Operation Stormy Daniels: bombing storage of chemical weapon which magically did not release their content in the air as a fight
against chemical weapons
This is worse then a crime this is a blunder ~ Taleyrand
Was the goal of the attack to initiate Russia turkey split? If so the attack was very nasty, has typical for British imperial
provocations sophistication, and was pretty successful. But long time consequences probably will be negative for both
the USA and Great Britain.
The fomal pretext for the attack was a crude fabrication: degrading checkincal weapons production facilities. That pure idiotism.
You can bomb chemical facilities, especially if the contain poison gases. That's extremely dangerous. A war crime. And that's what
the USA, UK and France did. And brag about.
Trump twits characterize him as nasty, out of control bully. Who does not understand and/or does not want to understand the
consequences of his actions. Set of blatant lies (or let call then weak hypotheses ;-) which he repeated before any
investigation of the incident iether suggest his senility or compete misinformation of POTUS by the members of
his cabinet (which also suggest senility). You can be sure CIA knows the details of the attack (and probably who organized it) and
that information went into his daily briefing. Here is a quote from CNN
( CNNPolitics):
Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump called
out Russian President Vladimir Putin by name on Sunday for backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and warned of a "big price"
after reports of a chemical weapons attack in Syria almost a year to the day since the US
struck a
Syrian air field after a previous attack.
"Many dead, including women and children, in mindless CHEMICAL attack in Syria," Trump tweeted. "Area of atrocity is in lockdown
and encircled by Syrian Army, making it completely inaccessible to outside world. President Putin, Russia and Iran are
responsible for backing Animal Assad. Big price..."
He continued, "....to pay. Open area immediately for medical help and verification. Another humanitarian disaster for no
reason whatsoever. SICK!"
Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump
Many dead, including women and children, in mindless CHEMICAL
attack in Syria. Area of atrocity is in lockdown and encircled by
Syrian Army, making it completely inaccessible to outside world.
President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal
Assad. Big price...
9:00 AM-Apr 8, 2018
Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump
....to pay. Open area immediately for medical help and verification.
Another humanitarian disaster for no reason whatsoever. SICK!
9:04 AM-Apr 8, 2018
Trump's tweet about Putin apparently marks the first time the
President has publicly attacked the Russian leader by name. Trump also pinned blame for the situation on former US President
Barack Obama's Syria policies.
"If President Obama had crossed his stated Red Line In The Sand, the Syrian disaster would have ended long ago! Animal Assad
would have been history!" Trump tweeted.
... ... ...
The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Sunday calling the reported chemical attack a "hoax" and an "information
attack" aimed at shielding "terrorists."
"Information attacks about the use of chlorine or other poisonous substances by the Syrian government troops are continuing.
Another such hoax about the chemical attack that supposedly took place in Douma emerged yesterday," the statement said.
"We have warned of such dangerous provocations many times before. The purpose of these false conjectures, which are without any
basis, is to shield the terrorists and the irreconcilable radical opposition, which reject a political settlement while trying to
justify possible military strikes from outside," it added.
"It is necessary to warn once again that using far-fetched and fabricated pretexts for a military intervention in Syria, where
Russian servicemen are deployed at the request of the legitimate government, is absolutely unacceptable and can lead to the most
serious consequences," the statement continued.
Perhaps the British false flag poisoning of Skripals has had a dampening effect on world reaction to
this reckless missile attack and MSM reaction was somewhat subdued. That is clearly visible in
ABC
and BBC coverage, but not
Fox
coverage. Much less "war porno" was aired then usual, much less bravado and display of orgasm from missile attack of brown people by
usual MSM taking heads was on the display.
The rational for this "operation" does not exit, that's why nickname "Stormy Daniels" is appropriate. This is
just war pornography, diplay of force for pure gola of solving some internal problems. Which is true for all three members of
coalition, as Trump is under attack, May is despised for her Skripal affiar handings, and Macton is viewed as neoconservative by
most Frenchman. For Trump this very similar to his sex with a prostitute. Only in this case he is the prostitute. And for money given by MIC.
As Pat Buchanan once said (The American Conservativee, march 23, 2003)
Goldberg endorsed “the Ledeen Doctrine” of ex-Pentagon official Michael Ledeen, which Goldberg described thus: “Every ten
years or so, the United States needs to pick up some small crappy little country and throw it against the wall, just to show we
mean business.” (When the French ambassador in London, at a dinner party, asked why we should risk World War III over some
“shitty little country” — meaning Israel — Goldberg’s magazine was not amused.)
For US neocons bombing a defenseless county is the most favorite type of masturbation, if you wish. Trump
looks not only dangerously reckless, behaving as if the world stage is just a videogame, he looks outright "under the influence". He stepped on the same
"let's bomb Syria" rake put by neocons twice. This is possible, only
if he himself is a neocon.
There really is not even a conspiracy theorist out there who would suggest it was a Syrian
government operation any way. Only batshit crazy raving lunatics have suggested it was the
Syrian government. This is clearly the stupidest thing Trump has done. It makes the USA look
like a bunch of circus freak losers. Very sad and shockingly insane. This is the stupidest
piece of propaganda in modern history. The USA looks very, very bad. It looks like, from any
reasonable perspective, that they are actively aiding terrorists on purpose. Wow. Interesting
cosmetics. Interesting optics.
Its almost as if the USA government hates itself and actually wants a nuclear war where
everyone dies. I think the only thing that should be considered is whether the nutty freaks
in charge are actually humans. Humans are a great disappointment, so likely, yes, human
beings really can be that mentally deficient. Trump really is such a level of mental retard
that he hates himself and wants to be nuked, so he bombs Syria knowing full well they have
nothing to do with it. He hates his career now and wants out.
This was a very convenient timing to take the focus away for the IDF shooting Palestinian kids and journalist,
or the botched Skripal false flag operation. The new memo is Assad, gas, Iran, Russia, Putin.
Oh, the US .gov knows it. It is about narrative, and whether people are
willing to argue against it. Most get their news from TV or mainstream,
and don't really question it. They repeat it. Those that go against the
narrative are sanctioned.
It's propaganda 101 stuff. It's not even
supposed to be believable. Making you lie is all part of it...
ted41776 • Mon, 04/16/2018 - 12:38 Permalink
i got one even better. if the US knew that these facilities contained
chemical weapons and decided to release them by exploding them, wouldn't
that mean that the US is actively conducting chemical weapons attacks?
if the US is actively conducting chemical weapons attacks, shouldn't the
international community respond immediately by attacking random targets
within the US to prevent future chemical weapons attacks? just sayin, if
that's the logic we're using...
In a press conference, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and
Marine General Joseph Dunford on April 13 2018 claimed that this
center is used for the research, development, production and testing
of chemical and biological weaponry.
[5]Three weeks earlier, the
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons had
concluded that there were no chemical or biological weapons being
developed, tested, or produced at the site.[6]
They know the population has been dumbed down, distracted by bread
and circuses and/or brainwashed with a lifetime of pro war propaganda
that they don’t have to worry about things like the truth, or the public
holding them responsible for any lies.
Based on previous cases, the most plausible hypotheses is that Dauma was a false flag stanged by White helmets and paid by GB
and/or the USA. France participation was also possible.
But bombing supposed "chemical sites" presents another false flag -- it those sites contain chemical weapons then this those substances will
released in the air killing
everybody around. In no way you can attack sites sites with tomahawks. This is a war crime.
According to US President Donald Trump, "the purpose of our actions tonight is to
establish a strong deterrent against the production, spread and use of chemical
weapons".
The US and its allies launched more than 100 strikes on Syria in a "one-time shot",
officials at the Pentagon said. According to a Syrian government official, around 30 missiles
were fired in the attack, and a third of them were shot down.
The US used Tomahawk cruise missiles in its strikes in Syria, which were fired at
multiple targets in the country, a US official said.
Joseph Dunford, Washington's top general, said the "precision strikes" hit three targets:
A scientific research centre near Damascus that is allegedly connected to the production of
the chemical weapons; a chemical weapons storage facility near Homs; a command post near the
capital.
Russia's ambassador to the US warned that there would be consequences for the strikes,
adding that it was not acceptable to insult Russia's president.
Iran: Strikes are 'flagrant violation of international law'
Iran's foreign ministry has said the strikes against Syria by the US, UK and France are a
"flagrant violation of international law" that "ignores sovereignty of Syria", Hezbollah's
al-Manar TV said.
UN chief urges restraint after strikes on Syria
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on UN member states "to show restraint in
these dangerous circumstances and to avoid any acts that could escalate the situation and
worsen the suffering of the Syrian people".
"Any use of chemical weapons is abhorrent. The suffering it causes is horrendous. I have
repeatedly expressed my deep disappointment that the Security Council failed to agree on a
dedicated mechanism for effective accountability for the use of chemical weapons in Syria. I
urge the Security Council to assume its responsibilities and fill this gap," he added.
Iran warns of 'regional consequences' of strikes
The Iranian foreign ministry strongly condemned the strikes against Syria by the US, UK
and France.
It also warned of their regional consequences, Hezbollah's al-Manar TV said.
US Democratic leaders cautiously welcome decision on strikes
Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer called the strikes "appropriate", but said, "the
administration has to be careful about not getting us into a greater and more involved war in
Syria".
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said: "One night of air strikes is not a substitute
for a clear, comprehensive Syria strategy."
US Republican leaders praise Trump's decision on strikes
US House Speaker Paul Ryan praised Trump's "decisive action in coordination with our
allies", adding: "We are united in our resolve."
Senate Armed Service Committee Chairman John McCain applauded the strikes but says "they
alone will not achieve US objectives in the Middle East."
Syria state TV: Strikes targeting position in Homs were thwarted
"The missiles that targeted a military position in Homs were thwarted and diverted from
their path, and injured three civilians," state news agency SANA said.
Syria state TV: Only material losses at research centre near Damascus
Syrian state media said that the US-led strikes caused material damage at a scientific
research centre in the Barzeh district of Damascus.
The attack destroyed a building that includes a learning centre and laboratories, state
TV said.
Strikes in Syria did not hit areas near Russian bases: Moscow
The Russian defence ministry said that none of the rockets launched in the Syria attack
entered the zones where Russian air defence systems are protecting facilities, Russian press
agency TASS reported.
Protesters in Damascus rally against US-led strikes: reports
Protesters are rallying in Damascus against the US, UK and French military action in
Syria, Lebanese media are reporting.
Amnesty urges Trump to take in Syrian refugees
Amnesty International warned that air strikes on Syria should "minimise harm to
civilians" and urged Trump to take in Syrian refugees.
"All precautions must be taken to minimise harm to civilians in any military action,"
Raed Jarrar, advocacy director for Middle East North Africa at Amnesty International USA,
said in a statement on Saturday.
"The Trump administration must not turn its back on the suffering of men, women, and
children by continuing to ban refugees from entering the United States. It is time for the US
to reopen our doors to people trying to escape from the violence in Syria," Jarrar
added.
Russia: 'Pre-designed scenario is being implemented'
Anatoly Antonov, the Russian ambassador to the US, said on Twitter that Russia "warned
such actions will not be left without consequences".
"A pre-designed scenario is being implemented," he tweeted, adding "again, we are being
threatened".
US officials informed Israel of the timing of the attack, Israeli sources say.
Pro-Assad official: Targets evacuated prior to attack
The Syrian government evacuated the targeted sites days ago thanks to a warning from
Russia, a senior official in a regional alliance that backs Damascus told Reuters news
agency.
"We had an early warning of the strike from the Russians ... and all military bases were
evacuated a few days ago," Reuters quoted the official as saying.
The official added that around 30 missiles were fired in the attack, saying "we are
carrying out an assessment of the material damages".
NATO chief: I support actions of US and allies
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he supported the actions taken by the US, UK
and France against Syria.
"I support the actions taken by the United States, the United Kingdom and France against
the Syrian regime's chemical weapons facilities and capabilities. This will reduce the
regime's ability to further attack the people of Syria with chemical weapons," Stoltenberg
said in a statement on Saturday.
Syrian opposition leader: All attacks on civilians must stop
Syrian opposition leader Nasra al-Hariri called for the end to all attacks against
civilians in Syria.
"Maybe the regime will not use chemical weapons again, but it will not hesitate to use
weapons the international community has allowed it, such as barrel bombs and cluster bombs,"
Hariri said in a tweet early on Saturday.
Russia: Syria hit as country had 'chance for peaceful future'
Russia's foreign ministry says Syria was attacked at the very moment the country had a
"chance for a peaceful future", Russian news agency RIA reported.
Maria Zakharova, the ministry spokeswoman, wrote on Facebook: "Those behind all this
claim moral leadership in the world and declare they are exceptional. You need to be really
exceptional to shell Syria's capital at the moment when it had gained a chance of a peaceful
future."
The foreign ministry also said that Western media has some responsibility for the attack
on Syria, which was based on its reports, according to RIA.
'Three targets hit'
Joseph Dunford, Washington's top general, said the precision strikes hit three targets -
a scientific research centre near Damascus, a storage facility and command post also near the
capital and a chemical weapons storage facility near Homs.
US top general: US did not notify Russia of targets
Washington's top general, Joesph Dunford, said Russia's forces in Syria had been warned
through existing "deconfliction" channels that Western planes would be in Syrian airspace,
but that Washington had not revealed the target sites or timing in advance.
US chairman of joint chiefs of staff: First wave of attacks ends
US Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford announced the first wave of attacks
has ended.
Syrian state media says US-led strikes hit army depots
Syrian state media called the attacks by the US, France and the UK "a flagrant violation
of international law", adding that the attacks had targeted army depots in the Homs
area.
Russia warned 'such actions won't be left without consequences'
The Russian ambassador to the US said in a statement on the strikes that Russia warned
that "such actions will not be left without consequences".
Mattis: 'Right now, this is a one-time shot'
"Right now, this is a one-time shot, and I believe it has sent a very strong message," US
Secretary of Defense James Mattis said.
Syrian state TV: Syrian air defences responded to attack
Syrian state TV reports that Syrian air defences responded to the strikes by the US, UK
and France
Explosions heard in Damascus
As Trump announced the strikes, explosions were heard from Damascus, Reuters news agency
reported.
Emmanuel Macron confirms France's involvement
French President Emmanuel Macron has confirmed France's involvement in the strikes.
UK's Theresa May: Strikes meant to 'deter the use of chemical weapons'
UK Prime Minister Theresa May confirmed Britain's involvement in the strikes, saying: "We
would have preferred an alternative path. But on this occasion there is none."
She said the strikes were not about "regime change" or "intervening in a civil war", but
were to "deter the use of chemical weapons" by the Syrian government.
"I ordered the United States armed forces to launch precision strikes on targets
associated with the chemical weapon capabilities of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad," Trump
said from the White House late on Friday.
The purpose of the campaign is to "establish a strong deterrent against the production,
spread and use of chemical weapons," the US president said.
I am sorry for re-posting this comment on this thread. But I was wondering what others
thought about the possible scenario outlined below.
There is a Russian claim on April 13 that operatives from either UK, US, or France were
involved in the production of the fake attack. (I am betting these operatives are
UK--either SAS or MI6 field agents). (But it is probable there are also US operatives
there--likely CIA.)
There have been several to my knowledge unconfirmed reports from April 12 that UK,
Israeli, and Jordanian[!] operatives embedded with Jaysh al-Islam in Ghouta were captured
by the SAA.
There is an older late-March report of a UK led conspiracy to directly attack Damascus
in mid-March in the hopes of overturning the Syria government. The attack was to be
coordinated with the Skripal poisoning in the UK and would involve a false-flag chemical
attack; ostensibly followed by the US/NATO decapitation of Damascus from the air. That
comes from Thierry Meysann here: http://www.voltairenet.org/article200232.html
On February 18 the Syrian campaign against Ghouta began with full intensity. The
campaign was presented as a human rights disaster by all Western media outlets.
On March 17 Russia announced its awareness of at least two planned false-flag chemical
attacks: one in Eastern Ghouta involved "American instructors [who] have trained several
groups of insurgents near al-Tanfa in order to hold provocations with chemical weapons in
the south of Syria."
Meysann presents the plot as involving the coordination of Skripal's poisoning with the
staging of a chemical attack in Ghouta, leading to a US/NATO led bombing of Damascus.
Sputnik presents the plot as involving a "ground assault in Damascus" led by UK, Israeli,
and Jordanian operatives supported by massive air support from US/NATO.
One *possibility*, then, is something like this: the coordinated false-flag chemical
attack in Ghouta was originally to lead to another "Syrian" citizen-led mini uprising against
the Assad regime: This "Syrian" uprising, which would really be led by UK/US/Israel/Jordanian
operatives who could pass as Syrians, would aim to infiltrate Damascus from Ghouta and blow a
couple things up; meanwhile, the Skripal affair plus the false chemical attack plus the false
"Syrian" citizen ground-resistance in Damascus would propel the world to call for US/NATO
decapitation of the "regime".
This--or something like it--is perhaps what Russia discovered was afoot, and why Russia
and the SAA so zealously sought to clear out Ghouta from February 18 onward. Russia was aware
that by clearing out Ghouta quickly enough, the full ground attack on Damascus could be
thwarted in time; but there was still the possibility that a chemical attack might be staged
nonetheless. Hence their announcement on March 17. This effectively told the UK/US that the
larger planned coup had been discovered and was not going to happen. The staged attack of
April 8 was supposed to be part of a larger coordinated rush upon Damascus, which would
ensure that the staged attack could never be properly investigated. The US/NATO would bomb
the evidence to smithereens.
It was ultimately perhaps a stupid decision for these operatives to go through with the
staged attack once one could no longer be sure that it would not be investigated owing to the
US/NATO bombing it was supposed to be coordinated with. We'll see.
This could be all wrong. It's just one possible reconstruction. But I don't find it
immediately *im*plausible. Should I?
"... "This is where it gets very interesting and dangerous. Russia has drawn its own redline. Putin and his Generals know for a fact that there was no chemical weapon of any kind used in Syria. They recently warned the world that this kind of staged event was in the offing. They know what they have and have not done on the ground and know the lies spilling from Washington, London and Paris are vicious calumny. They are not a punching bag and are not going to sit back and do nothing. ..."
"... As PT stated, it is unlikely that DJT's ego could accept the sinking of a US Navy ship or a demonstration of the ineffectiveness of some of our missiles. The temptation for him to raise the stakes in escalation would be overwhelming. Remember, the neocons would be whispering in his ear that if we push the Russians just a little more they will submit to "The Greatest President." ..."
"... If an all out nuclear exchange occurred between the US and Russia both countries would be wrecked. Do we really want to risk that? pl ..."
I have the following comment today from
a retired Russian officer.
********
"This is where it gets very interesting and dangerous. Russia has drawn its own redline.
Putin and his Generals know for a fact that there was no chemical weapon of any kind used in
Syria. They recently warned the world that this kind of staged event was in the offing. They
know what they have and have not done on the ground and know the lies spilling from Washington,
London and Paris are vicious calumny. They are not a punching bag and are not going to sit back
and do nothing.
A lot will depend on the "structure" and the "weight" of a possible salvo and how respective
militaries will communicate with each-other. It was indicated strongly by Pentagon that they
are trying to do their utmost in avoiding hitting of Russian regulars in Syria. I am sure that
if within the range of namely Russia's (not Syria's) AD assets any TLAM will be shot down--this
is so to speak "not that big of a deal" scenario. Washington draft-dodgers, however, push for
attack on specifically Russian assets, including Damascus and recently including Douma where
alleged attack took place. The reason being bombing the place of staging of this false flag
into oblivion and then saying that no we can not prove that attack didn't happen. Obviously, it
is not the case anymore, since Douma in under control of SAA and Russian MPs.
Most people in Pentagon and, obviously, some in the so called IC understand consequences of
attacking Russians directly--they know the score, they have calculated probabilities for a
number of contingencies and none of them, obviously, looks good for CENTCOM assets in the area.
But for the BORG there is no way back--and the reasons for that are way larger than Syria. We
are talking about global realignment and major shift in power balance. This is not an easy
thing to take to self-proclaimed "exceptional" people in Washington plus add here their utter
lack of grasp of scales and proportions involved in a purely military aspect--it is difficult
to those who never spent a day in uniform and whose military "expertise" is limited to few
seminars on strategy and weapons and on, not always first class, work by Congressional Research
Service. Thus, on American side we have today not rational players." Pen Name -
Smoothiex12
-------------
In my opinion Smoothiex12 speaks truth. The Russians have decided that they will fight us if
there is more than a symbolic punitive strike in Syria, a strike in retaliation for an event
that even the US MSM now speaks of as "suspected," "alleged" and "reported." The US went to war
against Spain over a suspected attack on the armored cruiser USS Maine. The ship was at anchor
in Havana harbor. It exploded and sank and although the US Navy could not at the time determine
the cause, the Hearst newspaper chain insisted that the Spanish government had destroyed the
ship. The same newspapers had been propagandizing the American people for months with wild
tales of the "monstrous" deeds of the Spaniards toward the Cuban revolutionaries who were
trying to end Spanish rule of the island. This sensationalist grab for circulation triggered
war with Spain. Many years later the US Navy determined that a smoldering fire in a coal bunker
heated a metal wall and that this had detonated the magazine of the ship on the other side of
that bulkhead. Today we have 24/7 TV news vying for ratings. Nothing else matters for them.
They neither understand Syria, nor do they understand what the outcome would be of a US-Russian
war that escalates from a regional response to use of nuclear weapons against the two
homelands.
Mike Pompeo smugly told the US Senate yesterday that American air strikes had killed "a
couple hundred" Russians recently. He obviously likes that idea. At the same time the Russian
government has sent its key political, societal, and scientific cadres to deep underground
shelters built during the Brezhnev era and Russian state media have told the citizenry to
prepare itself for World War III.
As PT stated, it is unlikely that DJT's ego could accept the sinking of a US Navy ship
or a demonstration of the ineffectiveness of some of our missiles. The temptation for him to
raise the stakes in escalation would be overwhelming. Remember, the neocons would be whispering
in his ear that if we push the Russians just a little more they will submit to "The Greatest
President."
If an all out nuclear exchange occurred between the US and Russia both countries would
be wrecked. Do we really want to risk that? pl
"Monica styles"... Trump is fighting fore survival with Tomahawks trying to solve his problem
with junfoism.
Notable quotes:
"... "[I]f this president can decide unilaterally to bomb Syria, I worry that he can make the same decision about North Korea or Iran or other nations. And these decisions are not supposed to be made without consultation and voting by Congress." Unfortunately, Congressional leaders have shown no signs of wanting to hold a debate or have a vote before the attack takes place. ..."
"... The Trump administration has not offered a public legal justification for last year's strikes, and it seems unlikely to offer one this time. That is probably because there is no plausible interpretation of the law that permits the president to initiate hostilities against foreign governments on his own when the U.S. has not been attacked. ..."
"... Daniel Larison is a senior editor at ..."
"... where he also keeps a solo blog . He has been published in the ..."
"... Front Porch Republic, and ..."
"... . He holds a PhD in history from the University of Chicago. Follow him on Twitter . ..."
One year since the U.S. illegally launched 59 cruise missiles at Syrian government forces in
response to an alleged chemical weapons attack, the Trump administration is preparing to take
similar military action despite an increased risk of escalation that could lead to the start of
a wider war.
The U.S., France, and Britain have been
preparing to strike the Syrian government over the last several days, and Syria's Russian
patron has threatened the "gravest consequences" in response to an attack. Russia didn't
respond to last year's one-off airstrikes, but Moscow isn't likely to tolerate a larger U.S.
attack carried out with other governments. Syria's government and its allies seem more willing
to
fight back than they were a year ago, and that should give the Trump administration and our
European allies pause. There is a greater risk of great power conflict erupting in Syria than
there has been at any time since the end of the Cold War, and if Russian military personnel are
killed by U.S. or allied strikes there is no telling how quickly things could deteriorate there
and in other parts of the world.
President Trump's public statements have strongly suggested that an attack will be happening
soon, going so far as to
taunt Russia on Twitter that they should "get ready" for the "new" and "smart" missiles
that the U.S. would be using. Some members of Congress have insisted that the president lacks
the legal authority to launch an attack on Syria without their authorization. As Sen. Tim Kaine
(D-Virginia)
put it , "[I]f this president can decide unilaterally to bomb Syria, I worry that he
can make the same decision about North Korea or Iran or other nations. And these decisions are
not supposed to be made without consultation and voting by Congress." Unfortunately,
Congressional leaders have shown no signs of wanting to hold a debate or have a vote before the
attack takes place.
The Trump administration has not offered a public legal justification for last year's
strikes, and it seems unlikely to offer one this time. That is probably because there is no
plausible interpretation of the law that permits the president to initiate hostilities against
foreign governments on his own when the U.S. has not been attacked. There is no provision
in international law that allows a U.S. attack on another government without explicit Security
Council authorization, and we know that this authorization that will never be forthcoming in
this case because of Russia's veto. While the attack is being sold as the enforcement of a norm
against chemical weapons use, it isn't possible to uphold an international norm while violating
the most fundamental rule of international law.
To date, the U.S. and its allies have presented no definitive evidence to support their
claims against the Syrian government. It is entirely plausible that the Syrian government is
guilty of using chlorine or sarin against its enemies and the civilian population, but there
has been no real effort on the part of the U.S. and its allies to prove their accusation before
deciding to act as executioners. Regardless, the U.S. and its allies have no authority to
punish the Syrian government, and in doing so they may do significant harm to international
peace and security.
A U.S.-led attack on the Syrian government could lead to war with Russia or Iran or both at
once, and there is also a danger that it could help set off a war between Israel and Iran.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
said earlier this week that Israel would not "allow" an Iranian military presence to be
established in Syria. The prime minister's threat came on the heels of Israeli strikes inside
Syria that reportedly killed seven Iranians serving alongside the Syrian regime's forces. Iran
has threatened retaliation for the attack, and it has the ability through Hizbullah to make
good on that threat if Israel carries out additional strikes. Israel might use a U.S.-led
attack on Iran's allies in Syria as an excuse to strike more Iranian targets, and Iran might
then respond in kind with missile attacks on Israel. Lebanese, Syrian, and Israeli civilians
would all suffer if that happened, and it would make an already chaotic international situation
even worse.
It is a measure of how divorced from U.S. and allied security our Syria policy has become
that our government is seriously preparing to launch another illegal attack on a government
that hasn't attacked us and doesn't threaten us or our allies. Attacking the Syrian government
won't make the U.S. or any other country more secure, and it will likely weaken the government
just enough to prolong Syria's civil war and add to the suffering of the civilian population.
It is a perfect example of a military intervention that is being done for its own sake with no
connection to any discernible interests or strategy. No one stands to gain from such an attack
except for the ideologues that have incessantly demanded deeper U.S. involvement in Syria for
the last six years.
Daniel Larison is a senior editor at TAC, where he also keeps a solo blog . He has been published
in the New York Times Book Review, Dallas Morning News, Front Porch Republic, and
The Week . He holds a PhD in history from the University of Chicago. Follow him on
Twitter .
Trump launched more then 100 rockets against military and civil object in Syria. Russia decided to stand still as none of Russia
army positions was targeted.
Notable quotes:
"... I dont agree at all, I dont know where this optisim comes from, we are closer to war in a long time, no way west will back now ..."
"... Can Russia prove Brit involvement? IMO, Russia wouldn't be making the statements it's now making if it wasn't 100% certain. And as I posted at previous thread, Russian rhetoric is vociferous in a manner I've never seen previously -- Mad as Hell and not going to take it anymore is my bet. ..."
"... The tipping point was when Johnson(?) compared them to Nazis. The Russians did all the hard work in defeating the Nazis, losing 26 million in the process. They have stopped using the term 'partners' when refering to NATO country diplomats. They now use the term 'correspondents'. That is a subtle sign that they no longer have any respect for the respective countries. They have described the US as 'non-negotiation-capable'. I suspect the UK falls into that now. ..."
"... No one should be surprised of the manipulated videos. Wait until computer altered (DeepFake) videos become more realistic. It will be difficult to separate the lies from the truth. ..."
