U.S. Blames Northern Lights on Russia, Imposes Sanctions

 

The U.S. State Department has accused Russia of hacking into the ionosphere and generating excessive and annoying levels of Northern Lights.  The ongoing display of light saber rattling, apparently a misguided attempt to "show off" the technological prowess of their teams of warmongering physicists, extends its "tentacles of terror" deep into the sovereign territory of the U.S. and its European allies.  This has resulted in widespread panic in U.S. cities like Buffalo, NY and Detroit, MI, where public displays of drunkenness and rowdiness have skyrocketed.

While no evidence of Russian responsibility has been offered, White House spokesperson, Josh Earnest, recently stated:  "The motive is obvious.  The constant flashing and gyrating shapes in the sky are intended to cause sleep deprivation.  When people don't get enough sleep, their guard is down.  The Russians are trying to undermine our national security with this cheap stunt.  It's an unprecedented act of aggression and, trust me, will not go unanswered.  We are coordinating our response with the Department of Defense, NSA, CIA, and Hayden Planetarium in New York."

 

One reporter asked about the rumors that world-renowned astrophysicist, Dr. Neal deGraas Tyson, had been summoned to the White House to seek his expert advice on exactly what appropriate counter-measures and retaliation might be available.

"Well . . . Mr. Tyson appears to be a Putin-apologist and commie sympathizer.  When we approached him about this, after he stopped rudely laughing in our faces, the guy just shrugged his shoulders and walked away shaking his head.  What an arrogant man.  We are keeping our eye on him."

U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, has just presented American demands to the United Nations Security Council that a comprehensive regime of economic sanctions be imposed on Russia for tampering with the electromagnetic field of the Earth.

"We need to show these Russians once and for all we mean business.  Today it's Northern Lights.  Tomorrow they'll be injecting vodka into the aquifers serving the citizens of the free world, or blasting balalaika music at us 24/7 from outer space.  This is an outrage and an act of war.  As humanitarians concerned with the welfare of people everywhere on this planet, it is our duty to support the Russian citizenry as they attempt to free themselves from the barbaric oppression and inhumane cruelty of government tyranny, by cutting off all food, water, medicine, electricity, and internet access.  Let these sanctions do their job.  Pass this resolution immediately!"

In a separate interview, another reporter asked Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, what will America do if the sanctions don't work.

"We have a Plan B.  If sanctions don't break the chains of totalitarian control which Putin is attempting to impose on the world, perhaps a few thousand cruise missiles will."

So . . .

Rest assured, folks, our enlightened leadership has the situation under control.  America will in the end triumph. 

But just to be safe . . .

While there is no medical evidence that Northern Lights per se can cause physiological damage, the FDA has just recommended that until this siege is brought under control, everyone should stay indoors and keep their blinds and curtains drawn. 

Should you have to go out at night, apply SPF-50 sun block to exposed areas and wear sunglasses.  DO NOT STARE AT THE LIGHTS!  It is unlikely but still possible that they contain subliminal "brainwashing" messages.  If you are bothered by the unusual urge to read Das Kapital by Karl Marx, or seized by the impulse to stand on a table and break out singing The Internationale, immediately see a doctor.  This is covered under Obamacare.




[ This originated at the author's personal website . . . http://jdrachel.com ]



U.S. Blames Northern Lights on Russia, Imposes Sanctions

Oratory as a Weapon of Mass Deception

 

I used to say President Obama is a great orator.

In retrospect, particularly in view of his speeches over the past two years, I would have to modify my appraisal: Mr. Obama is a mind-numbingly effective orator -- with major emphasis on 'mind-numbing' -- whose powers of persuasion are both awe-inspiring and reality-altering.

But great? I think not.

You see, great orators don't insult their audiences by lying and using their enormous gifts to wreak havoc on the world, demean other world leaders, and generally inflict listeners with self-serving propaganda.

Great orators ennoble, enlighten, inspire!

There is so much deception, obfuscation, manipulative innuendo, faulty logic, sheer raw hypocrisy in his recent U.N. speech, I could write volumes. But it's not worth your time or mine, since so many of the lies upon which he built this petty and self-aggrandizing show have been repeated with such relentless regularity, they are part of the accepted collective wisdom of both the American public and the government propaganda apparatus, aka the main stream media.

