Our analysis clearly and unequivocally demonstrates that these materials are chemically and physically identical to those which have, over centuries, also become attached to the nails.”
Caiaphas’ cave was the only match for the nails out of 25 tombs tested, Dr Shimron found.
He continued: “We have also discovered fine slivers of wood accreted within the iron oxide rust of the nails.
“It is well preserved and entirely petrified… the wood is therefore ancient and not a chance or man-made fake attachment to the nails.
“Within the rust and sediment attached to the nails, we also identified and photographed a number of microscopic fragments of bone.”
For Dr Shimron, a retired geologist who worked with Israel’s Geological Survey, it’s compelling evidence.
“I believe that the scientific evidence that the nails were used to crucify somebody is indeed powerful,” he said. The CAIAPHAS CODE: An ... Teixeira, Urcelia Buy New $14.99 (as of 06:18 UTC - Details)
It’s also important to note that nails used in crucifixion were once considered to have powerful healing properties, and were therefore kept as amulets.
As such, the nails may have been kept by a remorseful Caiaphas, Jacobovici argues.
He further argues that the relics would have been sufficient to fix a human hand to a crossbeam – and that they may have been bent at the end to prevent a condemned man freeing himself.
Yet Dr Shimron stops short of linking the nails to Christ himself.
“The evidence that the nails were used in a crucifixion is indeed powerful,” he said.
“But the only evidence we have that they were used to crucify the Jesus of the Gospels is that they were found in the tomb of Caiaphas.
“Does our evidence suffice? I really cannot say, I choose to rely on good science rather than speculation.
“Perhaps a reader of the full manuscript should rely on his or her own judgment.”
Read the Whole Article


lewrockwell--2020-10-27--‘Iraq War Diaries’ at Ten Years: Truth Is Treason

The purpose of journalism is to uncover truth – especially uncomfortable truth – and to publish it for the benefit of society .
In a free society , we must be informed of the criminal acts carried out by governments in the name of the people .
Throughout history , journalists have uncovered the many ways governments lie , cheat , and steal – and the great lengths they will go to keep the people from finding out .
Great journalists like Seymour Hersh , who reported to us the tragedy of the Mai Lai Massacre and the horrors that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Iraq , are essential .
Ten years ago last week , Julian Assange ’ s Wikileaks organization published an exposé of US government wrongdoing on par with the above Hersh bombshell stories .
Publication of the “ Iraq War Diaries ” showed us all the brutality of the US attack on Iraq .
It told us the truth about the US invasion and occupation of that country .
This was no war of defense against a nation threatening us with weapons of mass destruction .
This was no liberation of the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” to Iraq .
Cypherpunks : Freedom a ... Julian Assange Best Price : $ 3.45 Buy New $ 8.99 No , the release of nearly 400,000 classified US Army field reports showed us in dirty detail that the US attack was a war of aggression , based on lies , where hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed and injured .
We learned that the US military classified anyone they killed in Iraq as “ enemy combatants.
” We learned that more than 700 Iraqi civilians were killed for “ driving too @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of US military checkpoints – including pregnant mothers-to-be rushing to the hospital .
We learned that US military personnel routinely handed “ detainees ” over to Iraqi security forces where they would be tortured and often killed .
Ten years after Assange ’ s brave act of journalism changed the world and exposed one of the crimes of the century , he sits alone in solitary confinement in a UK prison .
He sits literally fighting for his life , as if he is successfully extradited to the United States he faces 175 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for committing “ espionage ” against a country of which he is not a citizen .
In Defense of Julian A ... Margaret Kunstler ( edi ... Best Price : $ 19.98 Buy New $ 23.00 On the Iraq war we have punished the truth-tellers and rewarded the criminals .
People who knowingly lied us into the war like Dick Cheney , George W. Bush , the Beltway neocon “ experts , ” and most of the media , faced neither punishment nor professional shaming for their acts .
In fact , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prospered .
Julian Assange explained that he published the Iraq War Diaries because he “ hoped to correct some of the attack on truth that occurred before the war , and that continued on since that war officially ended.
” We used to praise brave journalists not afraid to take on the “ bad guys.
” Now we torture and imprison them .
President Trump has made a point of singling out the US attack on Iraq as one of the “ stupid wars ” that he was committed to ending .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just how stupid – and evil – it was were it not for the brave actions of Julian Assange and whistleblower Chelsea Manning .
Journalism should not be a crime and President Trump should pardon Assange immediately .
The Best of Ron Paul

The purpose of journalism is to uncover truth – especially uncomfortable truth – and to publish it for the benefit of society. In a free society, we must be informed of the criminal acts carried out by governments in the name of the people. Throughout history, journalists have uncovered the many ways governments lie, cheat, and steal – and the great lengths they will go to keep the people from finding out.
Great journalists like Seymour Hersh, who reported to us the tragedy of the Mai Lai Massacre and the horrors that took place at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, are essential.
Ten years ago last week, Julian Assange’s Wikileaks organization published an exposé of US government wrongdoing on par with the above Hersh bombshell stories. Publication of the “Iraq War Diaries” showed us all the brutality of the US attack on Iraq. It told us the truth about the US invasion and occupation of that country. This was no war of defense against a nation threatening us with weapons of mass destruction. This was no liberation of the country. We were not “bringing democracy” to Iraq. Cypherpunks: Freedom a... Julian Assange Best Price: $3.45 Buy New $8.99 (as of 08:30 UTC - Details)
No, the release of nearly 400,000 classified US Army field reports showed us in dirty detail that the US attack was a war of aggression, based on lies, where hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed and injured.
We learned that the US military classified anyone they killed in Iraq as “enemy combatants.” We learned that more than 700 Iraqi civilians were killed for “driving too close” to one of the hundreds of US military checkpoints – including pregnant mothers-to-be rushing to the hospital.
We learned that US military personnel routinely handed “detainees” over to Iraqi security forces where they would be tortured and often killed.
Ten years after Assange’s brave act of journalism changed the world and exposed one of the crimes of the century, he sits alone in solitary confinement in a UK prison. He sits literally fighting for his life, as if he is successfully extradited to the United States he faces 175 years in a “supermax” prison for committing “espionage” against a country of which he is not a citizen. In Defense of Julian A... Margaret Kunstler (edi... Best Price: $19.98 Buy New $23.00 (as of 06:07 UTC - Details)
On the Iraq war we have punished the truth-tellers and rewarded the criminals. People who knowingly lied us into the war like Dick Cheney, George W. Bush, the Beltway neocon “experts,” and most of the media, faced neither punishment nor professional shaming for their acts. In fact, they got off scot free and many even prospered.
Julian Assange explained that he published the Iraq War Diaries because he “hoped to correct some of the attack on truth that occurred before the war, and that continued on since that war officially ended.” We used to praise brave journalists not afraid to take on the “bad guys.” Now we torture and imprison them.
President Trump has made a point of singling out the US attack on Iraq as one of the “stupid wars” that he was committed to ending. But we wouldn’t know half of just how stupid – and evil – it was were it not for the brave actions of Julian Assange and whistleblower Chelsea Manning. Journalism should not be a crime and President Trump should pardon Assange immediately.
The Best of Ron Paul, MD