"... I fear Madman Bolton will prevail over Mad Dog Mattis. The Washington Post has a believable analysis that Trump has too much at stake. He wants to win after blaming Obama on failure. The New York Post has reported a whole entire armada U S warships steaming towards the Middle East. It's up to the Russians now to decide the fate of humankind. ..."
"... Get real, this whole fake chemistry exercise was a great success.....in taking the Gaza shooting gallery off the world press's front pages, just as MH17 was with Operation Protective Edge ..."
"... The "chemical attack" hoax was likely rushed into being as the window of opportunity was rapidly closing. The previous hoaxes relied on tight control of the locations, and the inability to do so this time will prove its undoing. Russian proof of UK involvement could well consist of intercepted communications -- such as arranging the satellite transmissions necessary for dissemination of the videos. ..."
"... Regarding US/UK cover-up attempt. IMO, there are too many witnesses -- hundreds if not several thousands -- and other forms of physical evidence besides testable residues -- which don't exist because there was never any chemical attack. The domestic morass both Trump and May are in require nearly continuous distractions but are vastly different. ..."
"... I fear that the hordes of loonies will convince him to launch an attack to disrupt the OPCW investigation and even target Douma claiming that civilians have been evacuated and only evil storm troopers are there. ..."
"... I hope you're right, but the dotard Donald has shot off so much nonsense that drawing back now might not be an option. He has a notoriously fragile ego, and he needs to at least fire off some missiles to prove his "big hands". ..."
"... The chemical " attack " investigation reminds me of the UN inspectors just before the Iraq war. TPTB can easily make it look like they've " gave peace a chance ", then another attack occurs, forcing the investigators to leave the area. Trump will then have the excuse to launch another strike. I hope Trump is trolling the Zios. ..."
"... The great question is - can 'Western' industry keep burning without explicit , bargain price control of SIBERIAN resources. According to Chomsky the U S has international interests and controls garnering the economic wealth of 50% of the planet . ..."
"... That is *very* interesting. The date corroborates the hypothesis of a premeditated orchestration of the Skripal poisoning with the planned US/NATO decapitation of Damascus in late March (which was to be justified on the basis of Skripal + staged chemical attack + fake "Syrian" unrest in Damascus). ..."
"... It appears that this was done by the same British agency affiliated with individuals involved in creating the utterly fabricated documents used to falsely claim there was collusion between my campaign and Russia. This gives evidence that part of the British government not only attempted to block my election, and then over-turn it, but to falsely lead the US into a war. ..."
"... We have started to root out members of the US deep-state, McCabe, Comey, Ohr and others who have been involved in attempting to overturn a democratic election and foment dangerous hostility with Russia. There will be more of them outed soon. The DOJ Inspector General's report, just released in part, and Congressional investigations show that the conspiracy involved both US officials and associates of British intelligence agencies. This recent evidence of British officials attempting to get the US into a war suggests they were also involved in the intervention in US politics. ..."
"... Its not impossible that there is a rogue element in MI6, but I don't believe they would act without approval by CIA - which may indicate a rogue element there also. I can't (at this stage) believe the UK Govt is in on this. May and Johnson don't have the balls for this; after all, they can't even tell Junker to fuck off. ..."
"... What seems clear to me (based on everything I have read on this board, other blogs like Syrpers, alt news sources and the MSM) is that, beginning with the start of the assault on East Ghouta and intensifying as the SAA and allies achieved unexpectedly rapid success, the reaction of the Coalition of Cruelty has been increasingly strident, with the UK being particularly virulent in its rhetoric. ..."
"... Diplomatic decorum has broken down and the forms and norms of international law no longer being paid even lip service. There is a panicked quality to the false flags that suggest they are improvising on the go. I think this indicates that the western alliance against Assad has already suffered, or is about to suffer, a catastrophic setback in their plans to overthrow the Syrian Government and that the Russians still hold the initiative. ..."
"... It seems to me we're seeing two major elements at work. One is the practically solid wall of propaganda in the media, and two is the biased international institutions, heavily weighted in favor of the previous rulers of the planet, the western world. ..."
"... The propaganda doesn't mean much, because the people who believe it are almost by definition powerless. But it does require a narrative in order to work, and that story-line doesn't have to hold water very tightly, because the media have the populace pretty well saturated. But the flimsiness of the story creates a problem when it's used in more rigorous arenas - which it is, because it forms part of the overall culture generally believed by the institutions, and also believed by the propagandists over time, simply because it forms part of the culture. ..."
"... So the answer to save Syrian lives from their regime is to kill more Syrians. No one will be allowed to kill more women and children than the great western alliance. Have we not said this enough? ..."
"... Well I was wrong. Looks like US and cronies had to strike before any OPCW report. ..."
Today the Russian Defense Ministry accused Britain
of having directed the staged attack:
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman, Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, released statements by medics from Douma's hospital who said a
group of people toting video cameras entered the hospital, shouting that its patients were struck with chemical weapons and causing
panic. The medics said none of the patients were hurt by chemicals.
Herearevideos of that hospital scenes from the 'rebel' propaganda
outlets. The 'treatment' by the 'rebels', dousing with water and administering some asthma spray, is unprofessional and many of the
'patients' seem to have no real problem. It is theater. The real medical personal is seen in the background working on a real patient.
The people in the video scenes were "rent-a-mob" actors which the Russians
say they have found. They also found the medics and
videotaped their statements . They Russian government
claims to know the main culprit:
"Today, the Russian defense ministry has other evidence proving the United Kingdom's direct involvement in the organization of
this provocation in Eastern Ghouta," [Igor Konashenkov, the defense ministry's spokesman] said.
An OPCW technical team has arrived in Damascus. It will investigate the scene and talk to the witnesses.
Cause of the recent panic were a few videos by several propaganda outlets associated with Takfiri 'rebels' in Ghouta. These videos
immediately looked staged to me. Yes, they showed dead people - mainly children - in a basement or apartment. But the bodies were
not in the place where they had died and were probably not, as was claimed, killed by chemical weapons.
In the videos some 20 dead children and a few women lie on the floor as if they were thrown in there. The scene was obviously
manipulated several times. The various videos show the bodies in different positions. They have been moved around for presentation.
Later videos show, for example, a baby in diapers on top of two older kids. In an earlier video that baby is not there.
The 'rebel' claim that the people were killed by chlorine and a nerve agent: "Look, the dead have foam at their mouth." (Foam
at the mouth is wrongly assumed to be a sure symptom of exposure to a nerve agent.)
Yes, they have foam at their mouth. But it seems to be shaving foam and/or some white gel, not a human secretion. We
have seen
this trick before .
The corridor where the cameraman stands at that moment is filled with dead bodies. The body with the white bonnet on its head
lies in a backroom. The detail picture below is turned 180 degree:
A screenshot from the second video. The body with the white bonnet has been moved from the backroom to the corridor and added
to a pile of other bodies.
It is the same body with the same cloth in a different position. It seems obvious that shaving cream or something similar has
been added to the body after it was moved. The shaving cream simulates "foaming at the mouth".
Stephen McIntyre found and collected
several other discrepancies between the various videos from the scene.
The people shown have died. They probably suffocated after a shelter collapsed
as the Syrian Observatory reported on that day . But the videos
were likely not made at the scene of that incident. The bodies had been moved and manipulated. There were likely no chemical weapons
involved in their death.
It would have made no sense at all for the Syrian government to launch a 'chemical attack' on a nonmilitary target in the Douma
situation. Its imminent victory was already guaranteed. The 'rebels' and their supporters had their reasons to fake such an 'attack'.
It was an attempt to drag the U.S. into destroying the Syrian government and its army. It nearly succeeded.
The various 'leaks' and media claims around the staged 'attack' have reached comical grounds.
Biological samples from the area of the alleged chemical attack in Syria have tested positive for chlorine and a sarin-like nerve
agent, according to a US official familiar with the US analysis of the test results.
...
Medical sources and activists in Syria said blood, urine and hair follicle samples were smuggled in batches to Turkey after rebel
groups and their families were pushed out of the area by the Assad regime, CNN reported earlier on Friday.
The sources did not know what happened to the samples after they reached Turkey.
That chain of evidence is joke and the claim is nonsense. There is simply no way to diagnose chlorine exposure in blood, urine
or hair samples.
The Center of Disease Control notes of Chlorine
exposure:
Laboratory criteria for diagnosis:
Biologic: No biologic marker for chlorine exposure is readily available.
...
Chlorine is highly reactive. When it enters the bloodstream it turns into chloride and associates with sodium and potassium and
other basic elements. The natural chloride level in a body is already quite high and changes often. We all eat and naturally dispose
of table salt, aka sodium chloride, each and every day. The chloride level in a body can be measured but it is not a criterion for
chlorine exposure. The 'official' who made those claims to CNN is lying.
The evidence for a 'chemical attack' in Douma is simply not there. The videos provided by the 'rebel' propaganda outlets are manipulated.
Medical personal in Douma dispute their propaganda claims.
Secretary of Defense Mattis spoke out and U.S. allies refused to swallow the faked evidence. Donald Trump pulled back from his
earlier aggressive threats. There will likely be no bombing of Syria and in consequence no violent conflict with Russia.
Trump already began to change the headlines. He just
pardoned
Dick Cheney's former errant boy Scooter Libby. He is preparing the grounds for pardoning his own staff should they be caught up in
the Mueller investigation.
This will give the media enough material to cover throughout the weekend and to forget about attacking Syria.
The staged 'chemical attack' was designed to draw Trump back into the conflict over Syria after he announced that he wants the
U.S. military to pull out. Has it changed his mind? Will those who initiated this stunt, probably the Brits, try again?
Will Russia be able to prove its claim of British involvement? If so could it
free Yulia Scripal ?
Posted by b on April 13, 2018 at 04:12 PM |
Permalink
I dont agree at all, I dont know where this optisim comes from, we are closer to war in a long time, no way west will back now,
no way, the attack will create a huge impact and will come sudden, I suspect within 2 weeks.
Can Russia prove Brit involvement? IMO, Russia wouldn't be making the statements it's now making if it wasn't 100% certain.
And as I posted at previous thread, Russian rhetoric is vociferous in a manner I've never seen previously -- Mad as Hell and not
going to take it anymore is my bet.
My question: When the proof is presented by Russia will Western media be allowed to show it? IMO, it will be presented Saturday
in enough time for it to be front and center on the Sunday political talk shows--IF it's going to be shown and discussed.
I'm hoping you're correct in your outlook. I too am pessimistic after so much bluster and weapons put in place. This is no time
to relax. People in the USA should call their Representatives and the White House. There are previously planned antiwar protests
in several cities this Sunday. https://www.springaction2018.org/
"State Department spokesperson Sara Huckabee, in today's briefing, said they have "proof" the Syrian government is behind the
gas attack." Let's see it. Need to know source of proof. Colin Powell is that you?
"Russian rhetoric is vociferous in a manner I've never seen previously--Mad as Hell and not going to take it anymore is my
bet."
The tipping point was when Johnson(?) compared them to Nazis. The Russians did all the hard work in defeating the Nazis,
losing 26 million in the process. They have stopped using the term 'partners' when refering to NATO country diplomats. They now
use the term 'correspondents'. That is a subtle sign that they no longer have any respect for the respective countries. They have
described the US as 'non-negotiation-capable'. I suspect the UK falls into that now.
No one should be surprised of the manipulated videos. Wait until computer altered (DeepFake) videos become more realistic.
It will be difficult to separate the lies from the truth.
Tannenhouser @4:
That two weeks is related to a claim of the USS Truman Carrier Group (CVN, 6DDG and 4SSGN) leaving port. Apparently it takes
two weeks to get from CONUS to Syria.
I certainly hope that the Russian evidence is made public ASAP, and that it is sold and beyond doubt.
We need to stop the accusations, counter accusation, counter counter accusation. This is becoming like two children in the
back seat of the car winding each up to an inevitable fight.
Unfortunately is will never be allowed on the British MSM, so it will be up to the likes of us to make sure it is as widely
known as possible! If incontrovertible evidence isn't presented soon, i fear more incredulous accusations will be made for example
these ones:-
apparently British 'intelligence' services have just made the discovery that the Russian GRU have had both the Skripal's under
surveillance for FIVE YEARS.
Additionally
The British copy of Russian secret services Assassination Manual, (otherwise known by it's working title of "How to totally
bodge an assassination and ensure your enemies know it was you" [*jk*]), contains a section on how to kill someone by door knob.
This will be used as further 'proof' of guilt! And therefore justification for immediate military strike, possibly before Monday,
so Prime Minster May dosn't have to face the embarrassment of having to back down and have a vote in parliament, (which in theory
at least she could lose, but in practice will win due to the total lack of opposition, and 2 years of propaganda since the last
vote), after they return from Easter Recess.
I fear Madman Bolton will prevail over Mad Dog Mattis. The Washington Post has a believable analysis that Trump has too much
at stake. He wants to win after blaming Obama on failure. The New York Post has reported a whole entire armada U S warships steaming
towards the Middle East. It's up to the Russians now to decide the fate of humankind.
Suggestion the attack will occur tonight (before inspectors arrive):
WaelAlRussi If they don't the momentum will dissipate completely. More people will publicly question the (evidence free
assertions) claims. British parliament may try to vote, etc. Plus markets are closed till Monday (and besides it's Friday the
13th).
Can't recall where I read this info, but elder Skripal was being surveilled by FSB cause working with MI6 and Ukrainian regime.
So, he was being watched, but just how closely? Perhaps to the point where Russia knows UK's lying. In other words, Mr. Skripal
remains in employ of MI6.
Karlofi @ 11: The SAA found a makeshift chemical laboratory near Shifouniyeh in East Ghouta in mid-March. Sharmine Narwani was
one of the first journalists (or probably the only journalist) at the scene just after it was discovered. I do not know of any
others found until the one discovered in Aftris. It could be that news about the Shifouniyeh CW lab has spread like wildfire across
Middle Eastern news media and Western news blogs.
In other news, the SAA found a jihadi film studio (including cameras and filming equipment) in Saqba in East Ghouta.
There is a tempo to this, move/counter-move. Russia has the momentum at the moment but Britain and friends will regroup and come
at it again. I'm afraid the British government has moved beyond the point of retreat. I'm just stunned by the clumsy, mendacious
actions of the British government; they've completely lost control of this.
Trump set his street creds with the MOAB and the 60 Tomahawk missiles early on as the crazy man, the Dr Strangeglove type riding
the missile. the US congress and senate is a drunken lynch mob living in Hollywood hallucinations. If Trump makes the wrong move
they will lynch him. When he rides the missile, the drunken mob cheers and say he looks very presidential. Mad Dog has his street
creds in his name. He is the military expert and when trump rides the missile, mad dog talks to the crowd and the crowd listens.
Each time Trump rides the missile I think he really is crazy, he's going to do it this time.
........
The main problem for the US is mass delusion. They (Clinton types) will take the US to a point that that Russia has no option
to destroy it. Like Putin was/is a man for his time in Russia, Trump is to the US. He does not live in the delusion. He uses twitter
to work the delusional mob.
Get real, this whole fake chemistry exercise was a great success.....in taking the Gaza shooting gallery off the world press's
front pages, just as MH17 was with Operation Protective Edge
Rumors of agreement between Russia and Israel entailing removal of Iranian troops from Syria for guarantee of purely symbolic
strike by US. Have no idea if accurate.
Or is US racing to bomb Ghouta before the extent of its deception becomes impossible any longer to deny? If there is *political*
desperation behind the UK/US urgency to strike quickly, things could get out of hand.
Also: Russia now approved to use Iranian airfield in Hamedan exchange for airfield's use of Pantsir and S-400 SAM defenses:
https://twitter.com/BabakTaghvaee
To me, this agreement suggests somebody is anticipating a more than "symbolic" imminent strike.
The "chemical attack" hoax was likely rushed into being as the window of opportunity was rapidly closing. The previous hoaxes
relied on tight control of the locations, and the inability to do so this time will prove its undoing. Russian proof of UK involvement
could well consist of intercepted communications -- such as arranging the satellite transmissions necessary for dissemination
of the videos.
That the medical personnel who describe the WH theatrical performance can be seen in the WH videos adds tremendous credibility
to the notion of a hoax. This will be confirmed when the OPCW arrives and the 500 alleged wounded victims will have vanished,
and the tests on the rent-a crowd from the videos show nothing. It is predictable that all of this will be obscured or greatly
downplayed by the West's media - but credibility is going to take a massive hit, both globally and with a sizeable minority of
the population. The May government is in serious jeopardy now.
Regarding US/UK cover-up attempt. IMO, there are too many witnesses -- hundreds if not several thousands -- and other forms
of physical evidence besides testable residues -- which don't exist because there was never any chemical attack. The domestic
morass both Trump and May are in require nearly continuous distractions but are vastly different. Events on the global stage
are moving in a direction no longer controllable by UK/US as in the past--their unipolar moment is burning up upon reentry, but
that reality is brutally ignored. And US/UK behavior over this false flag is helping other NATO vassals to reassert their independence.
A massive demonstration's been called for UK this Monday. Perhaps the Social Media weapon so touted during Arab Spring will finally
bite back with a vengeance those who initially manipulated it.
"[UK] credibility is going to take a massive hit, both globally and with a sizeable minority of the population. The May
government is in serious jeopardy now."
This is what I fear @14. It could lead the UK/US to do something drastic: like bombing away the evidence... Arguably this is
how Russia is reading the situation. If an attack comes in the next 24 hours it will be partly through UK political desperation
and things could go south fast.
The earliest link I have come across refering to captured British (SAS?) officers, plus some Saudis, is this one from 8 March
2018 (interesting timing wrt Skripal). It includes a photograph of one of the alleged military officers. Subsequent captures seem
to have been kept tightly under wraps -- those captured were allegedly trying to escape disguisd as civilians. The 11 British
seem to have been captured en masse at two villages in the east Ghouta area.
@21. Im not sure it would have made the front page anyways....Either way interesting thought. Kinda like the OJ white bronco right
when Rwanda was seeing the worst of it, IIRC, or Bruce Springsteen's anti war anthem Wrecking Ball being obliterated by Hannah
Montana's bondage suit wrecking ball.
I fear that the hordes of loonies will convince him to launch an attack to disrupt the OPCW investigation and even target
Douma claiming that civilians have been evacuated and only evil storm troopers are there.
I am hoping that when I read PS 68:30 ... Scatter the nations who delight in war that it was not a coincidence.
That the forces gathering against Syria will disperse.
I hope you're right, but the dotard Donald has shot off so much nonsense that drawing back now might not be an option. He
has a notoriously fragile ego, and he needs to at least fire off some missiles to prove his "big hands".
I still disagree. No doubt everything's correct what you state about the videos and so on, but the war preparations are still
on. The mass media did not change tune, and most important Tronald is not this peace loving guy you make him seem. As long as
the OPCW people are in Syria of course nothing will happen, but after they leave it's shooting time.
The chemical " attack " investigation reminds me of the UN inspectors just before the Iraq war. TPTB can easily make it look
like they've " gave peace a chance ", then another attack occurs, forcing the investigators to leave the area. Trump will then
have the excuse to launch another strike. I hope Trump is trolling the Zios.
Tannenhouser @13:
Yes, deployments are planned well in advance, especially carrier groups. But, adding a few more ships shouldn't be too difficult.
More importantly, their orders can change on a whim. The top speed of their ships is classified which means they can reach the
area much sooner. The two week journey could be seen as a delay tactic, to allow cooler heads to prevail. Maybe they'll get "lost"
and find themselves on an island. ;)
The great question is - can 'Western' industry keep burning without explicit , bargain price control of SIBERIAN resources.
According to Chomsky the U S has international interests and controls garnering the economic wealth of 50% of the planet .
Would be interesting to read a space-age rewrite of Lenin's , ' Imperialism as the Highest Stage of Capitalism ' at this juncture
- and let us hope it is not a puncture !
Thank you. That is *very* interesting. The date corroborates the hypothesis of a premeditated orchestration of the Skripal
poisoning with the planned US/NATO decapitation of Damascus in late March (which was to be justified on the basis of Skripal +
staged chemical attack + fake "Syrian" unrest in Damascus).
If I might conjecture a bit further, perhaps the Skripal attack was rushed on account of the East Ghouta campaign that had
begun in mid-February. Perhaps the fear was that East Ghouta might be cleared before the Skripal attack could supply the link
to the staged chemical attack. (Perhaps the original chemical attack was not to be "staged" but was intended to be real: a *real*
false-flag chemical attack is after all what Russian intelligence suggests.)
The odd thing--or perhaps it is not odd--is that one could make the case that the UK/US has more or less kept to original script
of the play-act, even as it has been shredded before us. They have after all strongly *insinuated* that there is a link between
Skripal and East Ghouta. They are *acting* as though the staged chemical attack really happened. The next step in the plan was
to be a civil "Syrian" ground insurrection in Damascus leading directly to a US/NATO aerial decapitation. The civil "Syrian" ground
insurrection has been taken away from them. But might they not decide to conclude the last act as planned anyhow? If this is right--and
thankfully it is probably not--we should expect to see a major bombardment campaign begin within 24 hours or so.
Perhaps a tad OT. Tom Engelhardt pens an interesting
essay: "A Tale of American Hubris Or Five Lessons in American Defeat." Excerpt:
"Shakespeare would have been fascinated by the hubris of America's leaders in these years (and that was before Mr. Hubris Himself
even hit the White House). It couldn't be clearer today that the military-first grab for an all-American planet proved strikingly
too much for the U.S. to swallow by an Iraqi mile. It never even came close to happening. When the history of American decline
is written, perhaps it will be said that never was there a great power whose leaders so effectively took it down themselves simply
by wanting too much too badly and by woefully misunderstanding the nature of power on this planet. For Washington, the urge to
make Earth into its imperium proved the equivalent of a submarine putting a torpedo into its own bow."
Yes, as Mercouris has suggested, control of the crime scene in Ghouta may make a pre-emptive NATO strike more likely, to intimidate
the inspectors and destroy evidence.
Russia's claim to have proof of Western instigation of the whole false flag might also increase chances of early strike--to
change the subject. Perhaps the Russians would rather the strike come now than wait for the carrier group to arrive.
The great weakness in the Russian position is that the Kremlin and Russian government generally is riddled with western agents.
This means that the unequivocal warnings that Russia is giving are muted by reassurances from Fifth Columnists that there will
be no retaliation and that Russia is afraid of the US.
Such misunderstandings are what lie at the roots of war between powers: each feels that the other will back down, until they don't.
I hope that I am wrong and that the neo-cons are not feeding false intelligence from their agents in Russia to Bolton and Trump.
But given the amateurish nature of the current White House-very much like the idiocy which prevailed in 2003- rationality is likely
to be overborne by loud mouths and bravado.
Of course, if the OPCW inspectors fail to find evidence of a chemical attack in Douma, then it opens up a whole new can of worms
for the west.....who lied? who produced the videos? who published them? Why? Have previous CW attacks been fake now? And...more
importantly....why did our media fall for these fakes hook, line and sinker....nearly bringing us to the edge of a global war....
History repeats itself with remarkable synchronicity. Tsar Putin sent his virtual pro Russian alt-media fleet to Donald Trump's
rescue, to assist with US withdrawal from Syria, whilst UK Zionist media did everything in it's power to block the move, from
Skirpal to E. Ghouta.
U.S. Civil War: The US-Russian Alliance that Saved the Union
We have just experienced a fully staged Cuban Missile Crisis type event, to cover for the US withdrawal from Syria, and it
seems to have bought Donald Trump some time, at least until UK controlled Zionist media regains it's senses and comes back for
more.
Of course it's more like 1862-3 than 1865, and whereas the Union was easily going to win the first Civil War this time the
balance of forces is almost reversed, expecially in terms of the psychological battlespace, and excluding the US military which
remains firmly committed to the Union and Donald Trump, nothwithstanding the multitude of chicken shit weasels like David Petraeus.
Next up, the Congressional Battle of Gettysburg in Novemeber.
The only think Yulia can do to save her life is to escape and try to get to the russian embassy asap.
also the reason state department ngo's are banned in many countries is because they try to stir up trouble for uncooperative governments.
You can bet the farm that Russia has been monitoring all signals traffic throughout Syria. Once the Ghouta capture was underway
they likely jammed signals in that area, which could be why the white helmets still went ahead thinking the larger plan was still
in play.
All in all, a very sloppy job by MI6. And it would have been signed off with the US/CIA.
"Of course, if the OPCW inspectors fail to find evidence of a chemical attack in Douma, then it opens up a whole new can of
worms for the west.....who lied? who produced the videos? who published them? Why? Have previous CW attacks been fake now?"
- Hermius
This is what should happen if we were not on Bizzaro earth and we had a moderately, competent press corp. It would be an actual
'bombshell report' not their moronic 'bombshell reports' on an insignificant flunky getting indicted.
Think about it. The ONE place where inspectors had access to an alleged chemical attack proves to be a hoax. Any logical person
would then think, 'Hmmm ... maybe the other times, where we only relied on videos, those were faked too'.
Melania loves her son. And considering how much trouble the Donald has to be in since she found out (at the same time the entire
western world found out) what he was up to while she was in hospital going thru childbirth pain, well, maybe she just glared over
at the pillow next to hers last night and said "Husband, you are NOT allowed to risk burning the world my son lives in no matter
what anybody else demands, do I make myself clear?" and thereby saved the world. (From the Zionists.) Hell hath no fury?
The Syria affair cannot be separated from US politics and the war by the deep state, the lyin' media and the Dems to overthrow
Trump's presidency -- and if Russia has solid evidence about UK false flag it may give Trump the ammunition to break the Gordian
knot.
Trump's policy since he started campaigning was to get out of Syria because he sees it as wasteful and counterproductive AND
he understands the real conflict for the US is with China, which is getting stronger, and spending US resources in the ME weakens
the US relative to its most critical opponent. And the deep state has frustrated each attempt he made to withdraw from Syria.
If Russia has the goods on the UK, Trump could take the public position "I was totally outraged by the apparent gas attack
in Syria and ready to punish those responsible. Unfortunately I have discovered that it was a hoax staged by officials of the
UK government with the deliberate intent to drag the US into war. That war could have escalated with the involvement of Russia
to ultimately claim millions of lives, many of them American. This is absolutely intolerable behavior from any country and certainly
from one that is supposed to be an ally. I have demanded that the British government identify and prosecute all those officials
involved in planning and conducting this attempt to entrap the US into war.
It appears that this was done by the same British agency affiliated with individuals involved in creating the utterly fabricated
documents used to falsely claim there was collusion between my campaign and Russia. This gives evidence that part of the British
government not only attempted to block my election, and then over-turn it, but to falsely lead the US into a war.
We have started to root out members of the US deep-state, McCabe, Comey, Ohr and others who have been involved in attempting
to overturn a democratic election and foment dangerous hostility with Russia. There will be more of them outed soon. The DOJ Inspector
General's report, just released in part, and Congressional investigations show that the conspiracy involved both US officials
and associates of British intelligence agencies. This recent evidence of British officials attempting to get the US into a war
suggests they were also involved in the intervention in US politics.
Mr Mueller's role as special counsel is being terminated, since it is clear the premise was a seditious hoax perpetrated by
corrupt agents in the US government assisted by parties, and apparently officials, in the UK. Mr Rosenstein is removed from his
position and will be investigated for his role in the criminal acts. I repeat that the US Government expects very swift action
by the UK Government to publicly identify and prosecute all those responsible for this hostile action against the US."
It would retrospectively validate Trump's strong comments about Assad, coupled with the sad fact that he had been deliberately
misled by the agencies and UK government which had attempted to block and destroy his presidency, so no blame for him. It would
allow him to cleanly walk away from Syria while destroying part of the US deep state attacking him and placing them as culpable
in attempting to get the US into a war. It would of course force May and Johnson to resign with a complete reshuffle in the UK,
since the UK, which is not loved by continental Europe, would be totally isolated if the US Government declared it involved in
hostile actions against the US.
Its not impossible that there is a rogue element in MI6, but I don't believe they would act without approval by CIA - which
may indicate a rogue element there also. I can't (at this stage) believe the UK Govt is in on this. May and Johnson don't have
the balls for this; after all, they can't even tell Junker to fuck off.