I'll just throw out a few comments.

"But we cannot stand by when the sovereignty and territorial integrity of a nation is flagrantly violated. If that happens without consequence in Ukraine, it could happen to any nation gathered here today."

Like Yemen being bombed by the U.S.-supported tyrannical government of Saudi Arabia? Like Iraq? Or Libya? Or Afghanistan? Or any of the 30+ countries the U.S. has attacked or effected regime change by proxy?

Here's a real gem.

"It is not a conspiracy of U.S.-backed NGOs that expose corruption and raise the expectations of people around the globe; it’s technology, social media, and the irreducible desire of people everywhere to make their own choices about how they are governed."

Oh really? One of America's favorite 'NGOs' is the National Endowment for Democracy. First of all even calling it an NGO is a laugh. Everyone knows -- at least in the crowd I run with -- that the NED was created by the CIA and is funded by Congress. For some reason, whenever it shows up on the scene, countries become immersed in chaos and insurrection, with regime change soon to follow. The most recent victim of its handiwork is Ukraine, where it fomented the overthrow of the legitimate democratically-elected government, then installed a chocolate puppet doll to do the bidding of the U.S.

Here the President deftly conflated bragging and threats, as in, "See how we've messed up things for you, Russia? If you don't tow the line, you ain't seen nothing yet, baby!"

"Sanctions have led to capital flight, a contracting economy, a fallen ruble, and the emigration of more educated Russians."

Then, just when I though it was safe to stop gagging and listen further, I picked up on this.

"When a dictator slaughters tens of thousands of his own people, that is not just a matter of one nation’s internal affairs — it breeds human suffering on an order of magnitude that affects us all."

Which is why we supplied chemical weapons to Iraq dictator Saddam Hussein in order to get the job done right back when he was one of our buddies? Which is why we overthrew the democratically-elected leader of Chile and replaced him with a brutal autocrat who then proceeded to kill tens of thousands of his people? Of course, I could go on with many more examples. But it's tedious and pointless, as hypocrisy is apparently now considered one of the great virtues in the Empire of Chaos.

"Assad reacted to peaceful protests by escalating repression and killing that, in turn, created the environment for the current strife."

Really? Is that the whole story? Or just the one the U.S. creates for its fairy tale version of every uprising it seeds and supports to overthrow governments it doesn't like?

Oh yes . . . about those crazy Muslims running around beheading people, driving tens of thousands to flee their native lands and seek refuge in Europe:

"We know that ISIL — which emerged out of the chaos of Iraq and Syria — depends on perpetual war to survive."

Like the U.S. military-industrial complex? Or the U.S. itself which can't stop bombing countries into complying with its dictates?



Credit where credit is due, however:  Our president did stumble into the truth a few times. Thus, here is absolutely my favorite quote from his speech . . .

"On this basis, we see some major powers assert themselves in ways that contravene international law. We see an erosion of the democratic principles and human rights that are fundamental to this institution’s mission; information is strictly controlled, the space for civil society restricted. We’re told that such retrenchment is required to beat back disorder; that it’s the only way to stamp out terrorism, or prevent foreign meddling."

. . . because it perfectly describes the United States of America, in particular the policies aggressively promoted by Mr. Obama himself.

---

Watch President Obama's entire speech and judge for yourself whether this man is ever capable of doing anything but creating a smokescreen for America's malfeasance in the world, its monomaniacal fixation with its power, its self-proclaimed right to lecture and dictate to others how the world should be run.

[ This originated at the author's personal web site . . . http://jdrachel.com ]

Plausible Deniability

 

We should be hopeful . . . but cautious.

The latest diplomatic initiative by the U.S. in what appears to be the beginning of a welcome and very necessary rapprochement with Russia, requires withholding quick judgment and maintaining a judicious eye.

We've seen this before. Granted, it would be wonderful if America has come to its senses and has decided that the risks of bullying Russia far outweigh any imagined  benefits. But taking even a cursory a look at recent history, "wonderful" is a rare, if non-existent, exception whenever the U.S. does anything on the diplomatic front.