I agree May and Johnson may not be directly involved but British officials have been running UK policy and operations, especially
on foreign affairs, for centuries. The politicians are mainly there to provide cover and pretend it is a democracy. However, it
is long accepted in the UK political theater that ministers resign when their officials are caught misbehaving. Since neither
May nor Johnson are serious supporters of Brexit, their resignations might benefit that as well.
I think the English or anglo deep state revolves around the monarch. May and Johnson are part of it, small time players, not
decisions makers. They act out their roles as politicians, the script already written.
New York, April 14, IRNA/SANA: If the United States, Britain, and France believe or think that they can attack us and violate
our sovereignty, then we will have to apply Article 51 of the UN Charter which gives us the justified right to defend ourselves.
This is not a threat, like how they threaten us; this is a promise. We will not allow anyone to violate our sovereignty," al-Jaafari
affirmed.
Syria'sresponse might be to hit any number of exposed assets situated within Syria.
We already know what the Russians have said.
I posted yesterday that there are 4500 American hostages in their mini-bases in Syria. They must be worried.
Russia has been given permission again by Iran to base heavy bombers on Iran's military airfields. This gives the lie to those
who said Russia would back down. And it provides a base to complete the cleanup in Syria quickly, which I'm sure they will do.
An interesting part of the deal to use Iran's airfields is that S400 and Pantsirs will be based there also. Saudi Arabia and
Israel take note!
"This could be all wrong. It's just one possible reconstruction. But I don't find it immediately *im*plausible. Should I?"
Posted by: WJ @ 14
Acknowledging that we know little for certain - from the vantage point of a computer screen with all of the disinformation,
propaganda and half-truths flying around the net - about what is actually happening in and around the war zone, yours is certainly
a plausible scenario in my view.
What seems clear to me (based on everything I have read on this board, other blogs like Syrpers, alt news sources and the
MSM) is that, beginning with the start of the assault on East Ghouta and intensifying as the SAA and allies achieved unexpectedly
rapid success, the reaction of the Coalition of Cruelty has been increasingly strident, with the UK being particularly virulent
in its rhetoric.
Diplomatic decorum has broken down and the forms and norms of international law no longer being paid even lip service.
There is a panicked quality to the false flags that suggest they are improvising on the go. I think this indicates that the western
alliance against Assad has already suffered, or is about to suffer, a catastrophic setback in their plans to overthrow the Syrian
Government and that the Russians still hold the initiative.
Notwithstanding the statements that have been made at various times from western leaders and officials about Assad "winning
the war" and "Assad can stay," I think it is obvious that plans to topple his government were never shelved - merely changed.
This was evidenced by the continuing tenacious activity of supposedly defeated ISIS and encircled "rebel" groups - these formations
would have surrendered long ago if they weren't continuing to be supported from the outside and believed that "help was coming."
I don't think the Russians have been fooled by any of it, but they must move in measured increments and "play the game" to avoid
provoking the kind of reaction we are now seeing and which still has the potential to blow up, literally, in everyone's faces.
Who knows what will happen? I prefer to think that saner heads will prevail, but I also think they will not if US/UK/French/Israeli
planners are not convinced that Russia will respond with equal force. I remember reading or hearing somewhere (I can't recall
exactly where, sorry) John McCain telling somebody questioning him, early in the Syrian intervention, that "Russia will do nothing"
if the US imposes a no-fly zone. He repeated it more than once. I think that is part of the War Party calculus. This makes me
nervous about the idea of negotiating even a back-door "Trump face-saving strike" (an option some are hoping for), as this will
cause Russia to lose face, as well as the initiative after recent increasingly forceful statements they have made.
If I were a gambler, I would put my money on the US & UK backing down in the most face-saving way possible. Time is on Syria's
side. But I will not breathe comfortably until that US carrier strike group sailing east is come and gone from the Mediterranean.
Will you start condemning effing Trump once and for all for the effing opportunist that he really is???
It's not Trump that wants to hold back on strikes on Syria; it's Mattis! The only reason the strikes didn't happen yesterday
is because Mattis disagrees with Trump on the scope of this military operation and they have not come to an agreement. Believe
it or not, your darling Trump wants a SUSTAINED and BROAD attack on Syria, yes a PROLONGED ATTACK and Mattis is warning him not
to take that route. Mattis also wants more facts regarding the chemical attack before any military action is taken.
If Trump egomaniac got his way; the bombing would have started already! Trump wants nothing more than to look like the hero
right now and distract from his sordid legal troubles.
When are you going to dump the Trump Kool-Aid and be honest about who Trump really is; nothing more than a Zionist stooge lusting
for power!
Trumpshit, a guy who was doing a predecessor to Stormy when guys his age were being shipped off to Vietnam and he was getting
repeated deferrals for being an entitled sob, has no problem bombing Russians, Syrians and Iranians to save his ass once again!
It seems to me we're seeing two major elements at work. One is the practically solid wall of propaganda in the media, and
two is the biased international institutions, heavily weighted in favor of the previous rulers of the planet, the western world.
The propaganda doesn't mean much, because the people who believe it are almost by definition powerless. But it does require
a narrative in order to work, and that story-line doesn't have to hold water very tightly, because the media have the populace
pretty well saturated. But the flimsiness of the story creates a problem when it's used in more rigorous arenas - which it is,
because it forms part of the overall culture generally believed by the institutions, and also believed by the propagandists over
time, simply because it forms part of the culture.
The second aspect, which is the subverted institutions, is more complex, of course. But not necessarily very sinister. It almost
seems that the culture alone is enough to produce the desired thinking and outcomes, until it starts being challenged. Then it
takes pressure or better lies.
What we're seeing today is an absolute lack of better lies. The bar has been set so low over the decades that no one knows
how to come up with really clever lies anymore. So when the wall begins to crack, all that's left is pressure. Hasty, ill conceived,
brute pressure.
Surely this is what we're seeing? The absurdities of this time are going to get even more surreal. I had to walk away from
Trump's tweets, coming after a month of May and Bojo - the human stomach is not meant for this.
And it has been really distressing to see so many good people across the internet fooled by all this inept theater and cheap
lying, such that they ignore the balance of forces that are so clear to see.
~~
Russia is in a so-called information war, but it's really based on the two elements above, the narrative on the one hand and
influence with the institutions on the other. And the two go together, but the old rulers of the planet are no longer as strong,
and the whole world knows there is a changing of the guard, so even the institutions know that eventually the future will come,
and with enough protective force that they can resist the diminishing pressure.
I think Russia understands all this very well, in its own concepts, and deals with it admirably well. Changing of the guard
is like Dr. Assad's position in Syria before the Russians came, and even since. There have been a lot of battles, a lot of tactics
sacrificed to preserve strategy, a lot of struggles and few clear wins. Until. Until the tide turns, and one day it becomes indisputable
who is winning.
It's important to take the longer view, and not get caught up in the theater and lies. Don't worry, there will be plenty of
opportunities to practice this ;)
Trump already began to change the headlines. He just pardoned Dick Cheney's former errant boy Scooter Libby. He is preparing
the grounds for pardoning his own staff should they be caught up in the Mueller investigation.
In so doing, also thumbing nose at ziocons who outed Plame in retaliation for Joe Wilson's "impertinence."
3 hours ago I wrote, it would be shooting time after the end of the OPCW mission. I was to optimistic. Now lets wait for the Russian
reaction. Or the Iranian one, I guess Iran could be the real target.
So the answer to save Syrian lives from their regime is to kill more Syrians. No one will be allowed to kill more women and
children than the great western alliance. Have we not said this enough?
Russian Duma approved adequate response to military strikes, sanctions both economic and political. By morning we'll have some
idea what that means - assuming the nukes aren't launched
This is sad and unnecessary, although anticipated by the crew here. I refuse to tune into any TV news or mainstream internet source,
cause I am a big fan of truth. RT television is too damn slow to report breaking news (it is 4am in Moscow, but still). So, I
come here for the play by play of tonight's action.
Two twitter feeds I am following are Vanessa Beeley's ( @VanessaBeeley ) and one someone here pointed at the other day (sorry
I don't remember who), @WithinSyriaBlog .
Any other recommendations? With luck, this will be limited to just blowing up some shit tonight, limited casualties, and that
will be it. Sure hope so.
This looks like an impotent strike on a mostly abandoned air base and building. It's thats it then this is no big deal but Russia
must reply not necessarily by killing people but there must be a response
How do you like your Trump savior now??? Strikes are being launched from MULTIPLE locations, including Turkey, Qatar, UAE and
Jordan
Yesterday and earlier many here were being lulled into a false sense of complacency by the usual dose of Trump Kool-Aid while
I warned several times that I had an uneasy feeling there was an element of surprise involved and the strikes were still coming.
Your Tinpot Trump, Zionist stooge is finally showing all his true colors.
The fact that the Empire could not wait for the OPCW team to arrive in Syria and do the work necessary to determine if there was
a chemical release speaks volumes. The war lovers do not care about verification. They want a war whose main purpose is to topple
Assad. I do not see that happening. Meanwhile, the citizens of the countries launching the attack will almost certainly remain
completely in the dark as to actual facts. Their governments and news media are intent on keeping them ignorant.
From Bundy>
quote
Scientific research center in Barzeh (not)!Jumrya is hit
Along with Mazzeh AB.
First wave fired from the east is now over.. More are expected. The ships in the med have not taken part in this.
.
.
.
The 2nd wave of attack began now.
Wave after wave of cruise missiles hitting Syria; it is not stopping. Over 40 minutes of cruise missiles.
They are avoiding all Russian areas but bombing civilian areas as well.
.
.
.
Most of the missile attack has been foiled as of 8 minutes ago. Civilian research center and Red Crescent Housing Center in
heavily-populated Barzeh was hit.
US struck one of Damascus' most densely populated suburbs. Jaramana reporting strikes.
Civilian casualties are being reported in Damascus as at least 2 residential areas have been struck by the US-led force's missiles.
At least 4 dead in one of the strikes.
endquote
This follows the script set out in the Sputnik article linked by me above. I am very afraid that they decided to double down
on the March operation as planned even as it was fallling apart around them. My fear is that, if they do, it will be very hard
to keep the conflict from escalating.
Ironically, having used the OPCW to support their Skripal conclusion, the FRUKUS is in a bind if OPCW comes back with a negative.
As far as bombing the evidence out of existence, we have Russian MPs providing security in East Ghouta as well as providing
security for OPCW once they arrive.
RUSSIAN FIGHTER JETS ARE TAKING OFF FROM LATAKIA BASE RIGHT NOW. HEADING TOWARDS DAMASCUS
The 2nd wave is now over And it came from the west over Lebanon.
.
.
.
US is facing great difficulty hitting its targets in Qtaifah missile base north of Damascus, a third wave is still incoming
Dumays airbase was hit, it is an emptied off everything.
13 US missiles were shot down over al-Kaswa south of Damascus
US launched dozens of decoy missiles, Syrian air defense was able to reveal them according to al-Mayadin
All targeted sites have no Russian air assets or personal present.
"... this strike is illegal. Anybody care? Hello? Anybody? ..."
"... This has huge implications for escalation if Iran and Russia see this as the opportunity to push Trump who they see as flaky and fragile with little understanding of geopolitics ..."
Possible scenarios for a retaliation include attacks by
Iranian-backed militias against U.S. forces in the Middle East, stepped-up incidents against U.S. forces and their
allies within Syria or "asymmetric responses" such as cyberattacks entirely outside the theater itself.
It remains unclear whether the strike will prevent Assad's forces from turning to chemical weapons in the future as
the leader seeks to extend his reach across the country while consolidating gains in the civil war.
... ... ...
But the military intervention also comes as Washington has all but given up on seeking the removal of Assad more
than seven years into Syria's civil war. Trump wants the Pentagon to withdraw US troops after the Kurdish-led
militia Washington is backing in Syria finishes off the remnants of the Islamic State terror group.
The departure of U.S. troops, military strategists say, will probably pave the way for Assad's consolidation of
control in the country, backed by Russia, Iran and the Lebanese militia Hezbollah.
The result is what Defense Secretary Jim Mattis described in congressional testimony on Thursday as "contrary
impulses." On the one hand, Trump wants the United States to have nothing to do with Syria. On the other, he wants to
dictate norms of behavior on Syria's battlefield that upset him when violated.
... ... ...
Pollack suspects that the Syrian regime and Iran won't retaliate against the United States because they are
ascendant on a battlefield that Trump has promised to leave, and they won't want to engage in any action that could
prevent a U.S. departure that would amount to a big win for them.
Russia could have more of a motive to retaliate, Pollack said, even though before last year's attack on Assad's
airfield, U.S. forces
warned Russia in advance
.
"Russia is the wild card out there," Pollack said, because President Vladimir Putin's interests are bigger than
Syria. "They are about how much [the United States is] allowed to act unrestrained and how much does he want to
demonstrate that he can fight back."
... ... ...
phil100a 17 minutes ago
Innocents die by the 100's of thousands in Syria while great powers play geopolitical chess. It's sickening.
Eisenhower warned us about the Military-Industrial complex - and here we are. Assad is a murdering thug, but how can we say we
are that much better after what we have done in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I want to believe we are a good people; I know that there is no American POTUS who would do exactly what Assad has done, but we
have killed WAY more innocents than Assad.
I don't know what the answer to this is. I would like to see Assad hanging upside-down, dead as a door nail, like Mussolini. I
don't feel tat kind of animus toward people on our side of the globe just as responsible for mayhem and death. Maybe there's
something fundamentally wrong with me. If so, I have millions - 10's of millions - that share my malady.
kropotkin jr
Sooooo . . . this strike is illegal. Anybody care? Hello? Anybody?
kiwifella, 58 minutes ago(Edited)
What an unmitigated mess. This has huge implications for escalation if Iran and Russia see this as the opportunity to push
Trump who they see as flaky and fragile with little understanding of geopolitics. And the biggest risk in this sense is that
Trump lacks the knowledge or temperament to listen to sage advise preferring to surround himself with sycophants and to believe
in his ill-informed gut instinct. Oh, and Fox and Friends...
Really, what could possibly go wrong...
kiwifella, 1 hour ago(Edited)
This whole scenario reminds me of JFK's insightful comment: ""Those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger
ended up inside."
sherm1, 1 hour ago
Is this the Trump Doctrine? If any nation uses chemical weapons against external enemies, or internal disturbances, the United
States of America declares the right to militarily attack that nation, regardless of its political, economic, or security
relationship to that country at the time.
The purpose of this doctrine is to insure that military violence is conducted using conventional weaponry, and in no way takes
s pro or con position about the use of military violence carried out in this manner. In cases where chemical weapons are
necessary to compensate for a deficit of conventional weaponry, the United States of America will assist, as required, in
correcting that deficit.
National sovereignty of any nation is a determination that the United State of America makes on a case by case basis.
somewhatrserious, 1 hour ago(Edited)
The United States of America recognizes Syria as a sovereign state. Syria is a member of the United Nations. Case by case
basis? A nation is, or it is not, sovereign. There is no case by case unless we have withdrawn recognition. To my knowledge, we
have not.
presned, 1 hour ago
The risk doesn't seem so great. Russia is a basket case economy, run down and down at the heels. Syria is a goner, wasted and
ruined. Iran is so self occupied with dreams of controlling the Middle East it hasn't much to fall back on but dreams that will
fail. It is difficult to imagine what Russia wants except the saving of its military base in Syria......the cost grows higher
while Russian resources drain. The Middle East is heading for a division with Iran, Russia and Syria running a limp show while
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAI, Qatar and the other Sunni countries ally with Israel, the US and Europe. Iran's dreams of domination
will die with Syria and a bankrupt Russia.
Yet here is the even more unexplainable part of this sorry episode that amounts to the Deep
State waging the Donald. The remaining rebels capitulated on Sunday and the government re-upped
the evacuation deal. That is, the remnants of Jaish al-Islam are now all dead or have boarded
busses--along with their families---and are already in Idlib province.
That's right. There is no opposition left in Douma and it has been liberated by the Syrian
army, including release of the 3,200 pro-government hostages who had been paraded around the
town in cages by the Saudi Arabia funded warriors of Islam who had terrorized it.
According to the Syrian government, no traces of chemicals or even bodies have been found.
They could be lying, of course, but with the OPCW investigators on the way to Douma who in
their right mind would not wait for an assessment of what actually happened last Saturday?
That is, if you are not caught up in the anti-Russian hysteria that has engulfed official
Washington and the mainstream media. Indeed, the Syrian government has now even welcomed the
international community to come to Douma, where the Russians claim there is absolutely nothing
to see:
Speaking with EuroNews, Russia's ambassador to the EU, Vladimir Chizov, said "Russian
military specialists have visited this region, walked on those streets, entered those houses,
talked to local doctors and visited the only functioning hospital in Douma, including its
basement where reportedly the mountains of corpses pile up. There was not a single corpse and
even not a single person who came in for treatment after the attack."
"But we've seen them on the video!" responds EuroNews correspondent Andrei Beketov.
"There was no chemical attack in Douma, pure and simple," responds Chizov. "We've seen
another staged event. There are personnel, specifically trained - and you can guess by whom -
amongst the so-called White Helmets, who were already caught in the act with staged
videos."
In short, if they are lying, it would not be hard to ascertain. Presumably, the Donald could
even send Jared Kushner--flack jacket and all---to investigate what actually happened at
Douma.
Alas, the Donald has apparently opted for war instead in a desperate maneuver to keep the
Deep State at bay.
Either way, we think he's about done, and in Part 2 we will explore why what's about to
happen next should be known to the history books, if there are any, as "Mueller's War".
US prepared to "sustain" strikes until Syrian regime stops using chemical agents - Trump
Media caption US prepared to "sustain" strikes until Syrian regime stops using chemical agents - Trump
President Donald Trump says he has approved US military strikes against Syrian chemical weapons sites, in collaboration with the
UK and France.
The strikes are in response to an alleged chemical attack on the Syrian town of Douma last week.
"A combined operation with the armed forces of France and the United Kingdom is now underway," President Trump said in an address
to the nation.
Explosions were reported near the Syrian capital Damascus.
"We are prepared to sustain this response until the Syrian regime stops its use of prohibited chemical agents," President Trump
said.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May confirmed British involvement, saying there was "no practicable alternative to the use of force".
But she also said the strikes were not about "regime change".
UK strikes carried out by four Tornado jets hit a military site near the city of Homs, which is believed to have housed precursor
materials for chemical weapons, the ministry of defence said.
French President Emmanuel Macron also confirmed his country's participation in the operation.
The strikes were ordered "on targets associated with the chemical weapons capabilities" of the Syrian government, Mr Trump said.
The US president said the purpose was "to establish a strong deterrent against the production, spread and use of chemical weapons".
"These are not the actions of a man, they are the crimes of a monster instead," he said of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Syria has denied carrying out the attack and its ally, Russia, had warned that Western military strikes would risk starting a
war.
A US official told Reuters news agency that Tomahawk cruise missiles were being used against multiple locations in Syria.
The agency also quoted a witness in Damascus as saying "at least six loud explosions" were heard in the capital.
Syrian state television also confirmed strikes on Damascus. The country's air defences have also been deployed, reports say.
British-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said strikes had hit the Syrian Scientific Research Facility
in the capital, along with several military sites.
"... Of course no one say the obvious, an attack would be illegal under all circumstances. ..."
"... The dotard has only himself to blame with his completely idiotic "animal Assad" tweets. His complete loss of face is all of his making. He needs to seek professional help for his bipolar disorder. Something is seriously wrong inside that toupee'd dome of his. ..."
"... Same as Greenwald and Tucker Carlson: They both condemn US intervention in Syria yet never once mention US is breaking international laws by
illegally inserting itself inside and occupy Syria. ..."
"... In the video that went viral, Carlson interviewed a lawyer but he never once directly asked or even alluded to the legality of US's presence in and possible attack on Syria. It seems to me that it never came across his mind about the fact the US should also abide by international law and rules. ..."
Wow. I am breathlessly awaiting the firing of the shrieking harpy Haley, now that we know
she went in front of the UNSC and spouted wild claims with no backing evidence.
... and when does the UNSC discuss the 2800 elderly, women and children who perished under
Jaish al-Islam which are referenced in this article? What retaliation against these groups is
POTUS willing to undertake, particularly since this is only a small percentage of civilian
deaths under this and other Saudi supported groups? When can we expect the redoubtable
ambassador from the US to give voice to the outrage of all these civilian deaths? If she can
say that Assad's hands are covered in blood, these groups and their nation state supporters
are literally drowning in the blood of innocents.
IMO, a big fissure within NATO was created by Trump's threat as neither Germany or Turkey
would go along, nor Italy, Hungary and Greece, and likely including Spain and Portugal too.
Clearly, the risks outweighed any potential gain.
Another page is turned, and now on to the next act in the drama.
b, you state "The CBS graphic department revealed their real aim." However, you did not
explicitly point out that the map shown is a map of Iran, not Syria. I was floored when I saw
that on the news last night. I appreciate your subtlety.
The dotard has only himself to blame with his completely idiotic "animal Assad" tweets. His
complete loss of face is all of his making. He needs to seek professional help for his
bipolar disorder. Something is seriously wrong inside that toupee'd dome of his.
I disagree. The phrase "Never said when an attack on Syria would take place." is not a sign
that the threat of large war did recede. It means 'Military told me, we need to wait some
days till everything is in place' namely the aircraft carrier. Magnier may have a vast web of
information but is looking to the situation one sided. You shouldn't give too much attention.
And you shouldn't fall for your own belief of a mainly non militaristic Tronald. His
delusions of grandeur and his nihilism will prevail. Look at the MSM instead. They're
intensifying their Manichean narrative, this is typical for times you want to go to war. And
they will.
What annoys my is J Cole [Informed comment] and Joshua Landis do not mention International
Law and the UN Charter or the OPCW. Both take it as established fact that Chemical Weapons
have been used by the"regime" without any investigation as to whether a chemical attack has
taken place at all or who was responsible for it [the Russians are sure a chemical attack did
not take place] These two Professors care not for any kind of due process nor are they
willing to follow the rules of International Law.
"Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, on Thursday said the U.S. has
enough proof to act in response to an alleged chemical attack in Syria, and President Donald
Trump is looking at all his options."
I guess zero = enough.
With the OPCW inspectors set to arrive tomorrow and begin work on Sat, my best guess is
the war has been delayed. Not enough time to destroy the evidence.
Uh no he didnt say that, this is what Mattis said according to Sputnik.
""There have been a number of these attacks. In many cases, you know we don't have troops,
we're not engaged on the ground there, so I cannot tell you that we had evidence, even though
we had a lot of media and social media indicators that either chlorine or sarin were used,"
Mattis said, speaking to members of the House Armed Services Committee on Thursday."
Same as Greenwald and Tucker Carlson: They both condemn US intervention in Syria yet never
once mention US is breaking international laws by illegaly inserting itself inside and occupy
Syria.
In the video that went viral, Carlson interviewed a lawyer but he never once directly
asked or even alluded to the legality of US's presence in and possible attack on Syria. It
seems to me that it never came across his mind about the fact the US should also abide by
international law and rules.
The Western loves to preach to us that law and order as well as rule-based international
order yet US/UK/France & Co have always acted above the international laws and rules,
which were actually set up by the Western themselves to frame/tame other countries.
"[.]. The U.S., under my Administration, has done a great job of ridding the region of
ISIS. Where is our Thank You, America?"
Donald J. Trump @realdonaldrump 06:15 12 April 2018
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Twitter-in-Chief, what a twat.
We will see if this war planning is diffused or is it just a delay until May Day. Perhaps he
will now fire Rosenstein, create a furious distraction. The guy does not recognize how deep
are his troubles.
I believe there is a lot of wishful thinking in the interpretation of Trump's tweet
this tweet is in response to criticism
1. that he is giving the Russians notice of the attack (and that means he has colluded w/
the Russians)
2. he is basically stating that he isn't..
3. Top on his mind is the Russia probe - he even interrupted a meeting w/ Generals yesterday
to go into a diatribe about it
Never said when an attack on Syria would take place. Could be very soon or not so soon at
all!
Kd@18: No, Rumour on https://www.facebook.com/Syrianewsdaily/.
I'm not sure if it's true, but if it comes to nuclear war, all the nuclear powers are doomed,
on board or not. China will not be allowed to sit and watch the firework, so it's certainly
their interest to ensure that there is no nuclear war. In this case, the only option is to
call the US bluff and force it to back down before their insanity subsume them entirely.
"Whenever the Syrian army achieves victory in the field, some western countries rise their
voices and intensify their movements in an attempt to change the track of events."
His conference with Iranian Supreme Leader's Top Adviser for International Affairs Ali
Akbar Velayati exuded a confidence that was likely received as reassuring by Syria's public.
Assad's comment reflects the reality of the Terrorist Coalition's behavior since Russia's
entry turned the tide.
While CBS was airing its propaganda, Hannity on Fox (beginning
about 2:30 in video, although watch entirely for overall context) really stirred the pot
beginning with the "Clinton Crime Family," then "Meuller Crime Family," "Comey Crime Family,"
"Deep State Crime Family," and ending with Trump's tweet about the underlying reason for the
intense anti-Russia hysteria. Now I seldom agree with Hannity, but this broadcast hits on all
the big injustice related issues being covered up by Russiagate. Hannity will need to eat the
words he spoke at end regarding Putin/Russia, but his partisan attack on the several Crime
Families is spot on and actually serves the interest of all Americans.
Just one more thing that really pisses me off about the media right now:
(besides the fact that they just regurgitate the constant stream of lies being fed to them
and print headlines like "France has proof Assad regime used CW" just because Macron SAID so.
There is no further reference to it in the article, so repetition of empty claims are all we
need to be "convinced")
They have all -even RT - accepted the (insane) premise that the US has a right (or even a
"moral obligation" to bomb Syria ("inflict enough pain on Assad's regime") and they talk
about "military options" as if it was just a normal thing to do.
Organized violence against a sovereign state (military, economic, covert or other) is not
an "option". It is a CRIME. It is the SUPREME CRIME.
What the US, UK, France and their deranged ME-allies have done to Syria is beyond evil.
Hundreds of thousands are dead or wounded, millions have become refugees or displaced
persons, children are traumatized, the country lies in ruins and the US now illegally
occupies the part of Syria where the oilfields are.
President Assad and the brave men of the SAA have fought for seven yrs against the
foreign-backed, SF-led "moderate" head-choppers, defending their country and - even more so-
their people but they are portrayed in the media as if they were the evil aggressors.
(Imagine, you lived in Syria and it happend to you..)
And the worst of it is, that the very people who organized all these crimes against
humanity still get away with the unbearable charade of posing as moral authorities (!) and
urging "retaliation" in Syria for the suffering of those poor kids ("poisoned" by the
"animal" Assad).
Can anyone pls point out to the Donald, that these videos are just "the incubator babies"
PR-scam on steroids?
Of all the disgusting things that are part of this kind of propaganda, the weaponisation
of empathy is the worst ...what makes us human is being turned into an instrument for the
destruction of whole societies ..
I hate (a word I rarely use) the "churnalists" who enable this demoniziation of Russia,
Iran and Syria and pave the way for WW III. These spineless journos should be indicted and
punished for aiding and abetting USrael/UK and French imperial aggression.
It's interesting that the former Russian Spy, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter, Yulia, had a
seafood lunch several hours before developing symptoms of poisoning.
The timing of the onset of symptoms is consistent not with nerve agent poisoning but with
seafood poisoning.
Seafood poisoing is generally due to the presence of botulinum toxin, which inhibits
release of acetylcholine at the neuromuscular junction, thereby causing paralysis and, in
severe cases, death by asphyxiation.
To counter the toxin, it would be normal to treat patients with an acetylcholine esterase
inhibitor, aka a nerve agent, to maximize the effect of whatever small quantity of
acetylcholine is still being produced.
If the Salisbury Trust Hospital where the Skripals were taken for treatment consulted with
the people at Britain's nearby Porton Down chemical and biological weapons research lab, they
may very well have been supplied by Porton Down with a small dose of British-made Novichok
for use as a botulinum toxin antidote: the perfect set-up for the British Government
incitement to Russophobia.
Yes, it was because of that and not any other reason. A completely incredible false flag
was never an impediment before, but the prospect of an uncontrolable escelatory spiral that
ends in your country's nuclear aniahlation concentrates the mind like nothing else. The US
being abandoned by Britain and France was also a function of the above. If those ex-empires
dreaming of long gone imperial glories could have joined in the slaughter of a helpless
country, they would have done so without a second though and bragged about it. But if it
meant facing the business end of a Kaliber then the thrill wears off pretty fast.
I love the idea I have in my head of behind the scenes negotiations between the US and
Russia about maybe a allowing a "small" strike on a Syrian target with the Russians
responding, No problem! Then we can sink a small British or French vessel and we can call it
even. Perhaps sending they are they sacrificial lamb, May and Macaroni thought better of the
whole affair. And the idea that Germany(?!?!) was ever even considering an attack on Russia
simply boggles the mind. I'm sure Merkel nixt that idea without a second's thought.
The attack is coming, Trump is decieving make people believe "oh he stepped back, no war this
time good.." only to see Trump bomb the next day when no one is prepared.
Juan Cole knows a lot about Iran and mideast, and especially about religion (he is a Bahai).
I have learned a lot by reading his blog for years. When he was appointed to a professorship
at Yale, I was enthused. When this appointment was vetoed by zionists on the Yale Board, I
expressed my regret.
But he lost his perspective when he joined the Hillary team. Clearly he was expecting an
appointment as Assistant Sec/State for Near Eastern Affairs. His devoted support for Hilary
destroyed his ability to appreciate/respect the truth. He became a partisan cheerleader, and
this only increased after Trump won the election.
I used to comment on his blog, but when he began supporting Hillary, he censored my comments.
He never once refuted them, just censored them because they brought up facts that he did not
want known/discussed.
So I have lost all respect for Juan Cole.
I agree with Lysander @31. Russia's very clear statement that there would be a military
response to a U.S. attack must have caused the reevaluation.
With U.S. aircraft downed, there would have to be a new AUMF, a new congressional vote.
Same thing with France and Britain. But a new AUMF would be difficult if not impossible to
clear congress/parliament. That's what short-circuited Obama's plan to bomb Damascus in 2013.
The Brits voted no. Obama decided he had to go to Congress for approval. The public was
overwhelming opposed. So the vote was pulled and Obama accepted Russia's offer for Syria to
destroy its CW stocks.
Unless it's another one-off strike on a military airfield, Trump will need a new AUMF. And
he won't be able to get one.
Russia is being tested because its eagerness to organize flawless World Cup is being
exploited as a perceived vulnerability. Once that event has passed three months from now,
Moscow is bound to become more assertive. The whole western campaign of pressure can only
last one more year even in the best case. It's based on fear and weakness, not on strength
and confidence. And there will be more and more weakness with each passing day. Once the
latest Keynesian stimulus wears off in October 2019, the US will be set on relentless
"japanization" (nearly permanent recession, mounting debt, rapidly aging population), but
from the far more inferior starting point than that of Japan. Given America's low savings
rate, massive trade deficits, racial tensions, and skills-deficient population, the decline
will be significantly more unpleasant, very likely violent.
Russia will absolutely win the Cold War 2.0, because all it has to do to achieve it is wait
it over. All of the hard work at destroying the West is actually done in the western
capitals, by the western governments themselves.
@Cassandra your words are appreciated and pretty much in line with my own feelings.
I notice that you have to look hard to even find mention of Mattis' latest testimony
before the House Armed Services committee. This confirms to me that the media machine is
colluding to bury any story line that doesn't fit the "Assad done it" narrative.
What we have now is analogous to the "Yellow Journalism" era in the late 1800's/early
1900s. No pretense to objectivity. Simply outrageous and scary. Thank goodness for this blog,
sputnik news, zerohedge and a few other alternative media sources.
@29 - please don't judge everyone in US based on our horrible government and media. There
are lots of us who cannot stand what has happened and have voted for guys like Ron Paul who
would have made a real difference. There is no longer any way to vote your way out of this
and probably hasn't been for at least 20 years.
It seems that the US is working with the Russians to identify a few "token" targets to
appease the ziocon war hawks.
In any case the fact that the US, UK & France are willing to militarily strike a
sovereign nation based on fake charges with no due process or verification of evidence shows
how far down the rabbit hole the west has sunk.
The UK is a good example. They made dubious claims of a Russian nerve gas attack and then
proceeded to act out by expelling Russian diplomats. Now despite 80% of the British people
polled opposed to strikes on Syria the May government has authorized these attacks.
Another is France. Macron claims he has evidence that the Syrian government used chemical
weapons while providing no proof. And he is going to participate in these attacks.
When will the toothless court in the Hague charge these people for war crimes? They reek
of hypocrisy with all their righteousness as they haul hapless African dictators to lecture
them on morality.
Pompeo just replied to Cory Booker that Trump has the authority to strike Syria right now
without consulting Congress, without a resolution or act of Congress. The President has NO
authority to strike unless there is an imminent threat!
I fear that all this walk back might be a ruse to fool Syria and Russia into a false sense
of complacency. Again, think Operation Fortitude and replace location of attack with
date of attack. Deception is a military strategy.
"Joshua Landis and J.R. Cole, swallow the propaganda nonsense hook, line and sinker. They
sold out. Their job and reputation requires that they stick to the prevalent narrative."
ain't that the truth...
He is not bombing today because quite a few Israelis including govt are travelling to Poland
for the Shoah anniversary. Once everyone is back home, then the US and the allies will go for
it. They may even spare Douma with the excuse that they don't want to interfere with the OPCW
team and teh so-called site of CW attack.
However there are other specific sites that they want to bomb.
That is a very astute comment. Any escalation with consequences requiring the
congressional reauthorization of force will be avoided, because despite all the propaganda
the "leaders" recognize that the people will come out en masse against yet another war.
Perhaps Russia has calculated as much, and has ensured the US that any strike will result in
just enough American casualties to force the issue back home.
RUSSIA defeated ISIS .... NOT America ..... WWII replay.
The chaos in Syria was winding down. The TRAITORS in the Pentagon had spent 24 months at
$10MILLION a DAY bombing sand. ISIS continued to hold miles long parades of OUR equipment
complete with flags on clear, dry, sunny days, and the TRAITORS in the Pentagon "could not
seem to bomb them". .. https://forzanuova-us.org/2........ http://original.antiwar.com...
Then the Russians came in and blew the ISIS asses off. Have you noticed the parades
ENDED.
ISIS has ZERO antiaircraft abilities. the TRAITORS in the Pentagon could have dropped bombs
from HOT AIR BALLOONS ....... We KNOW who the Pentagon is working for and it is NOT
America.
That would be a "tragedy" for Turkey and Israel who are BOTH genocidally flooding White,
CHRISTIAN Europe with muslum invaders ............. that war had to get going again .....
Deliberately creating refugees to genocidally flood Europe ............ Israel and Turkey
dream of splitting Syria between them ....
Watching this latest episode of the war in Syria play out, I am reminded of the eye-patched
Israeli general, Moshe Dayan, of Seven Day War fame. He extolled the benefits of appearing to
be willing to lash out like a mad dog as a means of keeping one's foes at bay.
Are we consistently underestimating Donald Trump? He did create a billion dollar global
enterprise and then get himself elected POTUS. He may play the goat (or mad dog), but I
suggest he is no fool.
I think you missed the point. I don't think Trump blinked. Trump said he wanted troops out
in six months. The deep state and Israel went wild. Then comes the fake chem attack and
they are all howling at the moon to attack Asaad. Trump wants out not in deeper so he
raises the ante. If we are going to attack, we are going to go BIG. He knows Russia will
have to respond. The deep state hacks don't mind killing other people, but they don't want
to die, so the chickenhawks chicken out. Trump ran on ending the wars. He said a couple of
weeks ago he wanted out of Syria in six months. The person with the widest range of
behavioral strategies is typically going to prevail in any encounter. That is basic NLP.
Trump has no problem making an ass of himself in public in negotiation. That is why the
politicians can't stand him. I think he won this round. They will have to impeach or kill
him to win.
I agree 100% with you Mike, that is exactly how I read it also, but you put it more
succinctly than I could. Trump is mad, unpredictable and dangerous - but not dangerous in the
way that Bolton is*. Despite apparently having some very stupid qualities, he certainly also
has great intelligence abilities (nobody is either "always intelligent" or "always stupid",
rather everybody has a complex mixture of qualities).
If we take the premise that he thought the East Gouta chemical weapons attack allegations
were stupid and totally implausible, what would he have to do, given the political situation
he has with Russiagate and the illogical attacks on him there? If he ridicules the ridiculous
allegations he will be attacked in the same way that he is attacked for ridiculing the
ridiculous Russiagate allegations. He will be accused again of being a "Putin-stooge".
Therefore it would be fitting to his character to instead APPEAR to be enthusiastic about the
attack, while subtly blocking it. If there was no attack, then the OPCW team when they arrive
are not going to find signs of it. Mike's idea of upping the ante here comes in very handy,
because it means the attack has to wait for more forces to arrive, especially the carrier
group that will take over a week.
By reacting hard and fast in favour of bombing Syria before there is any evidence he is
satisfying the warmongers and preventing the warmongers from attacking him - but by demanding
a huge attack he guarantees that it has to wait until after OPCW arrives and finds nothing.
Once OPCW go in and find nothing, anybody who criticises Trump for not bombing Syria will
find themselves in difficulties! He can safely call it off.
If instead he rejected military action from the outset, he would be attacked very hard by
his opponents. Likewise if he said "wait for the investigation first" he would be attacked
especially by the media for "believing Putin". After the OPCW go in and prove there was no CW
attack anyway, Trump's opponents would (a) blame Trump for not wanting to bomb Syria, and (b)
blame Trump for "sabotaging" the OPCW investigation, implying that there was really a CW
attack.
NOTE: I am not defending Trump's behaviour, it is stupid, immensely dangerous, and
catastrophic for international relations - and illegal. I am just describing what I think is
probably his point of view to justify the assertion that maybe Trump has no intention of
starting this war. It is bluff.
* Why would Trump appoint Bolton? Maybe because of similarities in their personalities
(that would be very bad news if that was the reason). But there is another possibility -
maybe Trump thinks Bolton is such a useless and incompetent madman and such an idiot that
Trump can use Bolton to deflect the cravings of the warmongers and transform - through Bolton
- their policies into something so patently absurd that they self-destruct. (Bolton will not
see through the above, for example, he is probably foaming at the mouth in his battle lust
right now). When those policies self-destruct who does Trump blame? Of course Bolton and the
other the warmongers. Again this is a dangerously reckless and destructive way of running
government, but appears to fit in with Trump's personality.
Trump, of course, is a purely domestic president. He has no idea about international
relations, and probably does not even care about international relations.
Macron was feeling the heat of french demonstrations.
Not the demonstrations. In France, unlike Britain, you can't get the nation
behind the government by going to war. People will just say f*ck off. More this is old French
policy, going back to the Mandate. Macron is not very experienced in foreign policy, and he's
just going along with established rules. A mistake, I think, as he hasn't thought out what
might happen if the situation escalates.
If I understand correctly, as I didn't watch it, these remarks were made in the course of
a major interview which was highly signaled in advance, but addressed to the present strikes
in France. Syria was a little by-issue.
Are you writing on behalf of the British government b? Since when do Saudis become
responsible for Britsh ops just because they happened to be required to fund them, as in, pay
us or we'll kill you.
This entire episode has been one big joke on the Rothschild UK. The holders of the Trump's
twitter account needed to cover for a US withdrawal. The UK based Deep State have lost their
bid to keep the US officially involved. Untill Trump is removed prolonging this war is now
entirely up to the Brits.
I am trying to recall a lie perpetrated by the then minister of defense in Israel
that said publicly that Israel was not prepared or readyto go to war ,not at least
for a full six months.
The very next day at sunrise, they struck the Egyptian Air force on the ground
and made mincemeat of it.
Just to add to the above: maybe Trump called up Teresa May and said "Well you know Teresa,
just between you and me, the CW attack if it ever occurred at all was probably a false flag
because why on earth would Assad do such a CW attack when he is having so much success; but
as you know it is US policy to eliminate Assad so I think if we go in at all we should really
go in BIG." May then has doubts!
robert fisk remembers what usa and uk pretend to forget
>
> But it's a different war that I'm remembering today. It's the Iran-Iraq war between 1980
and 1988, when Saddam Hussein invaded Iran. When the Iranians re-crossed their own border and
stormed into Iraq years later, Saddam used gas on thousands of Iranian soldiers – and
civilians, for there were nurses and doctors at the war front.
>
> Funny how we forget this now. We don't talk about it. We have forgotten all about it.
Talk about the "normalisation" of chemical warfare – this was it!
>
> But in our desire to concentrate minds on Syria, we're not mentioning the Iran gassings
– Iran being another one of our present-day enemies, of course – and this may be
because of our lack of official memory.
>
> More likely it's because of what happened: the institutionalisation of chemical warfare,
the use of chemicals by Saddam who was then an ally of the West and of all the Gulf Sunni
states, our frontline Sunni hero. The thousands of Iranian soldiers who were to die were
referred to on Iraqi radio after they crossed the frontier. The "Persian insects" had crossed
the border, it announced. And that's how they were treated.
>
> For the precursors for the Iraqi gas came largely from the United States – one
from New Jersey – and US military personnel later visited the battlefront without
making any comments about the chemicals which were sold to the Iraqi regime, of course, for
"agricultural" purposes. That's how to deal with insects, is it not?
>
> Yet not a soul today is mentioning this terrible war, which was fought with our total
acquiescence. It's almost an "exclusive" to mention the conflict at all, so religiously have
we forgotten it. That was the real "normalisation", and we allowed it to happen. Religious
indeed, for it was the first great battle of the Sunni-Shia war of our time. But it was
real.
>
> Of the thousands of Iranians who were asphyxiated, a few survivors were even sent to
British hospitals for treatment. I travelled with others on a military train through the
desert to Tehran, the railway compartments packed with unsmiling young men who coughed mucus
and blood into white bandages as they read miniature Korans.
>
> They had blisters on their skin and, horrifically, more blisters on top of the first
blisters. I wrote a series of articles about this obscenity for The Times, which I then
worked for. The Foreign Office later told my editors that my articles were "not helpful".
>
> No such discretion today. No fear of being out to get Saddam then – because in
those days, of course, the good guys were using the chemicals. Don't we remember the Kurds of
Halabja who were gassed by Saddam, with gas which the CIA told its officers to claim was used
by the Iranians?
Evidently nothing has happened yet because the assets are not yet in place, as indicated by
Paveway and Don. Mattis seems to be restraining. Trump himself won't be keen on a long war.
So a Big Bang to satisfy the US. Putin will go along with that.
"Mattis seems to be restraining." Agreed. "Seems" being the word under pressure here.
From what I have read today on Southfront and Sputnik, Mattis is now essentially claiming,
somewhat unbelievably, that no decision has yet been made by the President on whether there
will be a strike at all. This statement--if indeed it is that--would appear to run directly
counter to what every major US, UK, and French official--including Trump!--has been claiming
for around two days now.
The most optimistic reading of this is that Mattis remains in direct contact with Russian
generals and has determined on the basis of some kind of miraculous professionalism (I
know....) that there is no way a U.S. led strike of the sort initially proposed could avoid
escalating beyond containment.
So what will happen now--again, optimistically--is either a negotiated smaller symbolic
strike that will prove amenable to both US and Russian political needs, or a deus ex machina
that somehow allows the US and NATO to walk back the strike they had already basically
guaranteed. I don't see this latter option as a real option, frankly.
But the way that Mattis has set things up hinges on the *convincing* production of
evidence of chemical weapon use by Assad in East Ghouta. How will the US pull this off,
exactly, given that Russia controls the "crime scene"?
I'm not a warmonger, but love to see Putin sink one of the submarine.
"According to the UK's Daily Telegraph newspaper, British submarines have been ordered
to move within missile range of Syria, as strikes against the Assad regime are expected as
early as Thursday night."
It was always British intention to cause chaos in Syria, looks like they are going to have
another go st killing more people. Quite illegal of course but it's what Israel and paymaster
Rothschild want.
@29 B and others here have covered the seafood poisoning angle previously. But you cannot get
botulism from fish unless it is improperly preserved (so some sort of brine or oil
preservation). The Clostridium bacteria responsible for producing botulin toxin are
anaerobic, and thus not found in fresh seafood. Additionally, the Skirpals did not
demonstrate the classic symptoms of botulism.
@ 67 laguerre... why can't you just let the white helmets convince you of the merits of this
with tele or video presentation? you have to give the royal press - heather nauert, nyt, wapo
and wsj a few days to put it in print!!
US has used cluster bombs, napalm, white phosphorous, and depleted uranium munitions. Does
not the purported horror at the alleged use of poison gas look a trite hypocriitical?
Add Stephen Zunes (Univ. San Francisco) to the "hook, line, and sinker" list. I wish someone
would/could shed light on "why" these seemingly discerning (in other areas; eg. Palestine)
don't seem to even as basic common sense questions when "analyzing" Syria. It's bizarre, but
common (so maybe not bizarre, just irrational).
Tass reports that Russia has convoked a UNSC meeting with the Secretary-General to attend in
an attempt to:
[.] "preventing the war in Syria against the background of Washington's threats, adding
that a direct military standoff between Russia an United States cannot be ruled out in
current circumstances.
The immediate priority is to avert war.
Russia's U.N. Envoy Nebenzya, when asked whether he meant war between Russia and the
United States, the Russian diplomat replied, "We cannot exclude any possibility,
unfortunately because we saw messages that are coming from Washington, they were very
bellicose. They know we are there"[.]
Assuming the USA/IS/UK/FR... war project for destruction in the middle east will enter a new
phase soon whereby Russia will be directly attacked or have no other way than to respond, I
wonder how events will unfold. Like the diplomacy and Shayrat Airbase, Russia on many cases
gave the USA and its vassals so desperately craving for war the benefit of the doubt but that
time is now long over and it responds in kind. You expel our diplomats? We expel your
diplomats. Quid pro quo, an eye for eye, a tooth for a tooth. The Russian military presense
in Syria is not so close to home which makes it difficult to defend so they would easily be
wiped out I think albeit not without a heavy fight. But there is not a chance Russia would
cave in and submit because the whole Russian Federation would be next. Assuming the war
escalation remains conventional then Russia might strike at places that are closer to home
and that are easier to defend and supplied. The USA, so far from home, has built a giant meat
buffer in Europe where they planted many bases on the Russian border so they would probably
bear the brunt. If then by some NATO pretext, Russia would be attacked on it's own soil I
doubt it will remain limited to conventional warfare but maybe the USA would have already
pressed some red button earlier, Bolton clearly is a fan. Let's hope this is just a far off
horror scenario which will never unfold.
Apr 7, 2018 Ziad Fadel at SyrianPerspective.com reported the capture of 11 British officers
in Eastern Ghouta. See also Farsnews "http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=l3970122001526"
for more information on the plot to attack Damascus from Eastern Ghouta that was foiled by
the Syrian-Russian operations.
Apr 12, 2018 Ziad reports capture of American, Israeli and Saudi forces in Eastern Ghouta
(source Truthmonger) here
Apr 12 2018 - See also this vimeo of Russian radio program here provided by another commenter Robert Sneffjella on The
Vineyared of the Saker blog. Apparently, Chinese analysts believe many Americans (~200?) were
killed in Eastern Ghouta.
In addition to the captured forces, the US sudden rush to hysteria and May's abrupt u-turn
regarding the unproven Douma chemical weapon attack may be explained in part by possible war
crime evidence abandoned in Douma by the militants, evidence that may point directly at the
US, UK, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. A large scale attack on Syria may have as its primary
purpose the destruction of this evidence. To defuse tension, perhaps Syria and Russia should
negotiate release of the remaining US and UK personnel and find a mutually beneficial
agreement with the US regarding the evidence.
The first OPCW inspection group consisiting of 4 persons has arrived in Beruit on
Thursday. The second group is supposed to arrive on Friday but Dr Bashar Al-Jaafari said OPCW
didn't say how many persons would be in the second group when Syrian Embassy in Brussel asked
for their passports to issue them visa. OPCW did nt provide passports for the second team, so
Syria decided to issue them visa at the border between Lebanon-Syria.
It seems a bit strange that OPCW wouldn't either state numbers of people coming nor
provide passports ahead so that Syrian government at least who are coming. Guess US/UK/France
& Co would want to insert some of their preferred "experts" in the second team.
Russians and Syrians on the E. Ghouta ground should be alert.
Were going to see another attack on an empty airbase. Russia will be notified in advance. Ive
read that Syria already moved most of their more modern aircraft to the Russian air bases.
Some of the more brain dead Trump supporters will be thrilled that he did something. It
obviously wont be anything big. Theyre not going to risk war with Russia and I don't think
the Russians are bluffing, they've invested too much to simply watch the Syrian government be
destroyed now.
Although it wont be, it should be a wake up call that he needs to be more careful before
he jumps on Twitter. Like you said, hes forced now to do something even if some of us are
wise enough to see this response will be all for show.
Thank you for the rant cassandra @28, my feelings too. I have been ranting a lot too as I
believe we are owed a forensic report on the Skripals plus a read of their statements to any
and all authorities that interviewed plus a detailed statement of the hospital diagnosis and
response.
This no ordinary circumstance. The world has been driven to the brink of war, millions of
people are threatened by the consequences. This is not a time 'to respect the privacy' of two
people when the ultimate life of so many is threatened.
The grim reaper, Tony Blair, came out salivating for blood just to remind us of the
consequences of lies and deceit as the drivers of war.
We are owed a full and frank exposure of the facts, preferably in an international court,
but certainly in an independent report. Failing that, speak up Yulia, we need to hear the
story.
That was nothing but a bunch of empty verbiage -- totally meaningless. They could not say
where or whom the "samples" came from, could not say who gathered the samples, could not say
who transported the samples, could not say who delivered the samples, could not say what US
entities received the samples, could not say what US entities tested the samples.
No source, no chain of custody.
But we're just supposed to believe all those altogether unsupported assertions.
The first four OPCW inspectors have arrived at Douma. They are free to go anywhere. Russian
military protection.
The rest due tomorrow. By Saturday they will have all the facts in their notebooks.
Not a scrap of evidence. No residue, no corpses, no doctors reporting any victims, no
hospital visits by victims.
A total False Flag. Russian experts were there the next day. Not a trace of any
substance.
Dead were from suffocation (dust, plaster, cement).
The facts exist and its impossible to twist. The terrorists gave up too swiftly. The
Russians went right to the site and videotapped everything within 24 hours.
This isn't Salisbury. It's Douma. And the Americans know they can't sell the False
Flag.
The Russian Generals talking to the Chief of Staff Dunsford and others have made it clear.
You can bomb the desert like you did for four years. But that's it.
US does not want a piece of Russian payback.
Just mark a few buildings with Iranian and Hezbollah flags and slogans out in the middle
of nowhere and the US will blow them up for Bibi. Call it a success. Trump remains #1 in the
mirror, USA is great again. Blah, blah, blah.
You can sell American Exceptionalism to all the dopes of Main Street. They actually
believe this shit.
The notion that Trump is secretly anti-war is absurd, no matter how many times people assume
it. Trump campaigned on a platform of winning. There's no reason to credit his inaction to
anything but his repeated discovery that loser generals won't guarantee an easy win. That's
why so many professionals are being ditched in my opinion.
Trump is emboldened by Xi's opportunism and cowardice. Xi's recent rebuff of North Korea,
coupled with his surrender on trade, suggest that Trump et al. think they can take out Kim
Jong Un personally, then simply pick up the pieces. Very likely Xi thinks the same. Both have
a surprise coming.
The war in Syria will continue indefinitely, based in Idleb, with Turkish clandestine
support from Afrin, with Israel in the Golan Heights and the Kurds in the east. Russia's
massive investment in a victory has failed because Putin never had an endgame. Russia will
bleed money for a naval base of dubious value (save in Putin's addled brain,) even as the
fascist menace in Ukraine builds and builds.
I agree. With the possible qualification that ultimately they don't so much care what we
believe as they want (perhaps) to break Mattis' hold on Trump by piling on the narrative of
inevitability. That they still need to do this suggests, to me at least, that Mattis is at
least holding out. Perhaps I am wrong.
Syria - Threat Of Large War Recedes But May Come Back
It has come back with war criminal Theresa May and her decision tonight.
Opinion polls show most Brits DO NOT SUPPORT THE BOMBING.
And it is totally unacceptable that she is seemingly refusing a parliamentary vote to give
her authority.
Britain is shamed.
He compared Eva Bartlett to some flaming nutter because she challenged him on his, again,
evidence-free contention that Assad uses CW as a habit. It was a truly strange and
disheartening exchange.
GG does important and courageous work. I hope someone, in the post-mortem of this
anti-Syria/Kill!! frenzy (hopefully resolved in favor of letting Syrians determine the future
of their own country) probe why these seeming do-gooders went the counter-factual route on
Syria, separate from all their other seeming inclinations. And by probe I mean harsh and
relentless, answer-seeking, but not defamatory, questioning.
Interesting take by the young Putin.....
In recent documentaries, Putin has shared candid memories of his youth in a working-class
neighborhood of St. Petersburg -- then known as Leningrad. He said he learned lessons there
that have lasted a lifetime.
"The streets of Leningrad taught me 50 years ago that when a fight is inevitable, you must
strike first," was one of the recollections.
Another telling episode was an encounter with a rat in a seedy entrance of his crumbling
apartment building. After he cornered the rodent, it turned back on him and attacked.
"She ran forward and chased me, jumping from one flight of stairs to another and even tried
to leap on my head," he recalled in an interview for a recent documentary. "You shouldn't try
to corner anyone."
Interestingly enough George Galloway was asked on his talk show tonight, If you were Putin
what would you do if the US,UK and France attacked Syria? He said I would come out with all
guns blazing. I agree with that, the West will never stop trying to destroy Syria, the 'West'
needs to be given a bloody nose.
Anyone have confirmation of this? Serbian account claiming
"Today in a TV show on RTS1, military analyst Mr Lazanski said that the likelihood that
the US will give up its attack on Syria is less than 1%, since 2 Arab countries, very close
US allies, already paid for attacking Syria. The money is already handed over, and that's it,
he said."
CanSpeccy @ 29: Mataman @ 65 is right, B has already covered the possibility of seafood
poisoning in a previous post. Just go back to the Main page and skip back a few posts.
It's known that the Skripals ate seafood risotto at the Zizzi's Restaurant outlet in
Salisbury just before their collapse on the bench in The Maltings shopping mall. I checked
the menu online and found the risotto contains mussels. Mussels are notorious as a source of
shellfish poisoning.
It's quite possible also that some of the garnishings in the risotto may have come from
improperly canned food (the main source of botulin poisoning) so you may still be right.
There has been news that the Zizzi's Restaurant Salisbury outlet is to be destroyed along
with the Skripal house. One can understand why the Skripal house might have to be destroyed
(a cheap form of decontamination) but why the restaurant should be destroyed if it has not
been tested for the presence of "nerve gas agent" is another issue altogether. The alacrity
with which the British government and police authorities are destroying valuable evidence
(including the bodies of the Skripals' pet guinea pigs and cat - the guinea pigs having died
of thirst and the cat put down after being found in a state of starvation) is suspicious in
itself and might suggest the actions of a criminal covering his/her tracks.
> "What is it going to take for Christians and conservatives to snap out of this war
fever? What is it going to take for them to give up this ignoble infatuation with Zionist
Israel?"
> When Israel attacks Syria and/or Lebanon, as it clearly intends to do, Hezbollah will
retaliate with its missiles, some of which will surely be directed towards the Mashabim Air
Base, which will be targeted to inhibit the base's ability to bomb Lebanon. And once
Washington is well and truly engaged in what is referred to as "force protection," Israel
will undoubtedly widen the conflict by drawing Iran in through attacks on that country's
identified bases in Syria that are supporting the al-Assad government. The bigger war will
suddenly become America's responsibility after Israel inevitably proves itself incapable of
handling the escalation.