I will be offering a possible scenario which with my every fiber I hope is not what unfolds.

Secretary of State Kerry, accompanied no less by the mistress dominatrix of neocon terror herself, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland __ a demon diplomat who helped engineer the most obvious coup in history in the Ukraine __ talked to Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Tuesday, May 12.

Apparently, Kerry passed along the sentiment that the U.S. wants to work in concert with Russia on the Ukraine crisis, and moreover supports the Minsk II agreement, viewing it as the most promising and constructive path toward resolving the dispute.

The meeting lasted four hours. Both sides claimed the talks were frank, though they didn't produce any major breakthroughs.

A few reporters noted that Nuland seemed to be pouting when she exited the meeting. Hardly a surprise there, since she is a shallow and vulgar shrew who only smiles when sparklers and balloons herald the triumphs of her destructive anti-Russian tomfoolery. 

In the press conference which followed the long discussions, Kerry then warned President Poroshenko he should "think twice" before shelling the Donetsk airport, something by the way he has already started doing.

While this apparent turnaround in the confrontation the U.S. has been mounting for over a year now __ vilifying Russia, imposing sanctions, demonizing Putin, increasing military presence and staging war games all over Europe, sometimes right next to Russia's borders __ appears to be a positive development, I fear this latest white hat routine is yet another diplomatic feint.

America is again the nice guy. Taking the initiative to make things right with the Russians. Talking up peace.  Encouraging Poroshenko to cool it with the aggression.

Of course, implied in Kerry's statement warning Poroshenko is that the U.S. has no control over him. That he's his own man. Which is blatant nonsense. If you just look close enough, you can see the puppet strings manipulating Poroshenko's every ham-fisted attempt to look like a credible figure.

So let's say Poroshenko not only continues to bomb the Donetsk airport, but mounts a full scale assault on the East. He has stated with embarrassing candor very recently, even after meeting with Merkel, Hollande, and Putin, and agreeing to the terms of Minsk II, that he will not rest until he has achieved total control over Novorussia, AND reclaimed Crimea. That his real focus is war with Russia itself, though this was couched in unaccounted for paranoia that Russia would be attacking Ukraine this summer.

Thus, continuation and expansion of this conflict is inevitable.

Russia has also made it clear that it wants the cease fire to hold, that it wants a peaceful resolution of the conflict in accordance with the Minsk II agreement, BUT it will not allow the wholesale slaughter of Russians in the Eastern territories.

Here is what I fear . . .

Now that they've benefited from six months of training by the U.S. "advisers", armed with new "defensive" weapons supplied by various parties at the behest of America and NATO, Poroshenko will attack the East. Russia will respond and send the Ukraine army running. Russia may even feel its necessary to post garrisons in the Eastern territories to protect the local population and prevent another assault.

The U.S. will then make propaganda hay out of all of this.

"We went to Russia. We tried to be friends. We don't approve of Poroshenko's rash moves but we can't control the guy.  What he did wasn't very nice.  But look at Russia!  They are trying to rebuild the Soviet Union by invading other countries!"

America will then redouble its efforts to isolate Russia with new sanctions, more military presence on Russia's borders, more character assassination of Vladimir Putin. The U.S. will pull NATO and the rest of the world on board. Cold War 2.0 will exponentially accelerate and again we'll be facing the prospects of World War III.

It's simpleminded and stupid beyond belief but with the ironclad control the U.S. has on Western media, such nonsensical smears and blatant propaganda has worked in the past and will probably work again.

What is this all about?

The long game is pinning down Russia, keeping it in check, never allowing it the room to achieve its full economic and military potential. Hem it in, poke at it and always keep it off balance, constantly keep it scrambling __ something the U.S. does very effectively with its own citizenry __ make it angry, try to goad it into making a rash move, use any excuse to humiliate it in the eyes of the world.

It's a key ingredient of the demented neocon strategy of total dominance, which dreams of a world begging for mercy and crumbs from the Great American Empire.

Isolate Russia . . . contain it . . . ultimately dominate it.

If this new developing scenario plays out as I described it, it means that Kerry's mission to Moscow was just more geopolitical gaming, that America's claim to want cooperation and constructive engagement just more world-destabilizing hypocrisy, that maybe Victoria Nuland has some real acting talent, and more profoundly . . .