>
> During the recent bilateral military exercises, Air Force Lieutenant General Richard
Clark enthused that American soldiers are "prepared to die for the Jewish state" and also
added that they would "probably" be under the command of Israeli Air Force General Zvika
Haimovitch, who would decide on the involvement of U.S. personnel. Haimovitch commented "I am
sure we will find US troops on the ground to defend the state of Israel."
>
> Does anyone really believe that Syria was behind the latest gas attack in that country?
Does anyone seriously believe that Syria was behind the previous gas attack in that country a
year ago? For that matter, does anyone truly believe that Syria was behind the gas attack of
its own people back in 2013?
>
> Think about it: The U.S. military has been actively engaged in a surreptitious effort to
overthrow the Syrian government for years. The U.S. government -- along with Israel, Saudi
Arabia, and Great Britain -- created, supported, and funded ISIS with the intention of
overthrowing President Assad. After the last gas attack, President Trump bombed Syria in
"retaliation." The U.S. government is looking for any excuse to destroy the Syrian government
(and Iran's). And just as Trump is talking about removing troops from Syria, Assad decides to
launch another gas attack against his own people? You must be kidding! Only the most
naïve people on the planet would believe such a cock and bull story.
>
> Everyone knows that it was Israel that launched those illegal airstrikes against Syria
this week in what can only be regarded as the first wave of Israeli/U.S. airstrikes against
Syria. The Israeli government has not even tried to deny it. And this comes on the heels of
IDF soldiers murdering 20 unarmed (unless you count teenagers who throw stones and rocks at
combat soldiers who are wearing body armor and carrying machine guns as being "armed")
Palestinian protesters (many of them shot in the back by Israeli snipers) a few days ago.
>
> The only reason the United States (and Israel) can get by with these unconstitutional
and unconscionable acts of aggression in the Middle East is because the vast majority of
evangelical Christians who put the warmongering politicians in office have been propagandized
to believe that these wars for Israel are "holy" wars. They believe that the Rothschild
Zionist State of Israel is a reincarnated Biblical Israel. They further believe that this
reincarnated Israel is divinely appointed to have all of the land that God gave to Old
Testament Israel under the Abrahamic Covenant. But as theologian Adam Clarke (1760 - 1832)
wrote in his commentary on the Abrahamic Covenant in Genesis 15:18, "This promise was fully
accomplished in the days of David and Solomon." And so it was. But because Christians have
been brainwashed by Scofieldism, they believe that wars fought against any Arab country -- no
matter how unconstitutional, no matter how illegal, no matter how murderous, no matter how
aggressive, no matter how horrific -- are in accordance with "God's plan for Israel" and,
therefore, divinely justified.
>
> It is of no concern to these misguided Christians how many of their own Christian
brothers and sisters are being slaughtered by the U.S. and Israeli militaries in these wars.
It is of no concern to them how many innocent men, women, and children of all faiths are
being killed in these wars. It is of no concern to them that global nuclear war could break
out at any time as a result of these wars. They think these are "holy" wars. They also
believe that before American cities melt in a nuclear Armageddon they are going to be
"raptured" to heaven and escape all of the consequences of their misinterpreted Biblical
prophecies and mindless political perversions.
>
> If America's Christians were not so blinded by faux-Israel and false theology about
Israel, they would be able to see the world (especially the Middle Eastern world) in a MUCH
different light.
> But here we are: on the precipice of World War III. And for what? To remove a
democratically elected leader in a nation that has attacked NO ONE and that poses absolutely
NO threat to the United States -- or Israel, for that matter -- and against whom there is NO
evidence that he launched a gas attack against his own people.
> What is it going to take for Christians and conservatives to snap out of this war fever?
What is it going to take for them to give up this ignoble infatuation with Zionist Israel?
What is it going to take for them to start being Americans again and stop cheering for these
warmongering politicians who believe the United States is some sort of glorified global
cop?
Mattis said that the U.S. aim in Syria is to defeat Islamic State, not "to engage in the civil war itself." But referring to the
use of chemical weapons, Mattis said that " some things are simply inexcusable, beyond the pale " and require a response. -
Bloomberg
The Wall St. Journal reports that Mattis "brought those concerns
directly to the White House on Thursday, where White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the national security team
didn't agree on a response."
Exactly two weeks ago Mattis met Bolton - telling the bemoustached bringer-of-death "I heard you're actually the devil incarnate,
and I wanted to meet you."
... ... ...
"If these strikes start, it could end very tragically and it's impossible to predict the outcome -- that's the nature of military
actions," said Russian Senator Frants Klintsevich in a phone interview, adding that there are "no madmen" among Trump's top military
advisors. " These are professionals who aren't populists and know what this could lead to. "
Meanwhile, Russia's ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia issued a stark warning on Thursday that there was a danger the war
could escalate beyond Syria because of Russia's military presence.
"We cannot exclude any possibilities [of war between Russia and the U.S.] unfortunately because we saw messages that are coming
from Washington," Mr. Nebenzia said. " They were very bellicose. "
In an attempt to settle things diplomatically, Russia asked for an open Security Council emergency meeting on Friday morning,
calling for UN Secretary-General António Guterres to brief the council, according to the Wall St. Journal .
Meanwhile, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) says they are sending a team of investigators to Syria
on Saturday to collect samples from the site of the alleged chemical attack last weekend.
Mad props to Mattis for calling him the devil incarnate to his face even if couched tactfully.
But remember, Bolton is just a scare tactic, he isn't really a demented bloodthirsty demon. He wants to go balls out against
a nuclear power over a false flag but it's a bluff. /s
Mad props to Mattis for calling him the devil incarnate to his face even if couched tactfully.
But remember, Bolton is just a scare tactic, he isn't really a demented bloodthirsty demon. He wants to go balls out against
a nuclear power over a false flag but it's a bluff. /s
Let's see. Who's responsible for toppling (or trying to) one strong man after another in the Middle East and leaving the place
in a shit storm? USA! USA! USA!
while President Trump told reporters on Thursday "We're looking very, very seriously, very closely at that whole situation,
and we'll see what happens, folks, we'll see what happens. It's too bad that the world puts us in a position like that."
The lack of self awareness and the victim mentality in this cry-bully statement is breathtaking. Akin to projectile vomiting
on someone them blaming them for smelling disgusting. Extraordinary .
"It was very disconcerting when I saw that an attack is planned on Mosul, an attack is planned. ... Why do we have to talk
about it? Why? I never saw anything like this. Every time we are going to attack somebody, we explain. We're going to attack,
we'll be attacking at three, noon on March 25. I don't know, unless you disagree with me, wouldn't it be better if we were going
to go after Mosul to not say anything and do it, as opposed to announcing -- they're announcing all over television they're planning
to attack Mosul." -- Donald J. Trump
In a White House known for chaos, the process of developing the U.S. response to the Syrian government's alleged latest gas attack
was proceeding with uncharacteristic deliberation, including several national security briefings for President Trump.
But then Wednesday morning, Trump upended it all with a tweet -- warning Russia, the Syrian government's backer, to "get ready"
because American missiles "will be coming, nice and new and 'smart!' "
White House advisers were surprised by the missive and found it "alarming" and "distracting," in the words of one senior official.
They quickly regrouped and, together with Pentagon brass, continued readying Syria options for Trump as if nothing had happened.
But the Twitter disruption was emblematic of a president operating on a tornado of impulses -- and with no clear strategy -- as
he faces some of the most consequential decisions of his presidency, including Syria, trade policy and the Russian interference probe
that threatens to overwhelm his administration.
"It's just like everybody wakes up every morning and does whatever is right in front of them," said one West Wing aide, speaking
on the condition of anonymity to share a candid opinion. "Oh, my God, Trump Tower is on fire. Oh, my God, they raided Michael Cohen's
office. Oh, my God, we're going to bomb Syria. Whatever is there is what people respond to, and there is no proactive strategic thinking."
The president has been particularly livid in the wake of Monday's FBI raids on the home, office and hotel room of Cohen, his longtime
personal attorney. In the days after, he has seriously contemplated a shake-up at the Justice Department in the hopes of curbing
the expanding probe by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, whose referral led to the Cohen raids. Trump is considering firing
Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein, who is overseeing the probe, several people familiar with Trump's private comments said.
By Trump's admission Wednesday on Twitter, Mueller's investigation into Russian election interference and possible obstruction
of justice has consumed "tremendous time and focus." And in denying allegations of wrongdoing, the president seemed to equivocate
in a parenthetical aside: "No Collusion or Obstruction (other than I fight back)," he wrote.
On trade, meanwhile, the president is grappling with the potential economic fallout of his threatened tariffs, especially within
the agriculture sector, which could harm some of the rural states that carried him to electoral victory -- all against the backdrop
of his ongoing effort to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement more favorably for the United States.
Trump also finds himself facing the surprise retirement of House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), signaling more turmoil for the
fractious Republican Party heading into the midterm elections.
These and other pivotal developments come as many of the guardrails that previously helped stabilize the president -- from West
Wing aides to clear policy processes -- have been cast aside, with little evident organization or long-term strategy emanating from
the White House.
This portrait of Trump in the current moment comes from interviews with 21 administration officials, outsider advisers, lawmakers
and confidants, many of them speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details and conversations.
Save for his Wednesday morning tweet, the president's Syria deliberations have largely been the exception to the chaos engulfing
the White House, underscoring the high stakes of a decision, White House officials said.
President Trump, second from right, speaks in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Monday. (Susan Walsh/AP)
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Wednesday afternoon that Trump continues to review options for a military
strike in Syria and that his tweet should not be read as an announcement of planned action.
"We're maintaining that we have a number of options, and all of those options are still on the table," Sanders said. "Final decisions
haven't been made on that front."
The National Security Council met Wednesday afternoon at the White House, chaired by Vice President Pence, to finalize options
that could be presented to the president, Sanders said. She said Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, national security adviser John Bolton
and other senior officials have been in regular contact with their counterparts from Israel, Saudi Arabia, France, the United Kingdom
and other partners around the world as the administration weighs its military options for Syria.
Yet Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) said Wednesday afternoon that he had yet to hear from Trump
or other administration officials about impending action in Syria.
"I have no idea. So far, it appears to me to be bluster," Corker said. "Then I saw a tweet come out about us working with Russia
right after we're getting ready to bomb them, so I mean, who knows? Unfortunately, there are a lot of things announced by the administration
that never come to pass or evolve."
The more general question of U.S. engagement in Syria has confounded and divided the administration. Officials at the White House
and Pentagon, for instance, were blindsided by Trump's pronouncement at a rally in Ohio in late March that U.S. troops would be leaving
Syria "very soon," and in the first hours after the speech, they scrambled to get a sense of what he meant.
Trump initially told aides that he wanted U.S. soldiers and Marines to leave in 48 hours -- an impossible timeline that alarmed
the Pentagon and sent officials racing to dissuade him, two U.S. officials said.
Eventually, Mattis and others persuaded Trump to give the military another six months to wipe out the remnants of the Islamic
State. The timeline was far from ideal but was viewed as a major victory compared with Trump's original timeline, officials said.
Senior U.S. officials describe a president who is operating largely on impulse, with little patience for the advice of his top
aides. "A decision or statement is made by the president, and then the principals -- Mattis or Pompeo or Kelly -- come in and tell
him we can't do it," said one senior administration official. "When that fails, we reverse-engineer a policy process to match whatever
the president said."
On a potential shake-up at the Justice Department, Trump has been receiving a range of advice and has sent mixed signals about
his intentions. Within the White House, advisers have largely counseled caution and urged him not to make changes. White House Chief
of Staff John F. Kelly and counsel Donald McGahn have tried to calm Trump several times, as has Ty Cobb, the White House lawyer handling
the Russia probe.
Yet others, including many in the president's orbit who don't work in the White House, have counseled a more aggressive approach,
saying the raid of Cohen's home and business crossed a line. This advice has left White House staff on edge, nervous about what the
president might do.
Trump, for instance, yelled about Rosenstein and Attorney General Jeff Sessions for several hours Monday and has continued to
complain about them since. But some described his complaints as just "venting," with one outside adviser saying that while the president
is "steamed and unhappy," that doesn't necessarily mean he's prepared to take action.
"I heard or saw nothing that would suggest he was planning to make a change at the Department of Justice," said Alan Dershowitz,
a retired Harvard Law School professor who dined at the White House with Trump on Tuesday night. He said they mainly discussed the
Middle East and Russia.
Rosenstein, meanwhile, seems to have made peace with any eventuality, said one person who has had a conversation with him. He
understands he might be squarely in Trump's crosshairs, and "is ready for whatever comes and confident in his own behavior."
Trump has also devoted a portion of his days to trade policy. Over the past eight weeks, the president has initiated trade disputes
with several of the largest countries in the world, driving forward pronouncements without fully vetting most of them with key aides.
In some cases, he has backpedaled on his vow to impose steep tariffs on countries such as Germany, Canada and Mexico. But he has
also refused to waive tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Japan, a major U.S. security ally and trading partner.
Some Senate Republicans fear that Trump's loosely formed trade war with China could end up cratering the agriculture industry
at a time when many Midwestern farmers are preparing to plant crops. China has promised to impose tariffs on U.S. farm exports as
a way of retaliating against Trump's planned tariffs. The White House promised to backstop U.S. farm groups, but they have yet to
share what they would do or how they would do it.
"I don't know what kind of cockamamie scheme we could come up with that would be fair," Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) said Tuesday.
Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Tex.) was similarly frustrated by Trump's trade agenda. "I think the president has some ideas
about trade that are not generally shared by the Republican conference," he said.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told his frustrated ranks during a closed-door lunch this week to call Trump and air their
trade-related worries, according to a person familiar with the Kentucky Republican's remarks. Roberts and others planned to meet
with Trump on Thursday to discuss the matter.
"... This is developing into a pattern where when it looks like Trump is cornered in to doing something, he jumps aboard the neo-con bus and drives it straight towards the cliff. ..."
"... You asked about Trump and Bolton. Trump was inexplicably a fan of Bolton early on. ..."
"... Trump with his "get ready Russia" tweet ensured all knew the stakes involved in a US attack on Syria. It pulles people out of apathy. From that point on he sits back and waits for others to stop the bus. "Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and "smart!" You shouldn't be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!" ..."
Juan Cole took exactly the same position before the attack on Libya, he is a F'ing CIA troll
plant, what a phony, especially revealing he promotes this B.S. which any 5th grader sees is
phony. Infuriating. He is a totally compromised piece of shit, I actually used to read his
phony blog in the run up to attacking Libya he was all for it, I even reached him by e mail
saying he would lose all credibility and he even responded as if I was out of my mind. He
lost all credibility with me, I don't give a dog turd what he has to say about anything, and
now this. He is a war criminal and should be boycotted if he is still teaching.
@ 107 same sentiments Juan Cole is an imperialist scholar justifying war's and is as culpable
for the deaths and destruction of Libya ... I wonder how he explains to his students the
proliferation of slave-markets and terrorist gangs in 'liberated' Libya
I am probably a bit influenced by Pat Lang's belief that Trump spends his time watching TV
news but it is looking like Trump is far smarter than that. This is developing into a pattern
where when it looks like Trump is cornered in to doing something, he jumps aboard the neo-con
bus and drives it straight towards the cliff.
The two sides of Trump are his history of speaking out against useless costly wars, and the
other side that has increased US military spending and his belief that US should have kept
the Iraqi oil. I guess Trump has no objection to a war if the US will profit from it, but is
not interested in the neo-con ideological wars.
It's a sign of the times that the only apparently sane adult in Trump's cabinet is nicknamed
"mad dog". But don't worry. Everyone has already forgotten all about the butchery in Gaza and
we can get back to "normal" business.
You asked about Trump and Bolton. Trump was inexplicably a fan of Bolton early on. In an
NBC show Meet the Press" appearance in August 2015 Trump cited Bolton as one of the people
whose views he respects on Foreign Policy, leading Mother Jones, a left-oriented magazine to
write: Donald
Trump's Curious Relationship With an Iraq War Hawk : The tycoon decries the US
invasion of Iraq but embraces one of its architects .
A must read to refresh your memory of Trump's position on Middle East when he was a
candidate.
Trump with his "get ready Russia" tweet ensured all knew the stakes involved in a US attack
on Syria. It pulles people out of apathy. From that point on he sits back and waits for
others to stop the bus. "Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get
ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and "smart!" You shouldn't be
partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!"
@122 - "Everyone has already forgotten all about the butchery in Gaza and we can get back to
"normal" business."
I tend to agree: UK poisoned front door knobs (unfortunately not #10 D Street); Apartheid
racist Zio-fascism murdering indigenous protesters in Gaza; and Spanky Trump and his bordello
babes -- not to forget the end of post-2007/9 BS market 'QE' capitalism at hand.
Basically the UK gov need a distraction from a rise of real traditional Labour sentiment
(traitor & warmonger Tony Blair can't seem to nail Corbyn) -- and on the whole they just
can't seem to accept they won't rate well in World Cup. Sour grapes?
"... Next, there was an consensus view that pleading, reasoning, asking for fairness or justice, or even for common sense, was futile. The Russian view is simple: the West is ruled by a gang of thugs supported by an infinitely lying and hypocritical media while the general public in the West has been hopelessly zombified. The authority of the so-called "western values" (democracy, rule of law, human rights, etc.) in Russia is now roadkill. ..."
"... There was also a broad consensus that the US elites are not taking Russia seriously and that the current Russian diplomatic efforts are futile (especially towards the UK). The only way to change that would be with very harsh measures, including diplomatic and military ones. Everybody agreed that talking with Boris Johnson would be not only a total waste of time, but a huge mistake. ..."
"... Reach your own conclusions. I will just say that none of the "experts" was representing, or working for, the Russian government. Government experts not only have better info, they also know that the lives of millions of people depend on their decisions, which is not the case for the so-called "experts". Still, the words of these experts do reflect, I think, a growing popular consensus. ..."
They all agreed that the AngloZionist (of course, they used the words "USA" or "Western
countries") was only going to further escalate and that the only way to stop this is to
deliberately bring the world right up to the point were a full-scale US-Russian war was
imminent or even locally started.
They said that it was fundamentally wrong for Russia to reply
with just words against Western actions. Interestingly, there also was a consensus that even a
full-scale US attack on Syria would be too late to change the situation on the ground, that it
was way too late for that.
Another interesting conclusion was that the only real question for
Russia is whether Russia would be better off delaying this maximal crisis or accelerating the
events and making everything happen sooner. There was no consensus on that.
Next, there was
an consensus view that pleading, reasoning, asking for fairness or justice, or even for common
sense, was futile. The Russian view is simple: the West is ruled by a gang of thugs supported
by an infinitely lying and hypocritical media while the general public in the West has been
hopelessly zombified. The authority of the so-called "western values" (democracy, rule of law,
human rights, etc.) in Russia is now roadkill.
There was also a broad consensus that
the US elites are not taking Russia seriously and that the current Russian diplomatic efforts
are futile (especially towards the UK). The only way to change that would be with very harsh
measures, including diplomatic and military ones. Everybody agreed that talking with Boris
Johnson would be not only a total waste of time, but a huge mistake.
To my amazement, the
notion that Russia might have to sink a few USN ships or use Kalibers on US forces in the
Middle-East was viewed as a real, maybe inevitable, option. Really – nobody objected.
Reach your own conclusions. I will just say that none of the "experts" was representing, or
working for, the Russian government. Government experts not only have better info, they also
know that the lives of millions of people depend on their decisions, which is not the case for
the so-called "experts". Still, the words of these experts do reflect, I think, a growing
popular consensus.
"... If the chemical attack on Douma really is fictitious – as the Russians insist it is – then for the first time their control of the crime scene puts the Russians in a strong position to prove it. ..."
"... The point was made forcefully by Russia's UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia at the UN Security Council session today, and it also received indirect backing from the UN Secretariat, who admitted that they could not confirm that a chemical weapons attack had happened, and who called upon all sides to show restraint until a proper investigation of the incident had taken place. ..."
"... By now it should surprise no-one that the fact that the Russians are in control of the crime scene and may on this occasion be able to prove conclusively that no chemical weapons attack happened in Douma, instead of deterring a US attack, is actually making it more likely. ..."
"... This is because the credibility of the various 'witnesses' to the Douma attack – who are of course the same witnesses who were previously 'witnesses' to the 2013 East Ghouta and the 2017 Khan Sheikhoun attacks – is now on the line, as is the credibility of those Western governments – first and foremost the US government – who believed or who pretended to believe them. ..."
"... We call upon Western politicians to scale down their hawkish rhetoric, to meaningfully consider possible repercussions and to cease the reckless spill over of threats to global security. What military misadventures of the West brought about is well known to us if we consider the examples of Yugoslavia, Iraq and Libya. ..."
"... And nobody invested you with the power to act as policemen of the world and as investigators, procurators, judges and executioners all at the same time. ..."
"... We call for your return to the legal fold to comply with the U N Charter and to jointly tackle problems that arise, rather than attempting at each step to advance your egotistical geopolitical game. All of the energy needs to be focused on support for the political process in Syria, to which it is necessary to constructively pull the efforts of all influential players. Russia always stands ready to engage in such cooperation ..."
"... RobinG posted Haley's UN diatribe from yesterday. She hammered away at the "pictures of dead babies" theme. What an embarrassment to the American people. ..."
For the sake of world peace – I am beginning to think that impeaching Trump is a good idea. He is doing harm to the stability
of the world. He truly is a bull in a china shop. Upsetting America's internal status quo is a good thing – but upsetting the
worlds equilibrium is another. The only country in the world that Trump has not pissed off – is Israel – how totally and completely
disgusting.
As a result of the total surrender of the Jihadis previously in control of Douma on Sunday, it is the Russian military who
this time are in control of the alleged crime scene.
This has put the Russians in a position where for the first time they are able both to invite the OPCW inspectors to attend
the crime scene and to provide them with protection if they are there, whilst at the same time monitoring and supervising their
work.
If the chemical attack on Douma really is fictitious – as the Russians insist it is – then for the first time their control
of the crime scene puts the Russians in a strong position to prove it.
The point was made forcefully by Russia's UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia at the UN Security Council session today, and
it also received indirect backing from the UN Secretariat, who admitted that they could not confirm that a chemical weapons attack
had happened, and who called upon all sides to show restraint until a proper investigation of the incident had taken place.
Nebenzia followed this up by inviting OPCW inspectors to the scene as early as tomorrow Tuesday.
By now it should surprise no-one that the fact that the Russians are in control of the crime scene and may on this occasion
be able to prove conclusively that no chemical weapons attack happened in Douma, instead of deterring a US attack, is actually
making it more likely.
This is because the credibility of the various 'witnesses' to the Douma attack – who are of course the same witnesses who
were previously 'witnesses' to the 2013 East Ghouta and the 2017 Khan Sheikhoun attacks – is now on the line, as is the credibility
of those Western governments – first and foremost the US government – who believed or who pretended to believe them.
I would add that not only is the credibility of the US government and of other Western governments on the line. So is the credibility
of Western journalists who also believed or pretended to believe the 'witnesses'.
Ron Unz posted a video of the Russian envoy's speech at UN today (Apr 11 18).
Rough notes from near the end to the conclusion of his remarks:
"And you are misguided if you think tha thou have friends So called friends of yours are only those who cannot say no to you.
And this is the sole criterion for friendship in your understanding . Russia has friends and unlike yourselves we do not have
adversaries.
We do not view the world through that prism. And yes, international terrorism, that is our enemy. However, we continue to propose
cooperation. This need to be respectful and mutual cooperation, it needs to go towards resolving real and not imagined problems.
And you should be just as interested as we are in such a cooperation.
///
26 min: As permanent members of the Security Council, we bear the main responsibility for the maintenance of international
peace and security. Through the relevant channels, we already conveyed to the US that armed force under mendacious pretexts against
Syria, where, at the request of the legitimate government of the country, Russian troops have been deployed, could lead to grave
repercussions.
We call upon Western politicians to scale down their hawkish rhetoric, to meaningfully consider possible repercussions
and to cease the reckless spill over of threats to global security. What military misadventures of the West brought about is well
known to us if we consider the examples of Yugoslavia, Iraq and Libya.
And nobody invested you with the power to act as policemen of the world and as investigators, procurators, judges and executioners
all at the same time.
We call for your return to the legal fold to comply with the U N Charter and to jointly tackle problems that arise, rather
than attempting at each step to advance your egotistical geopolitical game. All of the energy needs to be focused on support for
the political process in Syria, to which it is necessary to constructively pull the efforts of all influential players. Russia
always stands ready to engage in such cooperation .
To conclude, Mr. President, I wish to take this opportunity to request an open briefing of the Security Council on the outcomes
of the UN assessment mission in Raqqa and the situation in the Rahman camp. We see the way of members of the Commission attempting
to create a smoke screen around this issue, which is a result of their actions in Syria, including the operations to rain Raqqa
to the ground through bombings. No chemical provocations will divert attention from this, from what you've done. Thank you.
–
Nikki Haley was in the room and listening.
RobinG posted Haley's UN diatribe from yesterday. She hammered away at the "pictures of dead babies" theme. What an embarrassment
to the American people.
Trump became really deranged. For a world leader to behave in such a way is unexcusable. Now
even Trump supporters think that he should be removed
But the goal of the USA in Syria is establishing Saudi-friendly Sunni theocracy remains unchanged, since Obama unleashed this
war using Libyan weapons and Islamic mercenaries/volunteers They want to compensate with Syria the fact that Iraq now went to Iran
sphere of influence instead being a countervailing force during Saddam rein.
Notable quotes:
"... This latest Trump-Tweet about "Russia to be ready for new, smart missiles raining down on Syria" is also a negotiating ploy and to save face. Stock markets, even in this volatile times, have hardly budged, and the gold price is where it has been for the past year. ..."
It is long passed the time when any thinking person took Trump-Tweets seriously. Trump,
himself doesn't take them seriously and considers them as 'negotiating tactics'. Remember the
tweets: "Fire & Fury the World has Never Seen Before", "Little Rocket Man" and "Bigger
Nuclear Button", which then ushered in the prospect of a meeting between Trump and Kim Jong
Un?
This latest Trump-Tweet about "Russia to be ready for new, smart missiles raining down
on Syria" is also a negotiating ploy and to save face. Stock markets, even in this volatile
times, have hardly budged, and the gold price is where it has been for the past
year.
There will probably be a well-restricted cruise missile attack on some Syrian-Iranian base
with Russia pre-warned. The long-promised meeting between Trump and Putin will emerge in the
news to discuss the future of Syria. Trump's desire to pull out of Syria will then come about
naturally and as the result of consultations with Putin.
"... The UN has refused to confirm there has been any attack at all. Russia and Syrian government insist there has been no attack and have approached the Organization for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons for an international investigation. The good thing is that the OPCW is deputing two teams of experts to go to Douma later this week. Russia has offered to give them full security protection. ..."
"... Logically, punishment follows a crime that has been committed and it seems no crime has been committed. ..."
"... Perhaps, Trump is indulging in doublespeak and the backdrop could be the criticality that has arisen over Robert Mueller's investigation into his collusion with Russia, which has now dramatically expanded in scope. The FBI raid on the office of Trump's attorney in the White House is a very serious development. Trump is just inches away from being implicated in the charges against him leveled by porn star Stormy Daniels. ..."
"... A US attack on Syria can distract attention from the stormy controversy that may arise if at this point Trump axes Mueller and derails the investigation against him. There are precedents when beleaguered American presidents resorted to diversionary tactic. Bill Clinton fired cruise missiles at Kandahar when the scandal over Monica Lewinsky peaked and he was facing the prospect of impeachment. ..."
"... A US That brings us back to the alleged chemical attack in Douma last weekend. Who would have staged a false flag operation? The finger of suspicion points toward Israel's role. Israel is desperately keen that the US should have a permanent military presence in Syria. ..."
"... Under strong pressure after the raid on his lawyer's office Trump has obviously decided to strike ..."
The United Nations Security Council turned down a compromise resolution on Syria, proposed
by Sweden and seconded by Russia seeking investigation on the alleged chemical attack in Douma.
Five countries supported the resolution with two permanent members – United States and
Britain – opposing it. Earlier, a resolution on the same lines which was supported by
Russia and China was also opposed by the US and Britain.
This is a significant political and diplomatic victory for Russia insofar as only two other
countries joined the US and Britain to oppose the Swedish resolution. Six countries
abstained.
The big question is whether this development portends an impending US attack on Syria,
bypassing the UN. The UN has refused to confirm there has been any attack at all. Russia
and Syrian government insist there has been no attack and have approached the Organization for
the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons for an international investigation.
The good thing is that the OPCW is deputing two teams of experts to go to Douma later this
week. Russia has offered to give them full security protection.
So Trump has a major decision to make. Logically, punishment follows a crime that has
been committed and it seems no crime has been committed. This appears to be a false flag
operation – that is, a fabrication with a view to trigger a sequence of events. That was
how the US invaded Iraq in 2003 and it is an established fact today that Saddam Hussein did not
have any program to develop weapons of mass destruction, as then US Secretary of State Colin
Power had misled the UN Security Council. (Powell later admitted that he was misled by his own
administration.)
One difference in the present case is that Trump has been on record that he wants the
American military presence in Syria to end. That stance and the present threat to launch an
attack on Syria are contradictory. Because, a US attack on Syria will have serious
repercussions, including possibly a showdown with Russia, which would mean a US drawdown in
Syria may not be possible in a conceivable future.
Perhaps, Trump is indulging in doublespeak and the backdrop could be the criticality
that has arisen over Robert Mueller's investigation into his collusion with Russia, which has
now dramatically expanded in scope. The FBI raid on the office of Trump's attorney in the White
House is a very serious development. Trump is just inches away from being implicated in the
charges against him leveled by porn star Stormy Daniels. The CNN says, "There could be
dark and unprecedented times ahead." A US attack on Syria can distract attention from the
stormy controversy that may arise if at this point Trump axes Mueller and derails the
investigation against him. There are precedents when beleaguered American presidents resorted
to diversionary tactic. Bill Clinton fired cruise missiles at Kandahar when the scandal over
Monica Lewinsky peaked and he was facing the prospect of impeachment.
A US That brings us back to the alleged chemical attack in Douma last weekend. Who would
have staged a false flag operation? The finger of suspicion points toward Israel's role. Israel
is desperately keen that the US should have a permanent military presence in Syria. To
that end, Israel is fueling tensions that will take matters to a point that a US withdrawal
from Syria somehow gets stalled. This is also the impression conveyed by DebkaFile, the Israeli
website with links to the intelligence, which specializes in disinformation
tactic.
M.K. Bhadrakumar served as a career diplomat in the Indian Foreign Service for
over 29 years, with postings including India's ambassador to Uzbekistan (1995-1998) and to
Turkey (1998-2001).
This column was first
published at Indian
Punchline , Mr. Bhadrakumar's personal blog. It is republish here with his permission.
Trump is like a cornered rat. The Deep State's Team Mueller is moving from the Russia
collusion nothingburger to investigating everything else about Trump including his past sex
life and business deals. There's a possibility of something there that could cause a perjury
trap or an indictment for violating some obscure criminal statute. Now they may have
important documents seized from his personal attorney Michael Cohen.
The same Cohen who was allegedly in Prague meeting with the Russians according to MI6 man
Christopher Steele who wrote parts of the Steele Dossier which turned out to be a
fabrication.
In the mean time his DOJ and AG is slow rolling the investigation into the conspiracy
against him by Obama's top law enforcement and intelligence officials. The Deep State
continues to confound Trump. He doesn't seem to have a good strategy against their continuous
attacks on him.
Bhadrakumar believes a Wag the Dog confrontation with Russia may bail him out. I don't
think so. The Deep State are out to get him. They failed the first time when the American
voters in the mid-west didn't buy their electoral propaganda. Now they are executing their
insurance policy using Team Mueller as the attack dog.
British retired General Richard Barrons has just confirmed on BBC Radio 4 that a Russian
attack on American ships offshore Syria would result in a wider war. Macron (France), seems
on board. I dunno if this signals a UK about-face or if
Israel, the Israeli lobby and Saudi Arabia are the greatest threats to mankind.
That said it wouldn't hurt Russia to increase its military capabilities in Syria as a
deterrent and Iran and Russia need to end this conflict already. The slow grinding victory
provides too many opportunities for Israel, Saudi and the neocons to create trouble. China
should help.
Lastly, Israel and Saudi should be struck if Syria is attacked. Those two promote wars
because they have impunity. The risk and damage of war must be theirs too.
"The failure of an "innocuous" draft in support of an impartial investigation into the
alleged chemical incident in Syria's Douma is a "litmus test which speaks volumes," Russia's
UN envoy Vassily Nebenzia said. The draft was based on, and "almost completely copied," an
earlier proposal by Sweden. Nebenzia argued that the proposal was stonewalled simply because
it ultimately came from Russia." https://www.rt.com/news/423762-syria-investigation-draft-rejected/
Seems like states like Sweden, Nethetlands, Poland cover the coming warcrime of US bombing
in the UN while US, UK, France will be the ones that do the bombing.
Bhadrakumar predicted that Putin would sell out Assad about 5 years ago. I have stopped
reading his opinion pieces since then. Still, this post makes a refreshing change from your
obsession with EJ Magnier's point of view, b. You need to step back, take a look and use your
own gut on this.
The Americans know this latest 'attack' is bullshit and its planning predates any FBI raid
on Trump's attorney. The Russians were calling this out a month ago. At the same time that
they were being accussed of poisoning the Skripals. There has been scant consideration of the
link between the two. Yet it is a chain of events that was designed to bring us to the point
where the US could form a military alliance with the likes of Britain and France (Britain of
course already exposed to 5 weeks of anti-Russia chemical weapon hysteria, thereby setting up
a win in the minds of the public and in parliament for a vote on intervention/payback) will
launch an attack on the seat of power in Damascus.
This is going to be shock and awe, and Putin is not going to stop it. When dozens of
Russians were killed in the East by US bombing recently, there was no response. Only a denial
that these men ever existed. It was the green light the US axis needed to power up the
engines for the attack we are about to witness.
The only question that remains is whether Assad will be left standing.
"The Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak states that, the blow will be inflicted by the troops of
the United States, Britain and France within the next 24 hours.
According to sources, a total of 22 targets have been identified in Syria, which will be
destroyed by Western aviation – these are facilities in Damascus, Homs, Tartus, Hama,
Deir ez Zor, and Rakka. In particular, it is planned to strike the area of the
Russian military base in Tartus."
Neb , Apr 11, 2018 5:29:58 AM |
24test , Apr 11, 2018 5:31:10 AM |
25
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Russia's ambassador to Lebanon said any U.S. missiles fired at Syria would
be shot down and the launch sites targeted, a step that could trigger a major escalation in
the Syrian war.
MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Wednesday it hoped all sides involved in Syria
would avoid doing anything that could destabilize an already fragile situation in the Middle
East and made clear it was strongly opposed to a possible U.S. strike on its ally.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin with
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia March 26, 2018.
REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin
The United States and its allies are considering whether to hit Syria over a suspected poison
gas attack that medical relief organizations say killed dozens of people in the rebel-held
town of Douma near Damascus on Saturday.
The Kremlin said on Wednesday allegations that Syrian government forces had carried out
the chemical weapons attack were not based on real facts and said it wanted an impartial
investigation into the incident.
Asked about comments by Russia's ambassador to Lebanon who said that any U.S. missiles
fired at Syria would be shot down and the launch sites targeted, the Kremlin said it did not
want to comment on such matters.
"As before, we would like to hope that all sides will avoid any steps that a) are not
provoked by anything and b) could significantly destabilize an already fragile situation in
the region," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a conference call with reporters.
Reporting by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Katya Golubkova
The media onslaught has moved past the attack in Salisbury by a "weapon of mass
destruction" (quoting Theresa May) which could only be Russian, except that was untrue, and
was extremely deadly, except that was untrue too. It now focuses on an attack by chemical
weapons in Douma which "could only be" by the Russian-backed Assad regime, except there is no
evidence of that either...
I am bit annoyed by the hype in here by some,
Russia has said that they COULD respond IF US strike RUSSIANS inside Syria.
Russia have of course communicated this and WHERE russians are located for US NOT TO bomb
these places.
Outside the box ... , Apr 11, 2018 6:22:12 AM |
33
"Trump has been on record that he wants the American military presence in Syria to end."
I suspect some of the apparent paradox in recent statements about Trump's troops 'leaving
Syria' relate to the future definition of Syria. Erdogan's on the same script with returning
occupied territories to the 'rightful owners' etc.
No one NATO-side is leaving (voluntarily): the old Syria is 'off the map' as far as they
are concerned and the new borders will be drawn -- a la Palestine -- wherever it is
convenient, and by definition, meeting Trump's and Erdogan's criteria.
@32
Well, that's a bit short-sighted. One of these days, Russia needs to make a stand, as it
doesn't make sense at all to let the 'coalition of the willing' incinerate the Syrian Arab
Forces and Syrian civilian infrastructure. After all, what would it be worth fighting
for/having forces deployed once the primary reason for having forces there has vanished.
I agree. I'm no expert, but I also can't see this being a Libya/Iraq re-run; history has
moved too far for that, I believe. The forces opposed to NATO/Israel have made too much
progress, and have everything to lose if the US tries something more than symbolic measures.
Also, I'm hoping that Russia has something up its sleeve to make the US feel some pain
without triggering WWIII. To me it's the latter that's the risk, not some replay of
Libya.
Donald J. Trump
Verified account @realDonaldTrump
Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because
they will be coming, nice and new and "smart!" You shouldn't be partners with a Gas Killing
Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!
10:57 AM - 11 Apr 2018
b , Apr 11,
2018 7:09:35 AM |
40Babyl-on , Apr 11, 2018 7:13:20 AM |
41
"Destroying Syria's air force is one option for Trump"
Ewen MacAskill Defence and intelligence correspondent
Yes, the "liberal" Guardian the "progressive" Guardian full of peace loving people seeking
peace in the world. They would never ever warmonger would they?
16 Pat
Putin recently: "What is the world without Russia in it."
Sounds like a man who will fight. He said with a heavy heart. Also don't you know Russia has
Hawks too - the men who walk in with briefcases-
So what will happen? Putin has the assets in Southern Russia, properly fly time 13 minutes.
Ship killers missiles which are indefensible. I hope Trump goes small or equal to last time
with forwarding warmings. If not I think Putin statement about the 'world' comes into play.
For the world sake I hope sanity prevails.
Reading comments suggesting, as Xpat @ 37 puts it, that Syria will be a re-run of the Iraqi
and Libyan invasions ignores the fact that the US, the UK, France and other Western nations
already have boots on the ground in the form of "advisors" among the jihadis, of whom very
many - most likely even the great majority of them - come from foreign countries. In other
words, Syria has already been subjected to a de facto global invasion. Moreover many of these
"advisors" plus perhaps US and other soldiers wearing rebel insignia and uniforms have been
captured by the SAA recently in East Ghouta.
Also Syrian society is not really comparable to what Libya was in 2011 and Iraq in 2003.
Libya could be overcome because the eastern part of the country, centred around Benghazi, was
less loyal to the Libyan government than the western part. In Iraq, there was significant
Shi'ite resentment towards Saddam Hussein's government - and Shi'ites were one of the larger
religious groups in that country. On the other hand, there is much less sectarianism in
Syria. Syria also adopted a new constitution and political reforms in 2012 which made the
country a parliamentary democracy and reduced the Ba'athist Party to just another (albeit
large) political party with no special privileges.
never underestimate the Donald's gift for contradicting himself
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
Our relationship with Russia is worse now than it has ever been, and that includes the Cold
War. There is no reason for this. Russia needs us to help with their economy, something
that would be very easy to do, and we need all nations to work together. Stop the arms
race?
Russia watched the Donald playing chicken with North Korea and drew conclusions.
It is an extremely dangerous game, playing chicken, should you decide not to play
chicken.
07564111 @ 31: Any way of finding out how Israel uses water and whether the country is able
to fulfill its water needs or has to import water?
There are old online newspaper articles about how Israel had to import tens of millions if
not several hundred million cubic metres of water from Turkey. This was during Ariel Sharon's
period as Prime Minister (2001? - 2006). Most recent articles are now about how Israel
conserves its water resources and uses desalination and recycling - but not much about
whether such conservation measures are enough to supply all of its needs and certainly
nothing about Palestinians' access to water.
Considering the deep silence of Arab states, will we see KSA and Egypt join the so-called
coalition and attack Shiites simultaneously in Yemen and Syria? KSA certainly dreams of it.
- In the 1st quarter of 2017 there was someone who said that there was a "Civil war" going on
in the US between the Democrats and the Republicans. For a long time I thought that this
person had "gone bonkers". But now with Mueller and the FBI raiding the offices of Trump's
lawyer Micheal Cohen I have changed my mind. There certainly is such a "civil war" going on.
And I fear this "Civil War" will NOT increase "stability" in the US political system.
- David Stockman made a prediction that Trump won't be president when the year 2019 starts.
Leaks of British military personnel captured during the military operation in
the eastern Ghouta.
The claim in this article that Assad's victory is a fait accomplis is often heard these days.
I think it is flaming bunkum. Assad is doomed. He's been set up by his pal Putin, who
repeatedly allowed Syria's enemies to reset, to consolidate and strengthen their positions.
Now Assad 'governs' a chunk of Syria that is crammed full of desperate people and destroyed
infrastructure but lacks resources. Russia appears ready to work out deals with the US and
Turkey and Israel in which they will be guaranteed control over large pieces of Syria. Assad
is in the way of that process going forwards. I doubt he will survive the coming bombing. If
he is smart, he has already left Syria. Perhaps Russia will allow him to take refuge in
Russia, if he finally bows to Russia's 'realpolitik'. Meanwhile Russia is sending the usual
signals that they will only respond to attacks on Syria that directly affect Russia (in an
undeniable way). Perhaps a bit of symbolic fracas will happen between Russia and the US just
to keep up appearances a little bit. Humanity desperately needs some people with good hearts
to take on some leadership roles, but instead we get a steady diet of realpolitik creepos.
If indeed they have foreigners, they will be paraded on TV and the West will blame the evil
dictator to use such practices (another problem is how you prove that the bearded guy is here
for SF and not for djihad as any kid). This and the OPCW landing (it's always possible to
bomb something in Abu Kamal while people travel between Damascus and the Ghouta) will have a
flavor of Irak 2003 redux.
Douma false flag should be judged as a part desperate attempt to reverse gains of Assad in the civil war and create a Sunny
theocracy to compensate for loss on Iraq as a countervailing force for Iran due to Bush Iraq war blunder.
Notable quotes:
"... So Putin was so ignorant that he didn't realize that Syria is a strategic/political extension of Iran into Israel's neighborhood? I don't buy it. Russia wasn't naive about anything, has enjoyed major success in Syria and there's no reason to question its actions.. ..."
"... One side is telling lies. It always amazes me at just how uncritical the media are when really important things are at stake. For me, the rush to action before any investigation betrays that its not the facts that count but what the US wants. Who said shoot first and ask questions later? ..."
"... "Assad's regime and Assad himself will disappear from the map and the world if the Iranians do try to harm Israel or its interests from Syrian territory," said senior officials in the defense establishment. ..."
"... So, perfect time for Israel to fabricate claims of an attack from Syria, or maybe stage one somehow to justify their planned 1) assassination of Assad, 2) further destruction of Syrian/Russian air defenses and 3) wide-scale attacks on Iranian anything in Syria. Syria will, of course, deny any attacks on Israel. But the seed for the coming narrative has already been planted with the strikingly odd suggestion of Iranians 'borrowing' Syrian army systems. If Israel can't provoke Syria or Iran to attack, then it will just have to make one happen. ..."
"... Libya is a huge lesson for both Russia and China for their believing the perfidious AZ's preaching of high moral and of law and order. Since then on Rrussia and China are not afraid to use their UN veto rights to fight against the treacherous US/UK/Fr. ..."
"... Syria is surely a very important part of Russia's long term strategy, i.e. its navy base in E. Mediterranrean, for such a foodhold in warm see water had Russia Empire fought quite a few wars, gas and oil business, grain export to ME. ..."
Russia's main impediment is that it cannot allow the conflict to become purely economic,
as it is more vulnerable economically than militarily.
Thus Russia needs to respond to an attack either by doing nothing or by striking with such
force that the West is not given the option of creating an economic blockade while
maintaining its economic advantages.
One option would be to strike Saudi oil fields, which would be devastating to the West
without necessarily leading to a full-blown nuclear war.
@99 So Putin was so ignorant that he didn't realize that Syria is a strategic/political
extension of Iran into Israel's neighborhood? I don't buy it. Russia wasn't naive about
anything, has enjoyed major success in Syria and there's no reason to question its
actions..
One side is telling lies. It always amazes me at just how uncritical the media are when
really important things are at stake. For me, the rush to action before any investigation
betrays that its not the facts that count but what the US wants. Who said shoot first and ask
questions later?
When really smart people do crazy things you know you are missing something important. Why
would anyone in their right mind risk a war with Russia and vice versa? They woulnd't unless
it was part of a mutually agreed script.
Perhaps what happens next is Trump lobs a few missiles on Syria and takes out the USS
Donald and blames Russia for that . Like the USS Maine and USS Maddox. Putin has already
helped make such an allegation believable.
Then we can Prepare for a long Fake War like in Orwells 1984 with skirmishes in places like
Iran, Syria and Ukraine. The real enemy and target is the constitution and the people,
including those in the Democratic West.
A war with a credible enemy replaces the GWOT which
was running on fumes. Putin so kindly made Russia a credible threat to the people with his
public announcement of their new weapons. That was no accident. This will be the end of even
the illusion of Democracy, which is all we have.
Trump will be given dictatorial powers and we may prepare for the Internet kill switch to
be flipped. Maybe Putin and Trump will join China's President as Presidents for life.
I understand your Trotskyist point of view which has many merits. Currently we have nothing
but reactionary regimes all over the planet, of course including the Russian and the Chinese
one.
But still there are some crucial differences. It is the west bloc which wants to inflame
the world, not the Russians and the Chinese. You're right when you speak about an appeasing
Russian approach, but we may not know some important factors.
For instance to an all
confrontational stance you need a prepared army in your back. Maybe this wasn't the case some
years ago. I assume now it's different. Some in the west want go to war, and even if its not
clear if the economic situation is that bad, that it leaves war as the only 'solution' I'm
afraid they will succeed. You should not overestimate the power of rationality.
If the Iranians act against Israel from Syrian territory, Syrian President Bashar Assad and
his regime will be those that pay the price."
That is the clear message from senior officials in the Israeli defense establishment and
IDF after the top adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called a strike on the
Syrian T-4 air base "Israel's crime" and said the alleged act would "not remain without
response."
"Assad's regime and Assad himself will disappear from the map and the world if the
Iranians do try to harm Israel or its interests from Syrian territory," said senior
officials in the defense establishment.
"Our recommendation to Iran is that it does not try to act, because Israel is determined
to continue on this issue to the very end," the officials said.
And the most telling statement:
Expanding on Liberman's comments, security officials believe that Iran may try to retaliate
to the alleged Israeli attack, either with Iranian weapons transported into Syria from Iran
or by "borrowing" Syrian army systems.
So, perfect time for Israel to fabricate claims of an attack from Syria, or maybe stage
one somehow to justify their planned 1) assassination of Assad, 2) further destruction of
Syrian/Russian air defenses and 3) wide-scale attacks on Iranian anything in Syria. Syria
will, of course, deny any attacks on Israel. But the seed for the coming narrative has
already been planted with the strikingly odd suggestion of Iranians 'borrowing' Syrian army
systems. If Israel can't provoke Syria or Iran to attack, then it will just have to make one
happen.
Note this is all happening at a time when the US is removingswapping carrier strike groups in the Middle East. The Roosevelt and pals left the
PersianArabian Gulf a while back to provoke the
Chineseconduct operations in the South China Sea.
So, no vulnerable carriers in the area right now and not enough destroyers to launch any
kind of sizeable Tomahawk attack.
The Truman CSG with 6,500 sailors just left Newport. It will reach the Mediterranean with
six guided-missile destroyers, a guided-missile cruiser and even a German and Danish
frigate. The Roosevelt CSG only had three destroyers and a cruiser. The Truman CSG will join
the guided-missile destroyer Donald Cook, already in the Mediterranean, which is apparently
being used to bait the Russians for now. I half-expect that to be hit soon in an Israeli
false-flag to 'repurpose' the CSG arriving next week. The Israelis tried the same thing with
the Liberty (to be blamed on UAR/Egypt) in order to drag the US into their Six-Day War.
In any case, there is simply not enough imaginary 'chemical weapons sites' to target in
any cruise missile attack. The real intent of Israel and the US will be (IMHO) to completely
destroy any Syrian air defense capability once and for all. The Syrian Air Force aircraft are
a secondary, far less important target. Without any air defense, the Israeli and Coalition of
Evil can pick them off one-by-one. This scenario puts Russia in a difficult position: it
would have to fire its own SAMs at any aircraft attacking Syria - something it has not done
before. Anything missiles fired at Israeli aircraft up until now has been from Syrian air
defense sites - the Russians only provide a network for all Syrian/Russian radars.
Neither the US nor Israel are going to do much on the ground in Syria until they have
unrestricted air dominance - at least over their head-chopper safe zones. The US has their
DEMC and FSA MaT mercs ready to seize the entire Syrian/Iraqi border, and they can't be
bothered with pesky Russian or Syrian aircraft interfering with that land-grab.
8 years ago, Russia was just in the process of fixing the basket caseshe had become in 1992. Her power had not yet been restored as is the case
now. Also, the internal situation was not what it is now with a just reelected popular
President. Russia may assert herself now. She was not yet as well wed with China and Iran.
A good parallel could be the rise of Germany from 1933 to 1939. From ashes to glory.
Mattis: US 'still assessing' suspected Syria chemical weapons attack.
Defense Secretary James Mattis said Wednesday that the United States and its allies were
"still assessing" reports of a chemical weapons attack in Syria, and that they are working on
options to respond.
"We're still assessing the intelligence, ourselves and our allies. We're still working on
this," Mattis told reporters at the Pentagon prior to meeting with defense officials from the
Netherlands. . .
here
@ PavewayIV with his scenario on the Syria battle plan of empire
Thanks...I don't like what you say but will accept its potential because of your contacts.
I don't think the Western coalition will be successful but can't say why.....more of a
hope
I am beginning to think this situation is like an iceberg with only a bit showing and tons
existing below the surface.......I will ask again....what is China doing during this bullying
of its neighbor?
In a way I am glad to see this crisis developing and hope that it resolves the centuries
long cancer of private finance in our social contract.
In November a 'blue wave' will sweep up Congress for Clintonites, soon after which Trump will
be impeached.
Russia + US friends are organizing a preemptive WW3 lightshow to establish facts between
your ears, as in, a new Cold War.
Why? Because the War on Terror advantages the Clintonite Deep State 'Octopus' crime family;
best to have a new Cuban Missile Crisis now rather than chance an uncontrolled scenario under
Pence.
I'm not sure how the show will play out but certainly both Russia and it's US 'partners'
will achieve their desired goals including the strengthening of large nation states as
against the medievil multipolar NWO preffered by the Transnational Zionist elite and which
Tillerson was working hard to create before he was fired via the same twitter account now
being used to play up the drama in this spirit of the WWF.
Libya is a huge lesson for both Russia and China for their believing the perfidious
AZ's preaching of high moral and of law and order. Since then on Rrussia and China are not
afraid to use their UN veto rights to fight against the treacherous US/UK/Fr.
Syria is surely a very important part of Russia's long term strategy, i.e. its navy base
in E. Mediterranrean, for such a foodhold in warm see water had Russia Empire fought quite a
few wars, gas and oil business, grain export to ME.
There is no doubt Russia will defend its interest in Syria, but at price will it be
willing to pay?
That's why I talk about "vital national interests" , for which Russia will not
hesitate for a second to sacrifice tens of thousands, millions or even tens of millions of
Russian lives, such as Chechen War, Stalingrad War.
19.10.1950 China sent hundreds of thousands of soliers with rudiment weapons, almost no
air support and even no adequate winter uniform to fight against so-called UN Army consisting
of 23 countries (US/UK/Australia/Canada/France/Turkey/Netherlands/Belgium/S. Africa,etc.). It
succeeded in pushing away US Army from Chinese-Korean border to the 38th parallel with
366,145 death and injured from Chinese Army.
I am sure the brave Syrian Army and Syrian people are and will be fighting for their
motherland until the last drop blood as they have been doing for the past 7 years. With
Russian soldiers embedded in SAA, S-400 and Russian Navy are on high alert, any strikes US
& Co want to make against Syria, they have to think of the possible consequence of their
fatal self-destruction.
Take a look at what Bakerpete @68 wrote about Sun Tzu: The fundamental strategies of Sun
Tzu are 1). a leader must look after and improve his own people first, 2). leading an
opponent to defeat himself is the very best outcome and 3). whether victorious or not
open combat should be regarded as a failure.
psychohistorian @60
From what I read China has been and is doing:
Standing firmly with Russia by voting for Russian proposal to investigate the CW and
negating US proposal.
Showing solidarity by public announcing the close cooperation and realtionship between
Chinese Army and Russian Army by Chinese Defensve Minister. This may sound nothing to your
Westerners b/c you are used to Western policians' grandstanding, believe me this kind bold
statement from a top Chinese Minister is very seldom . It really means
something.
Supporting Russian economy by continuousy investing hundreds of billions in Russia
companies and importing Russian products as well as pouring tourists to Russia to counter
the severe economic sanctions imposed on Russia. (Economic sanction itself is actually
another form of hybird war.)
Supplying Syria with food and other urgently needed aids as well as medical needs, for
example 1,000 tons food directly delivered to Tartus, 500 tons to Lebanon for Syrian
refugees.
Providing support in education, medical cooperation and economic development, some are
already under going.
Western MSM does report this kind of information because MSM want to bury it to leave you
with the impression that 1). Russia is alone/isolated in this whole Syrian war issues;
2). to portrait China as selfish/heartless/not caring ; 3) to disheaten the
supporters of resistence to the AZ Empire, a typical divide and rule tatics.
Since the time of Mao, China has always been a vocal and firm supporter of the liberation
movement of ME people, esp. Palestinians.
The US military operational chain of command runs from the President to the Secretary of
Defense to the Combatant Commanders. In this case it is: Trump--Mattis--Votel.
Open letter to the dipshits who are planning to nuke each other....
Just get on with it, please. Im sick of waiting for the inevitable. Every day, doom porn.
Im over it. Just stop talking shit, and nuke each other already. Or else shut up and go home.
For fucks sake, this shit is gonna give me an ulcer, its like Im stuck in traffic that has
slowed down because they think theres gonna be an accident, and don't wanna miss the
potential carnage, and all I wanna do is get home. If the US and EU are such suicidal idiots,
they deserve it. Whoever sets this off, it doesn't matter, you all die, leaving me to my
rural southern hemisphere subtropical peace.
Its Darwinism 101. As much as I like you all,
you've had it coming for a while. Slaughtering each other like fucking animals for centuries,
blaming everybody else, and pissing on the rest of us while trying to convince us its rain.
Keep your pipelines, your WMDs and your ridiculous elections. Keep your Houses of "Lords",
your apeshit crazy senates, and your "democracies". Im ready to kick back and watch them all
get vaporized by your fear and insatiable greed, to watch your "smart" bombs land on your own
fucking heads. All I ask is just please, for goodness sake, leave us poor third world fuckers
out of it. Weve seen enough...
Thanks
Syria news:
> 11 Apr. Russia issued a NOTAM* to close an area next to Syrian territorial waters to
conduct missile exercises on 11-12, 17-19 and 25-26 April, 10.00- 18.00 Moscow time.