NO ONE SHOULD EVER BELIEVE ANYTHING WASHINGTON SAYS OR DOES!

What's new?


[ This originated at the author's personal web site . . . http://jdrachel.com ]

Plausible Deniability

Negotiating With A Rapist

 

I get this all of the time . . .

"You're too extreme. Too inflexible. Democracy is about compromise. It's about give and take."

Well, I hate to break it to these weak, waffling ambassadors of abdication: Wake up! There are things which are not up for negotiation. Things which we are so valued, compromise is not possible. Values we don't devalue and mark down at a discount.


An armed thug breaks into your house. He ties you up and has your wife and
13-year old daughter at gunpoint. The thug intends to rape them. You get
to watch.

So . . .

You say to him:  "Listen, I'm opposed to your plans but let's try to work something out. 
How about ..."

You talk it over and come to an agreement on some acceptable amount of rape.

Sound ridiculous? That's because it is.

What's my point?

My point is that there are some things about which we don't negotiate. There are
some situations that are too abusive to the human spirit, too sick to contemplate,
simply too offensive and just plain wrong, such that compromises __ any
adjustments of degree or intensity __ are not and should never be on
the table. There are policies, value systems, beliefs, individual acts,
priorities, tactics, strategies, world views, which are so insidious,
trying to find some 'middle ground' is not even a possibility.
What exactly is an acceptable level of child molesting? Or slavery? How
much torture is just about right? Or to bring up a current horrifying
example, how much beheading nails the sweet-spot happy-medium for public beheading?

You get the idea.

Yet a lot of heinous acts, criminality, even outright sociopathic and psychopathic
behavior, gets a pass these days, if not the implied imprimatur of our
allegedly ineluctable, shared complicity. It's a pandemic of
wink-and-a-nod fatalism, succumbing to being "practical", surrendering
to the "realities" of our difficult times, or conceding the
inevitabilities of human nature and the practical limits of politics and
social organization.

Talk about a cop-out!

Talk about intellectual laziness!

Talk about moral failure on a national scale!

Talk about failing our society, ourselves and our children!

Who decided that the best possible education for our children was no longer available?

Who decided that the best health care for American citizens was a privilege for the few, rather than a universal right __ as in the constitutional mandate to "promote the general welfare"?

Who decided that healthy drinkable water was not a basic human need, that we'd have to pay for such a "luxury"?

How did America become a nation which imprisons .5% of its population __ the highest incarceration rate in the world __ mostly the poor and people of color?

When did it become acceptable for the wealthy to be above the law and beyond being prosecuted for their crimes?

How did we become a nation which violates the Geneva Conventions, which tortures?

When did America become nation which starves hundreds of thousands of innocent children to make some incomprehensible political point?

When did it become okay for America to be run entirely by corporate oligarchs and ultra-wealthy profiteers?

When did America, allegedly a nation of the people, by the people, and for the people, decide its people should be kept in the dark about what its government is doing?

How did we become a nation which promotes chaos and fear across the globe?

How did we go from democracy to plutocracy in just a few short decades?

When did we as the citizens of the richest country in the world become unwilling to draw a non-negotiable line in the sand on these and other critical issues?

When did we decide that fighting for a decent life for ourselves and future generations was impractical or too much trouble?

The quick answer is that we made little compromises along the way __ bent a bit
here, maybe a bit more there, made some "necessary adjustments", showed
flexibility, and all too often caved in outright when we knew damn well
we shouldn't.

The point is we shouldn't have compromised at all.

Some things should not have been and still are not negotiable.

We need to learn from this pathetic record of equivocation and glib surrender . . .

Enough is enough!

We can't redo the past.

But we can redo our country for the future.

No more than you negotiate with a rapist, you don't negotiate and compromise with those who have proven to be deceptive, self-serving, sometimes malevolent fools who serve the selfish greed of the 1% at the expense of the vast majority of American people.

Most of us know what's right and what needs to be done.

We need to stand our ground.

No apologies.

No excuses.

No fear.


 [ This originated at the author's personal web site . . . http://jdrachel.com ]