Opponent's unauthorized strikes shall be planned accordingly.
> Russian military police will be deployed in Douma from 12 Apr. . . here
*NOTAM -- A Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) is a notice filed with an aviation authority to alert
aircraft pilots of potential hazards along a flight route or at a location that could affect
the safety of the flight. - wiki
It was a week ago today that Turkey, Iran and Russia met in Ankara to discuss ending the
Syria conflict. While the three leaders differ on overall strategies they agree on opposing
Washington.
What were the outcomes of the Ankara summit? According to Kerim Has, a Moscow State
University lecturer, the most concrete and clear result of the summit was the emphasis of all
sides on Syria's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. It's clear that neither
the negotiators nor the forces on the ground will accept the creation of a sovereign patch in
Syria under Ankara's control. . .
here
How can the US get back in the picture? Perhaps some bombs and missiles might work? Not
really. In fact it will backfire.
"... After reading more about WHO's Health Cluster partners in Syria, it seemed clear that the Syrian AMERICAN Medical Society was at least one likely source for the reports of 500 chemical victims. ..."
"... And SAMS, like the While Helmets, appears to have motives unconnected to health care. ..."
Syria govt has said Douma has only one hospital, and it received no patients with symptoms of
exposure to chemicals.
But WHO says about 500 people reached "medical centers" with symptoms of exposure to
chemicals.
What medical centers is the WHO referring to? If they're brick-and-mortar clinics with
names, fact checking should be easy. Why haven't they specified?
Regarding the WHO statement that 500 people turned up with chemical-attack symptoms, this is
identified as coming from "Health Cluster partners." From their webpage:
"There are 50 Health Cluster partners at the global level and more than 700 partners in
countries – this is a collective force guaranteeing that the response to health
emergencies becomes more timely, effective and predictable. These partners include
international organizations and UN agencies, nongovernmental organizations, national
authorities, specialized agencies, affected communities, academic and training institutes and
donor agencies."
This raises the question: Exactly who were these "partners" on the ground in an area under
the control of the jihadists?
I guess the NGO that provided the false information to WHO about 500 chemical weapons
patients is the Syrian American Medical Society. SAMS are known for promoting false-flag
chemical weapons provocations in Syria and for having direct connections to the organizers
and killers. By their own admission they have been involved in staging almost 200 false-flag
chemical weapons massacres in the last 7 years.
"Dr. Morad is here today to be an inspiration to all of us." Today, 1 year after the
sarin gas attack on Khan Sheikhoun, UN Ambassador @nikkihaley delivered remarks at a UNSC
briefing on chemical weapons w/Dr. Morad as her guest. SAMS has recorded almost 200 such
attacks in 7 yrs
I would guess the answer is yes to both of your deductions. After reading more about
WHO's Health Cluster partners in Syria, it seemed clear that the Syrian AMERICAN Medical
Society was at least one likely source for the reports of 500 chemical victims.
And SAMS, like the While Helmets, appears to have motives unconnected to health
care.
It might well be that letting Erdogan snack on Afrin was a masterful investment by Putin. With Turkey opposed to NATO intervention,
Iraq not daring to collaborate overtly (no popular support, no majority support among the various armed forces) and Iran working in
concert with Russia to support Syria, opponents of NATO bombing or other escalation can painfully and rather gradually retaliate
against any Us forces ont he ground. Tanf enclave might suffer.
The current plan is to remove all enclaves in the core Syria, so the majority of
people can live securely and securely travel, with highways and railroads cleared from jihadists obstacles. When people work for themselves
they do not need such an enormous external aid, and the benefits of the trade with the West (and the access to Western financial services)
are overrated.
Notable quotes:
"... Russia said it would destroy the platforms that launch the missiles, not only the missiles themselves. Did nobody explain the difference to Trump? ..."
"... It is cynical to say that "Russia needs us to help with their economy". The US under Trump is waging economic war on Russia by implementing more and more economic sanctions. The last round on Friday targeted Russian industrialists, many of whom are not even aligned with Putin. Aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska, disliked in the Kremlin, lost 15% of his fortune. The Rubel plummeted against the dollar for two days in a row. U.S. Treasury stooges are now traveling in Europe to press European banks to shut down all services for Russian companies. ..."
"... Well that could be some incriminating info on Trump, perhaps? No idea but interesting poins though. ..."
"... It seems shocking that Russia establishment did not know that US is a fearful bully, or dollars were too good. ..."
"... Just to remind people's that in 2011 it was Medvedev representative of Russian western oligarchic lobby (friendly with Obama and neocons) in Kremlin who was in charge during Arab Spring. It is well documented fact that Assad pleaded with Medvedev in March 2011 for Moscow to deliver already ordered and paid for in 2008 dozens of new combat helicopters as well as massive amount of parts to refurbish and upgrade Russian made warplanes that were also withheld not to upset Israel and US at that time. ..."
"... None of that happened at that time, while at the same time Quadaffi was thrown under the bus by Russians and Chinese UN non veto of the planned NATO agression on Libya, appeasement or coincidence? ..."
"... Once the shooting starts it will only stop if one side decides to stand-down. Which side will do that? Seems politically unacceptable for either side to appear as the loser. Will the fools who started the war stop shooting when their ships wind up on the bottom of the Mediterranean? ..."
"... US war economy needs to offload some ammo in the name of defense. Walking that fine line between raising stock price and getting your arse kicked. ..."
"... MOA is definitely part of this 'collective intelligence of millions of people debunking the lies in real time'. ..."
"... These Neoconservative power-mongers are asking you to accept universal serfdom at their hands or World War III with Russia. You can live as slaves in a pan-global oligarchy of overlapping corporate and bureaucratic interests or you can be nuked. It's your choice. You have 24 to 48 hours to decide. ..."
"... I believe the National Security State's and Israel's goal is to kill Assad at any cost. Chaos is Syria is the goal. Iran would be next step. ..."
"... This is illegal - from the article: "Trump has no authority to order an attack on the Syrian government, which has not attacked the U.S. and doesn't pose any threat to America or its allies. There is no international mandate for military action against Syria, and there is no vital American interest at stake that might conceivably justify an attack." ..."
"... Consider the leaders of the antagonists; May, Macron, Netanyahu, Trump. Each is weak and in trouble internally and are either not driving this madness or are in need of distractions. ..."
"... To fully appreciate the Israeli calls to murder Asad you got to remember that a good part of the ppl who took to the streets in 2011 were thinking Asad is a Mossad spy because after all he had never liberated the Golan. ..."
"... Visit to #EasternGhouta today. Zamalka residents told me that they were displaced from their homes by #NusraFront fighters fm EU, officials told me over 280 British passport holders among them. I was also told these "fighters" will go to #Idlib - Turkey - back to EU. ..."
"... The gloves are off for the alternative media: 21stCenturyWire was taken offline last night (Sibel Edmonds can rejoice). Fort-Russ, SyriaNews.cc and others are also down. Southfront was under attack. ..."
"... Houthis firing tickets at Riyadh and Aramco. Looks like the Houthis at least have the right idea about an effective asymmetric response. ..."
"... One more thing. The current scenario is a prime set-up for demonstrating the old truth that a real war takes on a life of its own very quickly, and can quickly and unexpectedly (i.e. in an "unplanned" way) get out of control. ..."
"... Putin shows again that he is a mature person compared to Trump and it vassals in the EU: Putin: The world is getting more chaotic, but we hope that common sense will prevail https://www.rt.com/news/423835-putin-world-chaos-common-sense/ ..."
"... Trump is a lying ass who insults the intelligence of anyone who would humiliate themselves surrendering to his mega-ego manipulation. When the heat is on, he has no problem throwing his own friends and associates under the bus. ..."
"... I posted the following comment on the past thread but haven't seen it said here so will add. I wonder what China is doing behind the scenes. This seems to me like the time that China needs to stand next to Russia and say NYET! ..."
"... The US are about to attack Syria no matter the findings of OPCW. An attack to try and destroy the Syrian military to prevent the last pockets of jihadis being destroyed. The fake gas attack is a figleaf that will simply be ignored if it falls apart. ..."
"... It is only normal that Putin and Xi will only act forcefully when Russia and China's respectively vital national security under direct threat . Any rational government leaders will do the same except the corrupt ones that would put its moneyed-ones/ruling class' and Isreal's interest ahead of that of their own countries and citizens. ..."
"... Syria has weapons to target US warships, so it's not just Russian retaliation at issue. One of the more powerful verbal truths was hurled at Outlaw US Empire by Russia's UNSC Ambassador who in essence said the world doesn't need/want your hegemony any longer -- act civilized or shut the fuck up! ..."
"... maybe these tweets are some kind of hail mary subversive action by the Donald? letting everyone know about what's coming. I mean, to announce defensive measures would be quite common, but announcing a strike some hours or days beforehand is not seen that often. ..."
"... Trump appears not to understand how deep are his troubles: with Mueller's grab of his personal Attorney's files- Russiagate has morphed into a sex scandal; his base is growing restless over undelivered campaign promises. Trump does Twitter diplomacy and Russia is not amused. The "Russia needs US to help with their economy" is weird. Only 8 months ago Congress passed legislation 419-3 imposing sanctions against Russia, which Trump signed, that limits his authority to lift them. ..."
"... As Putin says, if you know a fight is inevitable, then hit first. ..."
Donald Trump may perceive these bad cop/good cop tweets as a serious way to negotiate with
Russia. They ain't.
Donald J. Trump - @realDonaldTrump - 10:57 AM UTC - 11 Apr
2018
Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they
will be coming, nice and new and "smart!" You shouldn't be partners with a Gas Killing Animal
who kills his people and enjoys it!
Donald J. Trump - @realDonaldTrump - 11:37 AM UTC - 11 Apr
2018
Our relationship with Russia is worse now than it has ever been, and that includes the Cold
War. There is no reason for this. Russia needs us to help with their economy, something that
would be very easy to do, and we need all nations to work together. Stop the arms race?
Russia said it would destroy the
platforms that launch the missiles, not only the missiles themselves. Did nobody explain the
difference to Trump?
There is reason that U.S. relations with Russia are now worse than they have been for some
time and Russia is not responsible for these. The GW Bush administration killed the
Anti-Ballistic-Missile treaty which guaranteed Mutually Assured Destruction and thus strategic
stability. The Obama administration launched a trillion dollar program to ramp up U.S. nuclear
capabilities and ballistic missile defense with the aim of achieving superiority in a nuclear
conflict.
It is cynical to say that "Russia needs us to help with their economy". The US under Trump
is waging economic war on Russia by implementing more and more economic sanctions. The last
round on Friday targeted Russian industrialists, many of whom are not even aligned with Putin.
Aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska, disliked in the Kremlin,
lost 15% of his fortune. The Rubel plummeted against the dollar for two days in a row. U.S.
Treasury stooges are now traveling in Europe to press
European banks to shut down all services for Russian companies.
I believe VVPutins measured responses to provocations, relates to a reasonable and prudent
understanding of what resources he has to use in conflict situations...his resources are not
unlimited, and he would prefer not to use them at all, if possible... He has hawks in his own country that want a serious shooting war with the West... Putin himself cannot keep the lid on WW3, solely by himself...
I think this is the first time Russia has explicitly threatened to retaliate against hostile
platforms.
Presumably they're feeling confident in themsleves.
Russia will have to response to any U.S. strike on Syria. It needs to do so to keep face
and the faith of its allies. But it also needs to so in a way that avoids further
escalation.
That would have to be manyfold stronger response then awaited from US strategic planners.
Dangerous game if not impossible to achieve with conventional deterrent.
Something that is very strong, in a different theater and not attributable?
Well that could be some incriminating info on Trump, perhaps? No idea but interesting
poins though.
It is all true but narrative of b how we got he on a brink of shooting war with US is one
sided. Two are needed to tango and Russia tangoed too long enticed by potential benefit for
few oligarchs and detriment to the nation.
Just seven years past and despite unquestioned positive role that Russian played in Syria
mostly to reduce pain and suffering of Syrian people what I read here is unnecessary
whitewashing of Russian initial stand that did nothing but encouraged US and NATO gangsters
to reek chaos that caused tens of thousands dead and injured. It seems shocking that Russia
establishment did not know that US is a fearful bully, or dollars were too good.
Just to remind people's that in 2011 it was Medvedev representative of Russian western
oligarchic lobby (friendly with Obama and neocons) in Kremlin who was in charge during Arab
Spring. It is well documented fact that Assad pleaded with Medvedev in March 2011 for Moscow to
deliver already ordered and paid for in 2008 dozens of new combat helicopters as well as
massive amount of parts to refurbish and upgrade Russian made warplanes that were also
withheld not to upset Israel and US at that time.
Assad was not invited to Moscow at that time while he repeatedly declared that his
military will be able to defeat terrorist insurgence financed by the CIA in a matter of weeks
if Syrian Army is resupplied and paid for already contracts executed.
None of that happened at that time, while at the same time Quadaffi was thrown under the
bus by Russians and Chinese UN non veto of the planned NATO agression on Libya, appeasement
or coincidence?
Russian got their pay off for playing western game in MENA when in 2012 Putin was barely
elected in a quite ridiculous political charade facing CIA/Soros funded failed Moscow Spring
which actually started slippery slope of open western anti-Russian hysterical
embellishments.
What was even more puzzling for those not so sophisticated political analysts was Putin
inconsistent actions and declarations especially in regard to Syria between 2012 and 2014
when he joined US phony peace talks and calling on Assad removal from his post in a some sort
of democratic process only to find out that US do not want peace in Syria but some Saudi run
fiefdom friendly to Israel.
The same appeasement to the west was in Putin attitude to Ukraine until 2014 and its 23
millions of ethnic Russians tolerating rapidly growing western financed Nazism as well his
tolerance of Russia connected Ukrainian oligarchic theft that plunged the country into
economic depression enabling political instability.
At that time Russian minorities in Baltic States were also viciously attacked by security
forces as well by discriminating Nuremberg -- like laws making them, most born there, second
class citizen restricted in ownership and civil rights to organize and to maintain their
culture and language.
All those Putin foreign policies of weakness and submission to the west and that included
reluctance in approach to alliances with China were in sharp contrast to his extreme push to revamp entire military of Russian with
enormous like for Russia military investments and extremely rationalizing it giving them 5
year term to accomplish massive changes while dropping hype about future fancy technologies
for simple solutions that effectively will defend the country from western aggression.
Putin knew what was coming so why Kremlin policies of appeasement and hence encouragement
of bullying and aggression. Who was really in charge?
In fact Putin reacted only when Russian vital national security was directly threatened in
2014 in Crimea where navy bases are located and in 2015 when he realized that western trained
and funded terrorist army commanded by Chechnya Russian speaking terrorists is being prepared
to invade Chechnya after Assad was deposed and the only maditeranian navy base was
threatened.
As always in history policy of appeasement of a bully leads to the same thing ultimate
confrontation, more delayed more costly it is.
So is Putin as Xi for that matter is about to submit their nations to the western
oligarchy even more for their personal advancement at the global oligarchic table or they
split which means war.
I do not think war is coming they have too good thing going and their power is not
threatened by the enslaved people.
Russia roll over?
The U.S. totally fails to understand the Russian character; failing that is a total failure
for any hope of resolving this conflict without war.
Russia will never "bend the knee" to anybody, much less the U.S., in all of its corruption
and contempt for true Christian values.
The U.S. in fact has no idea of the adversary they face; a sure path to defeat!
Once the shooting starts it will only stop if one side decides to stand-down.
Which side will do that? Seems politically unacceptable for either side to appear as the
loser. Will the fools who started the war stop shooting when their ships wind up on the
bottom of the Mediterranean?
How long before somebody decides it's better to use em then lose
em and launches a preemptive strike? You can bet both sides will launch on warning if a
shooting war is in progress.
A key factor is the OPCW, which ought to be deploying to Douma soon. OPCW Will Deploy Fact-Finding Mission to Douma, Syria
THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- 10 April 2018 -- Since the first reports of alleged use of
chemical weapons in Douma, Syrian Arab Republic, were issued, the Organisation for the
Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has been gathering information from all available
sources and analysing it. At the same time, OPCW's Director-General, Ambassador Ahmet
Üzümcü, has considered the deployment of a Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) team
to Douma to establish facts surrounding these allegations.
Today, the OPCW Technical Secretariat has requested the Syrian Arab Republic to make the
necessary arrangements for such a deployment. This has coincided with a request from the
Syrian Arab Republic and the Russian Federation to investigate the allegations of chemical
weapons use in Douma. The team is preparing to deploy to Syria shortly. . . . here
There has been no OPCW report on Salisbury early this week as promised.
" There has been no OPCW report on Salisbury early this week as promised." Just wait soon we will read: "BBC: Chemicals used to poison Skirpal, made in secret lab in Syria"
When I was in high school I was 6'3" and weighed 235, starting linebacker and the team's
leading tackler. My father, who tended to intimidate me, made it very clear to me that big
men do not use their size and strength to their own advantage, and that if he ever heard that
I was bullying anyone, or even throwing my weight around, he would make me rue the day. He
set the example, as he was himself a rather gentle giant type.
There was two exceptions to the rule. First, if I was ever picked upon myself, I was
required to allow three strikes and then I could impose whatever violence I wished upon my
tormentor. Second, if I observed someone smaller being bullied I was free to persuade the
bully to desist using whatever means I had available to me.
My father was not Russian, but I suspect his forefathers would have understood Putin's
quite well.
I've liked Tom Luongo's take on things. MOA is definitely part of this 'collective
intelligence of millions of people debunking the lies in real time'.
Luongo
'We live in an age where the speed of communication is too much for these people to
maintain their lies for very long, if at all.' (this is why the war mongers look for a fast
response)
'Defy the West however you have to Mr. Putin. It's obvious Mr. Trump isn't up to the
job.
These Neoconservative power-mongers are asking you to accept universal serfdom at their
hands or World War III with Russia. You can live as slaves in a pan-global oligarchy of
overlapping corporate and bureaucratic interests or you can be nuked. It's your choice. You have 24 to 48 hours to decide.
You (DT) have to signal that you are in charge and not the paper-hangers and criminals you
were elected to fight against. You want our continued support earn it. Because this is not
Making America Great Again.'
Most likely, in my opinion, a US attack would be against four to six Syrian airfields, an
expansion of last year's attack on one airfield. Syria would currently be moving its aircraft
to more protected airfields. Cratered runways can be repaired quickly. Perhaps some command
& control centers would also be hit. This would make a big splash, but have little or no
long-term results.
This is illegal - from the article: "Trump has no authority to order an attack on the Syrian government, which has not
attacked the U.S. and doesn't pose any threat to America or its allies. There is no
international mandate for military action against Syria, and there is no vital American
interest at stake that might conceivably justify an attack."
Consider the leaders of the antagonists; May, Macron, Netanyahu, Trump. Each is weak and in
trouble internally and are either not driving this madness or are in need of distractions.
If
Russia responds to an attack I would think it needs to hit those who need to be hurt the
most; those in the background. Hitting Israel I believe would be a mistake as it is the most
likely to cause a panic and trigger something really stupid. I'm in the camp that believes
Russia and China (in particular) are working as hard as possible to manage the US collapse
and will back off as much as possible. America's self-destruction is ongoing and the safest
thing to do is give it the space it needs. Yes, many innocent people are dying but the
alternative is many millions dying.
At least half of the American populace is shot through with a deep abiding ignorance.
I wonder if Trump is really as ignorant as he seems or if he is simply reciting his stupid
lines. Compromised by blackmail. Christ, what more shit can they pile on him openly? He's in
deep shit already. Surely they've got something on him in secret that would destroy him
utterly. He seems like a genuinely ignorant ass. Very believable if its theater.
@27
US presidents have been ordering attacks on other countries forever w/o repercussions. It
goes 'way back, to the extermination of the Native Americans.
Russia needs to announce its has discovered who is arming and funding the terrorists!!
Call these countries it and make it explicit that in the event of any US strikes Russia
will hold these countries responsible for the conflict and take whatever measures it deems
appropriate.
And who are these countries?? Why - 5 Arab Monarchies of course!!
Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain & Jordan. Plenty of juicy infrastructure targets there to destroy in an symmetrical response. Don't worry about sinking the USS Sitting Duck - strike asymmetrically
To fully appreciate the Israeli calls to murder Asad you got to remember that a good part of
the ppl who took to the streets in 2011 were thinking Asad is a Mossad spy because after all
he had never liberated the Golan.
British and American forces have been destroyed on a large scale in the Ghouta region, with
the 22nd regiment of the SAS, those surviving the pinpoint Russian bombing, that is, having
to flee on buses in disguise. This is the reason for Skripal plan and the chemical weapons
false flag. This anyway is according to this incendiary report which is worth a watch
whatever you make of it. https://vimeo.com/263728681
Visit to #EasternGhouta today. Zamalka residents told me that they were displaced from
their homes by #NusraFront fighters fm EU, officials told me over 280 British passport
holders among them. I was also told these "fighters" will go to #Idlib - Turkey - back to
EU.
European jihadists are on their way back to Europe. You reap what you sow.
GDP is not the only deciding fact of a war. How many hundred time is US' GDP to that of
Afaghanistan's Taliban? Yet US can't win Taliban in its 17-year long war.
One important issue that many commentators are not addressing is determining the real purpose
of this strike:
1. Is the purpose merely symbolic, and so undertaken with an eye as much toward domestic
politics in the US and UK as toward Syria? If so, then Russia will be unofficially advised of
the strike in advance, targets will be so-called "chemical factories" made up for the US-UK
public's consumption, maybe a few airfields, and that is that.
2. But what if the purpose is not merely symbolic? What if Israel and the US have decided
that, with the now-complete clearing of Ghouta by the Syrian Army, this is their last
plausible chance to decimate the political infrastructure of Syria, break the country, and
divide it up once and for all? If that is the true purpose of the strike, then there is
simply no way it can be undertaken without leading to Russian casualities. Furthermore, its
end result--a Syria transformed into Libya--would be *precisely* the thing that motivated
Russia to get involved in the first place. For Putin, neither unanswered Russian casualties,
nor such an immense, costly, and public foreign policy failure as Syria would then have
proven to be, are without domestic political consequence. Putin would almost necessarily have
to respond militarily in such an event.
So far, however, it remains unclear which kind of strike the proposed strike will be. The
publicity, international coalition, etc. all point to the second kind of strike--the shock
and awe destruction of a nation kind of strike--but the official rhetoric coming from the US
and France is ambiguous.
I am betting that the US/UK/France is partly motivated and pressured by Israel to
undertake the second kind of strike, but recognizes that this will put Putin in an impossible
situation, and will likely result in a great number of US and NATO casualities, escalation to
world war, and quite possibly nuclear conflict. Were I Russia, I would let the US-UK know
that a symbolic strike is acceptable, and work out an understanding of targets, etc. that
Russian troops should avoid. I would also let them know that anything stronger will not only
be defended proportionately, but will immediately result in Russia's asymmetrical attack upon
significant Western interests in the region. Everybody will know this means Israel.
But what do I know. The U.S. can't be trusted, and doesn't act as a rational state-actor,
and that is the problem.
The gloves are off for the alternative media: 21stCenturyWire was taken offline last night
(Sibel Edmonds can rejoice). Fort-Russ, SyriaNews.cc and others are also down. Southfront was
under attack.
I noticed that too about 21stCW and Southfront. Craig Murray's blog has also been under
attack and was down intermittently yesterday. This makes me fear that the kind of strike
envisioned is a nation-destroying kind of strike, not merely a symbolic slap in the face. The
domestic preparations seem to be pointing in this direction.
Putin just said, according to RT: "The World is getting more chaotic, but we hope that common
sense will prevail". My interpretation of this sentence is that Putin is absolutely determined
not to refuse engagement and will take this to its consequences. He "hopes" common sense will prevail but doesn't expect it.
Bill H @22: That's good parenting we need in this world.
0use4msm @45: Before the war starts, the Establishment/Deep State/War Party needs to muffle
the voices telling the truth so as to get its propaganda messages to everyone to manufacture consensus.
One more thing. The current scenario is a prime set-up for demonstrating the old truth that a
real war takes on a life of its own very quickly, and can quickly and unexpectedly (i.e. in
an "unplanned" way) get out of control. For example, what if the US and NATO decide upon a
merely symbolic strike that avoids every Russian troop or piece of military equipment in the
area? But what if Israel, disappointed with this result, uses the cover of the NATO strikes
to engineer its own attack upon either U.S. troops (with the intent to make it appear to be
Syrians or Iranians) or Russian troops (with the intent to make it appear to be US or NATO)?
Suddenly we are in a world war.
So even a merely symbolic strike is extremely dangerous to everybody's interests given the
context of the conflict and the parties who are really driving it.
I have to say that everything keeps pointing back to Israel. And I have to wonder whether
there has not been a pre-arrangment made between Russia and Iran (who has promised
retaliation for the bombing a couple of days ago) that involves the immediate decimation of
Israeli military interests if certain contingencies materialize.
Trump is a lying ass who insults the intelligence of anyone who would humiliate themselves
surrendering to his mega-ego manipulation. When the heat is on, he has no problem throwing
his own friends and associates under the bus.
Trump is all about and for Trump. Hence the name on all the buildings, golf courses and if
he has his way Trump boulevard; USS Carrier Trump, Trump Airport, Trump City, Trump World.
He's the embodiment of what America stands for: absolute depraved power begot through
military and economic tyranny.
So he's telling Putin, don't look at all those sanctions and the billions I'm pouring into
the arms race; just believe your lying eyes; I come in peace, reeely. Trump thinking: We
smoked peace pipe with Native Americans; today the ones that survived the genocide live on
reservation; while we have the tomahawks and live in ivory towers. We're in the Pacific, in
Eastern Europe, almost all over the Middle East. You think we're going to let you (or China)
mess with our supremacy?
@44 - nice summary and I hope we don't end up scenario number 2. As you say the US, UK and
now France no longer behave as rational state actors. Some Russian put it well - "not
agreement capable." I am hoping maybe Russia has some back channels directly to US generals
and maybe Chinese ones as well.
I posted the following comment on the past thread but haven't seen it said here so will add.
I wonder what China is doing behind the scenes. This seems to me like the time that China needs to stand next to Russia and say NYET!
Thanks for the forum for online community b. It has been very meaningful for me and I am
sure others. Hopefully it will continue to be through this coming world event. I apologize in
advance for the aggressive actions of my country ruled by the world elite.....sad
Since I posted this comment on the other thread I have been thinking that China should
cash in enough US Treasuries today to get the attention of my country's puppets.
The US are about to attack Syria no matter the findings of OPCW. An attack to try and destroy
the Syrian military to prevent the last pockets of jihadis being destroyed. The fake gas
attack is a figleaf that will simply be ignored if it falls apart. The US would have taken some readings on Russian EW last year and now think they can defeat
it.
Russia will most likely save the S-300 and S-400 systems for aircraft and rely on EW and
close in defenses for taking out missiles. Syrian bases will most likely take some hits.
The two Russian bases are sovereign Russian territory so any strikes against them are the
same as attacking Russia mainland.
Nothing on whether Russian personal are still spread through the Syrian military or have been
pulled back to the bases. I would think they are still at their jobs and like the pilots and
spetnaz will stand their ground against the ISIS/AQ airforce and navy.
It is only normal that Putin and Xi will only act forcefully when Russia and
China's respectively vital national security under direct threat . Any rational
government leaders will do the same except the corrupt ones that would put its
moneyed-ones/ruling class' and Isreal's interest ahead of that of their own countries and
citizens.
As much as we would like to have the counter balance to the reckless US Empire, but we
have to be realistic.
I don't imagine Russia responding much, beyond marginal countermeasures. The Russians have
had numerous instances of 'falling short' in Syria, so I don't know why this would be
different. I think the major mistake will be the comical repeat of the same judgment errors
that Putin/Russia makes; the thinking that they can trust the West at their word.
The wild cards will be Hezbollah and Iran. They could bypass Russia and wage their own
battles. I'm not sure how successful they would be, but they may be willing to make big
sacrifices.
I think there's a power struggle over Syria between Russia and Iran, because Russia is
more self-interested, and is completely locked in to the global economy
As much as we would like to have the counter balance to the reckless US Empire, but we have
to be realistic.
And if everyone thought this way, Goliath and Hitler would rule the world. Resistance to the Empire should be instinctual second nature and counter balance is
greatest check on supremacy.
Furthermore, I think the Western coalition will hit hard. They've clearly planned this
assault out, and probably have the objective of obtaining full air superiority. Unless
prevented I think there will be a rollback of major gains by the SAA. Russia's going to look really bad at the end of this if they don't have any aces up their
sleeves
My personal belief is that Putin has a very deep understanding of Sun Tzu and his actions
over that past 18 years appears to confirm that. The majority of those reading Sun Tzu
misread him as some great war strategist which is far too simplistic. Some fundamental
tenants are that a leader must look after and improve his own people first, leading an
opponent to defeat himself is the very best outcome and whether victorious or not open combat
should be regarded as a failure.
Actually Mali is fully correct,
you need to understand that its not Russia that is about to be attacked but Syria.
No one likes the psychos in EU/US/Nato that wage war like this but honestly, there is no
realistic resistance to these super military powers. I hate it too but we must be
realistic.
Also NATO+US+EU states outmatch Russia easily in power politically, military, there is no way
Russia could win such a war if this escalates too far.
Syria has weapons to target US warships, so it's not just Russian retaliation at issue. One of the more powerful verbal truths was hurled at Outlaw US Empire by Russia's UNSC
Ambassador who in essence said the world doesn't need/want your hegemony any longer -- act
civilized or shut the fuck up! The voting on the 3 failed UNSC resolutions shows that
sentiment's agreed to by an increasing number of nations. And as expected, the Unipolar power
seeking Outlaw US Empire and its puny vassal nations are trying to stem the rising Multipolar
Alliance tide, which they are failing at and they no it, thus their desperation.
Then we have the captured operatives and NATO/Zionist supplied illegal weapons and
associated factories for their production. IMO, enough evidence currently exists to convict
NATO, GCC, and the Zionists for numerous war crimes in Syria and Iraq--evidence that's
increasingly hard to ignore by the actual International Community--a Community that's no
longer cowed by the Outlaw US Empire as they sign on to the Russo/Sino vision of future
possibilities.
And that's what our ongoing Hybrid Third World War's all about--the drowning Outlaw US
Empire's quest for global hegemony versus the vast majority of nations wanting a peaceful
Multipolar world that seriously addresses the several major crises humanity currently faces
besides HWW3. IMO, if the Empire and its vassals attack, their international standing will
hit rock bottom and serious ostracism will commence.
I appreciate this sentiment from you and many other posters, including the Saker, who has
repeatedly claimed that Russia is not obliged in any sense to save Syria from the
bloodthirsty hegemon. But there are many, including myself, who feel that the term "Russia's
interest" does include an intact Syria, and that, any way you want to slice it, if Syria
falls, this is not only a major and irrevocable blow to the balance of power in the ME, but
also will serve to further cage in and cripple Russia economically.
If the Russians had been
set-up better in Libya to thwart the west blitzkreig on Gaddafi, then a showdown would have
potentially occurred there. Now because of the Russian foothold in Syria, the west seems very
reluctant to order a full-on shock-and-awe. Russia knows this and will not back down. That is
why every dirty trick in the book is being played right now. Russia will not just go silently
into the night. This is a very desperate situation...it is not nor will ever be easy for
Russia to do nothing.
@69 Valid point, but Russia will see a major investment in money and lives become undone. To
capitulate, watch Shock&Awe II, and see hoards (re)overtake D-E-Z and allepo would be
demoralizing to a degree that may be akin to how Germans felt when the Allied troops crossed
the Rhine river
Two observations based on past US aggressive actions:
1) The US rarely if ever directly attacks a country that can genuinely fight back. Look at
how threats against North Korea died down after it became evident that they had successfully
developed nuclear weapons.
2) Americans have a very low tolerance for casualties among their armed forces (that's why
they mostly just drop bombs from a safe height). Look at how a single soldier encountering an
IED in northern Syria a few weeks ago was followed in short order by Trump's apparent
decision to withdraw troops. What would happen if dozens or hundreds started having
"unfortunate accidents"?
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is still assessing intelligence about last
weekend's suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis
said on Wednesday, striking a cautious tone hours after President Donald Trump threatened
missile strikes.
Asked if he had seen enough evidence to blame Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces
for the attack, Mattis said: "We're still assessing the intelligence -- ourselves and our
allies. We're still working on this." He did not elaborate.
Mattis also restated that the U.S. military stood ready to provide military options, if
appropriate, and as determined by Trump.
"Stood ready to provide"? Does that mean that it has not yet been asked? Weird writing ...
After reading Trump's tweets on the Nato countries news site, I started to wonder what type
has Donald Trump been doing business with and made profits. Must be crooks with very low
intelligence. If his tweets are anything to gauge his intelligence with. Does really think
Russia would shake by his ignorant tweets. Israel is the problem. Russia has been too
lenient. Like a typical spoilt-child, Israel behaves with impunity in the international
community. All these absurd theaters are simply to divert attention from the coward and
criminal activities of Israel in Palestine.
maybe these tweets are some kind of hail mary subversive action by the Donald? letting
everyone know about what's coming. I mean, to announce defensive measures would be quite
common, but announcing a strike some hours or days beforehand is not seen that often.
Trump had dinner last night with Alan Deshowitz, Jared Kushner and other advisors, primarily
to discuss the situation in Syria and mid-east policy. So Dershowitz, the chicken little of
anti-Semitism, whose philosophy of life is encapsulated in "is it good for the Jews" is
suddenly the go-to expert on mid-east policy. Sounds like a replay of George Bush's infamous
'six Jews and the president' meeting regarding the fate of Palestine.
We'll see what Russia does if the US, UK, France and Israel bombs Syria. Bluster is one thing
but moving up the escalation ladder is another thing.
The West has destroyed the international legal framework that they created after WWII by
flouting international law and the UN charter. They have acted with impunity for many
decades. The whole Skripal affair and now using this false flag as pretext are just new
examples where facts don't matter.
This will be a major test for Putin. It will be interesting to see how far up the
escalation ladder he is willing to climb.
Looks like Mattis is really the last adult in the room, knows this is dodgy, knows and is on
record saying previous cases were dodgy as well (like was told to Obama back in 2013). One
can hope he can convince Trump, and won't be fired. Bonus points if there's a shooting match
and Mattis puts Bolton in his right place, near the dustbin.
"Russia said it would destroy the platforms that launch the missiles, not only the missiles
themselves. Did nobody explain the difference to Trump?"
What I hope is that some smart general will explain to Trump what it would mean for US
supremacy, if Russia happened to sink an aircraft carrier - considering their force
projection is based on that, and are one half of the US military might (the other being,
obviously, nukes).
@81 test.. i think you are wrong... the reason russia is in syria has a lot to do with what
happened in libya.. they didn't want to see that again... i think the line is drawn here in
syria... i do not believe russia will back down here as you suggest.. we can wait and see..
@65 - I have to question the statement that Russia is completely locked into the global
economy. They produce their own oil, have their own finance system that can be separated from
the west now that the alternative clearing network with China (SWIFT replacement) is online.
And don't forget that the sanctions of the past 5 years have probably backfired on the
West by making Russia stronger. Domestic agriculture and industry has had to fire up in order
to substitute for imports no longer available.
Again, Syria is NOT such a big interest for Russia and thefore wont make a sacrifice for
it. Period.
One might think, given the last 20 years, that overthrowing Syria would not be the last
chapter of the regime change story. Who'd be next? Probably a "westernized" or failed-state
Iran. From there, strategically? Maybe nothing more, maybe some of the former ussr-republics
would see uprising? There's more ways than all-out nuclear war to have russia cut down to
size.
Trump appears not to understand how deep are his troubles: with Mueller's grab of his
personal Attorney's files- Russiagate has morphed into a sex scandal; his base is growing
restless over undelivered campaign promises.
Trump does Twitter diplomacy and Russia is not amused. The "Russia needs US to help with
their economy" is weird. Only 8 months ago Congress passed legislation 419-3 imposing
sanctions against Russia, which Trump signed, that limits his authority to lift them.
Big question; we just read Iran has declared it stands with Syria. What about China?
April 03 China's new defense minister went to Moscow to signal to the `United States Russia
and China's military are close. China is also pissed over the recent U.S.-Taiwan Act. Did we
mention the South China Sea provocations?
Consider the leaders of the antagonists; May, Macron, Netanyahu, Trump. Each is weak and
in trouble internally and are either not driving this madness or are in need of
distractions. Bakerpete 28.
Bakerpete you express a common pov I'm not crit. it, I have expressed similar in near time
past. But. One might just as easily argue the reverse: as these 'leaders' are in touble at
home - imho quite acute for Macron (social unrest and much pol oppo, though it will come to
nothing for next two years) and Trump (PTB, deep state scissions and attacks on his person
which likewise won't grip just now, but that situation is far more volatile, unpredictable),
less dire for May and Netanyahu, > that these 'homey disturbances' serve to obscure, cover
up, distract people from murderous, disastrous foreign policies.
To clarify a simple ex. Some class of workers will demonstrate, strike, .. to preserve
their salaries (rightly so) say in F, -- completely occupied with that they have no care or
time for foreign policy (e.g. Syria)..
Is that the Jihadists now have the formula, 1. fake WMD attack, 2. watch Trump's even
larger attack against the brave Syrian army, 3. rinse and repeat. The Russians will either
have to fight or leave Syria.
My stomach is in knots. The evil people who are running my country are war criminals. My
only comfort is that they cannot lie their way out of God's judgment.
Also NATO+US+EU states outmatch Russia easily in power politically, military, there is no
way Russia could win such a war if this escalates too far.
Posted by: test | Apr 11, 2018 12:20:34 PM | 69
This is NOT about winning. It's about humans' lives and continuous endless wars and regime
changes. Should we allow the super military powers dictates human lives? Fuck NATO, EU, US,
UK, Germany, France....
Russia Federation will return to The Soviet Union or further break up if Putin let Trump
off the hook. China, if Xi Jinping did not retaliate immediately against Trump, more than 1.4
billion's Chinese will stave. Do you think China can win (trades or military) if she decides
to fight US?
It's not about winning but stands your ground or return to when China a century of
humiliation under the western power and Japan.
I cannot believe how oblivious the stock market and the U.S. public is to the possibility
of war. Everyone here has the popcorn ready and is waiting for the midnight plumes like it's
the 4th of July. We are talking about Trump's attorney, the Chinese give back to avoid the
trade war, and we seem to think that the Russians will accept their overdue punishment
because deep down inside, all evildoers know that they deserve to be punished by the Almighty
U.S.
We are a nation of self-righteous morons. Pride comes before a fall.
I didn't mean "geographically", although that would surely be a great goal. All this land
and its resources for only so few people, they surely belong to the strongest, not the ones
that happen to live there.
Also NATO+US+EU states outmatch Russia easily in power politically, military, there is no
way Russia could win such a war if this escalates too far.
I'll chime in here. This is a misconception. What does 'winning' mean? It's not like the
West is going to take Moscow. The Russians will use nukes before they let that happen. Can
the west kick Russia out of Syria? Sure but only after the Russians sink a few capital ships
and possibly an aircraft carrier and then we have Syria on our hands. No one in the West will
consider that a win worth celebrating.
Will the west try an all out blockade on Russia?
Maybe but again Russia has the nuclear war card. If an all out embargo can destroy Russia
then as Putin says, 'what good is a world without a Russia'. A few sanctions fine but they
can't deprive Russia the ability to trade oil with China, India, or South America.
If the media is credible.....WHO has given cover. 7 Hours ago, CNN, the Sun.co.uk, BBC and Sputniknews reporting 'WHO states 500 people
showed signs of chemical attack in Syria." That was quick because only 24 hrs early WHO requested access to E. Ghouta.
We are at the point where the global debt ($237 trillion) will never be repaid, needs to
be extinguished. Other than taking Russia's landmass and resources, What better way than
WW111?
When all else fails, The solution is war.
There appears to be a universal assumption here that Russia will choose to wait, to respond
to a US-French-UK-Israeli attack. This makes sense if you base your assumptions on the
actions of Russia during recent history. However, I am not so sure that will be the case. As
Putin says, if you know a fight is inevitable, then hit first.
One other assumption seems to be that a Russian response will somehow be measured, to be
more or less in proportion to the attack. I am not so sure about that, either. If the damned
fool neocons go ahead with this insanity, then I think all bets are off.
We do not know the extent of Russian offensive or defensive capabilities. I think the
Russians have been playing a waiting game for as long as possible, hoping that push would not
come to shove, but if it did, then they would be fully prepared with both conventional and
unconventional capabilities.
President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Defense
Secretary Mattis. (DoD) On Sunday, President Trump
announced his intention to make those responsible for an alleged chemical weapons attack on
Douma, including the Syrian government and its Russian and Iranian allies, pay a "big price"
for their continued disregard for international law. The next day U.S. Ambassador to the United
Nations Nikki Haley declared
that "The United States is determined to see the monster who dropped chemical weapons on
the Syrian people held to account."
President
Trump reinforced his call for action on Monday, noting that the United States would not sit
back in the face of the alleged use of chemical weapons by Syria. "It will be met, and it will
be met forcefully," the president said, adding that those responsible for the attack will be
held accountable, whether it was Syria, Russia, Iran or "all of them together."
Trump noted that a decision to use military force would be made "over the next 24 to 48
hours."
The pronouncements of imminent military action by the United States are not made in a
vacuum. Russia, which has considerable military forces deployed inside Syria, including
advanced military aircraft and anti-aircraft missile batteries,
has rejected the allegations of chemical weapons use by Syria as a "fabrication," and
promised that any attack on Syria would result in "serious repercussions." Russian forces
inside Syria have reportedly been placed on "full alert" as American naval
vessels capable of launching cruise missiles have arrived off the Syrian coast.
The United States and Russia appear to be heading toward a direct military confrontation
that, depending on the level of force used and the number, if any, casualties incurred by
either side, carries with it the risk of a broader conflict. While Russian (and Syrian) claims
of innocence regarding the alleged chemical weapons attack cannot be accepted at face value,
the fact that the United States has not backed up its own claims with anything other than a
recitation of accusations made by rebel groups opposed to the regime of Bashar al-Assad is
problematic insofar as it shows a rush to judgement on matters of war. Given the potentially
devastating consequences of any U.S.-Russian military clash over Syria, it would be better for
all parties involved to wait for a full and thorough investigation of the alleged attack before
any final decision on the use of force in response is made.
There are two versions of what happened in Douma, a suburb of Damascus home to between
80,000 and 150,000 people. The one relied upon by the United States is provided by rebel forces
opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. According to the Violations Documentation Center (VDC), a non-profit organization
comprised of various Syrian opposition groups funded by the Asfari Foundation and George Soros' Open Societies Foundation , at
approximately
12 p.m. the Syrian Air Force attacked the vicinity of the Saada Bakery using munitions
believed to contain "poisonous gas." The VDC cited eyewitness accounts from members of the
Syrian Civil Defense, or "White
Helmets," who described the smell of chlorine and the presence of numerous bodies assessed
to have succumbed from gas sourced to a Syrian "rocket." Later, at 7 p.m., a second air strike
struck an area near Martyr's Square, again using munitions assessed by eyewitnesses to contain
"poisonous gas." Doctors from the Syrian
American Medical Society (SAMS) described symptoms that indicated that a nerve agent had
been used. Images of victims in the locations allegedly attacked were released by a
rebel-affiliated social media entity known as the "Douma Revolution" and the "White
Helmets."
Douma is part of a larger district known as Eastern Ghouta which has, since 2012, been under
the control of various militant organizations opposed to the regime of Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad. In early February 2018, the Syrian Army, supported by the Russian Air Force, began
operations to recapture the Eastern Ghouta district. The joint Syrian-Russian offensive was as
brutal as it was effective -- by March, Eastern Ghouta had been split into three pockets of
resistance at a cost of more than 1,600 civilian dead. Two of the pockets capitulated under
terms which had the opposition fighters and their families evacuated to rebel-held territory in
the northern Syrian province of Idlib. Only Douma held out, where Salafist fighters from the
"Army of Islam" (Jaish al-Islam) refused to surrender. On April 5, the situation had
deteriorated inside Douma to the point that the rebel defenders had agreed to negotiations that
would lead to their evacuation of Douma; the very next day, however, these discussions had
broken down, and the Syrian military resumed its offensive. The air attacks described by the
VDC occurred on the second day of the resumption of hostilities.
There is a competing
narrative , however, provided by the Russian government and those sympathetic to its
position. After the breakdown of negotiations between the Douma rebels and the Russian
government on April 6, the story goes, the Syrian government offensive to liberate Douma
resumed. The Douma rebels, faced with imminent defeat, fabricated the allegations of a chemical
attack. Russia had warned of such a
provocation back in March 2018, claiming the rebels were working in coordination with the
United States to create the conditions for a massive American air attack against Syrian
government infrastructure.
Shortly after the Syrian government resumed its offensive against Douma (and after the
opposition forces publicized their allegations of Syrian government chemical weapons attacks),
the rebel resistance inside Douma collapsed, with the fighters agreeing to be evacuated to
Idlib. The
Russian military was able to dispatch units to the sites of the alleged chemical weapons
attacks and conduct a survey. According to the state-run Russian news, no evidence of a
chemical weapons attack was discovered. Representatives of the Syrian Red Crescent who claim to have
worked in Douma stated that they have seen no evidence of any chemical weapons use there,
either.
Beyond providing a competing narrative, however, Russia has offered to
open up Douma to inspectors from the Organization for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons , or OPCW, for
a full investigation. This offer was
echoed by the Syrian government , which extended an official invitation for the OPCW to
come to Douma. On April 10, the
OPCW announced that it would be dispatching an inspection team "shortly" to carry out this
work. The forensic technical investigatory capabilities of an OPCW inspection team are such
that it would be able to detect the presence of any chemical agent used in Douma. While the
investigation itself would take days to conduct and weeks to process, its conclusions would,
under these circumstances, be conclusive as to the presence of any prohibited substance.
One major drawback to any OPCW investigation is its inability to assess responsibility for
the presence of any banned substances detected. In prior investigations inside Syria, the OPCW
was able to operate as part of the United Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism
(JIM) , an entity specifically empowered by Security Council resolution to make such
determinations. The
mandate of the JIM was not extended , however, after Russia expressed its displeasure over
what it deemed to be the inaccurate and politicized findings regarding previous allegations of
chemical weapons use by the Syrian government. The United States has submitted a resolution to
the Security Council demanding that a new investigatory body be formed that would be able to
provide attribution for any chemical weapons attack inside Syria; whether Russia would veto
such a resolution or allow it to be passed has yet to be seen.
The bottom line, however, is that the United States is threatening to go to war in Syria
over allegations of chemical weapons usage for which no factual evidence has been provided.
This act is occurring even as the possibility remains that verifiable forensic investigations
would, at a minimum, confirm the presence of chemical weapons (thereby contradicting the
Russian claims that no such evidence was detected by its troops), and if the Security Council
passes a resolution allowing for a properly mandated investigation team, actual attribution
could be assigned.
Moreover, President Trump's rush to judgment on Syrian guilt is being done in a highly
politicized environment, coming as it does on the heels of
an FBI raid on the offices of the president's personal attorney . In times such as this, a
president is often attracted by the prospect of "looking presidential" in order to offset
personal problems (one only need to look at President Clinton's decision in August 1998 , at
the height of the Lewinsky scandal, to launch cruise missile attacks on Afghanistan and
Sudan.)
If America is to place its military in harm's way, it needs to be in support of a cause
worthy of the sacrifice being asked of those who serve. Giving the OPCW time to carry out its
investigation in Syria would allow a fact-based case to be made whether military force was
justified or not, as well as support a determination of whether or not the risks associated
with the use of force were warranted. Pulling the trigger void of such information, especially
when Trump is distracted by personal political issues, is not something the American people,
nor their representatives in Congress, should tolerate.
Scott Ritter is a former Marine Corps intelligence officer who served in the former
Soviet Union implementing arms control treaties, in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert
Storm, and in Iraq overseeing the disarmament of WMD. He is the author ofDeal of the Century: How Iran Blocked the West's Road to
War .
Hagios | Apr 11, 2018 8:50:17 AM |
58 I think that the read target here is the Nord Stream II pipeline. They're currently
unwilling to cancel it out of economic considerations, but they think that they could get away
with cancelling it if NATO attacks Syria and Russia responds with "unprovoked aggression."
NATO's attack IMO will be just large enough that Russia has to respond, then Trump and co. will
cease further military action and continue with economic warfare.
Looks like not only "Theresa May and Boris Johnson knowingly collaborated with covert
agencies to launch the most dangerous and dirty conspiracy since the "Great Syrian Conspiracy"
– or since 9/11". They also tried to connect Russia to false flag attack performed by
White Helmets in Syria.
Notable quotes:
"... Taking the first question – who was responsible – the options have been considered widely by others, with a preference depending on one's particular prejudices, perhaps more than logical analysis would demand. Oddly it seems, while mainstream observers have no reservation in holding Vladimir Putin directly responsible for ordering "the attack" (we may call it that without specifying other details on which we have no reliable or credible evidence), "pro-Russian" analysts seem reluctant to hold Theresa May or Boris Johnson directly accountable. ..."
"... Admittedly, were Putin to have ordered this assassination attempt on Skripal, it would only class him as – well, "like Putin". But to claim that Theresa May and Boris Johnson knowingly collaborated with covert agencies to launch the most dangerous and dirty conspiracy since the "Great Syrian Conspiracy" – or since 9/11 – is a far more serious accusation ..."
"... When blood tests revealed that all the 40 people who had gone to Salisbury hospital believing they may have been suffering from "Novichok" exposure were uncontaminated, a natural reaction should surely have been to gently backtrack, realising that the suspected chemical attack was not very serious, and may even have been due to some other "related agent" – as stated by Porton Down – which wouldn't implicate Russia. ..."
"... It might be overlooked here that we are only considering whether Theresa May and Boris Johnson didn't know what their own intelligence agencies were doing. It is another leap again to consider a situation where those intelligence agencies were also in the dark – as might have been the case if this was an operation devised by the CIA or Mossad without the knowledge of MI5 or MI6. ..."
"... Would those agencies – whose record of intelligence gathering and espionage is formidable – not have considered it strange that an ally's operatives chose to knock off one of their spies in a way that would have framed them as responsible – given the aforementioned proximity of Porton Down? Barring some inexplicable act of sabotage or retribution, only an enemy of the UK could do such a thing, but that of course is the least plausible explanation; Skripal wasn't their spy. ..."
"... Sadly in the light of all these options, we must conclude not only that the UK launched this provocation, but that it was a well-planned and coordinated conspiracy directed at Russia in which leaders and senior ministers were complicit. ..."
"... The alleged crimes for which Russia must be punished include other crimes for which it was not responsible, such as "invading Ukraine" (did I miss that?) shooting down MH17 by proxy, and "meddling" in elections, including their own. Given that Russia has already been punished severely for these aberrations, it is hard to believe that the UK and its allies would have conspired once again as a pretext merely for further punishment for the same crimes; there must be some other and far more serious pretext for this scheme. ..."
"... Is it not significant that the selected tag for the UK operation is "the first use of a chemical weapon in Europe since WW2"? What is the constant refrain we hear from the West and its agents in Syria, other than "Chlorine" attacks, and "Chemical Weapons" being used by the Syrian army against civilians? Is it not more than coincidental that the main source of these stories, of Syria still using Chemical Weapons – and now with Russian assistance ..."
"... Since the Syrian Army launched its campaign to liberate Eastern Ghouta, there has been an incredible propaganda campaign from the MSM here in Australia – and across the Western media – driven by headline video reports every day showing supposed bombing aftermaths in which almost the only people present seem to be White Helmets operatives and young children. News readers now even refer to the White Helmets without having to explain every time that they are "Civil Defence Volunteers". ..."
As we conclude that agents in, or allied to, the UK conducted the "Skripal Operation" as a
provocation, logical conclusions follow; this is a well organised and determined plan with
dangerous intent.
As more and more outlandish and implausible details of the alleged poisoning of the Skripals
by an alleged Russian nerve agent emerge, and the already miniscule possibility that the
Kremlin was somehow responsible is reduced to a vanishing point, our focus needs to turn to
examining the details of what really happened here. It is all too easy to be drawn into
this circus show, which almost seems to be playing with our imaginations.
How for instance could "they" tell that Sergey Skripal had touched his front door with his
right hand, while Yulia had touched it with her left, when they were allegedly contaminated
with the alleged nerve agent? Is this just to distract us from the inexplicable idea that the
Skripals were hit with the most deadly nerve poison known to man, but remained unaffected for
two hours?
All these details help us to establish is that the whole story is false – but we
already knew that within hours of hearing about it; rather this helps us to consolidate our
presumption of Russian innocence into certainty.
In fact, while the realisation that agents or states allied to the US/UK, acting with or
without their governments' consent or knowledge confected this scheme to further their
interests is shocking enough, it is only the first step in analysing the conspiracy. The
important questions that must now be answered are these:
Who was responsible? How long were
they planning this? What is their prime motive? In addition we should consider how they intend
to manage the contingencies, particularly if the targeted countries do not behave as they
predict, or if other unforeseen events force an alteration to their plans.
Most importantly, we should appreciate that those responsible for launching this
exceptionally provocative and dangerous conspiracy quite clearly intend to prevail, by whatever
means necessary. This may well include further false flag attacks, or "provocations" as
Russians call them, so being forewarned is to be forearmed.
Taking the first question – who was responsible – the options have been
considered widely by others, with a preference depending on one's particular prejudices,
perhaps more than logical analysis would demand. Oddly it seems, while mainstream observers
have no reservation in holding Vladimir Putin directly responsible for ordering "the attack"
(we may call it that without specifying other details on which we have no reliable or credible
evidence), "pro-Russian" analysts seem reluctant to hold Theresa May or Boris Johnson directly
accountable.
Admittedly, were Putin to have ordered this assassination attempt on Skripal, it would
only class him as – well, "like Putin". But to claim that Theresa May and Boris Johnson
knowingly collaborated with covert agencies to launch the most dangerous and dirty conspiracy
since the "Great Syrian Conspiracy" – or since 9/11 – is a far more serious
accusation .
So this is not a claim that we can make lightly, nor seriously consider except in the
absence of any other "plausible explanation". The question must be – "is it possible that
such a well-organised and fiendishly criminal conspiracy could take place under the noses of
those leaders without their knowledge?" We might call this "implausible deniability".
To
conclude that this is possible, and that the UK's leaders have been kept – to some degree
at least – in the dark about the plan so that they can speak with the conviction of the
ignorant, does not answer this question except to pose another, which is this:
Would a normally intelligent and reasonable person, albeit with a heavy burden of political
allegiances and agendas, rush to accuse a foreign state of organising a terrorist attack on
their country before there was any conclusive evidence, or even any evidence at all of their
responsibility?
Would May or Johnson not have asked – at least privately – the same questions
that we have all asked, such as "why on earth would Putin do something like this now?" or "what
could Skripal have done or be about to do that would force the FSB to eliminate him?" They
might also wonder why Skripal's assassins chose such a stupid way to fail to kill him –
why not simply bump him off with a bullet, after inviting him to somewhere more convenient than
a shopping centre?
But of course the most obvious question these hopelessly ill-informed leaders must have
asked would be this – why would the Russians try to kill one of their old spies with a
novel nerve agent only a few miles from the only place in Europe that would be able to identify
it?
It beggars belief! And it gets worse – this was only what May and Johnson needed
not to know in the first week.
When blood tests revealed that all the 40 people
who had gone to Salisbury hospital believing they may have been suffering from "Novichok"
exposure were uncontaminated, a natural reaction should surely have been to gently backtrack,
realising that the suspected chemical attack was not very serious, and may even have been due
to some other "related agent" – as stated by Porton Down – which wouldn't implicate
Russia.
But far from it – the public alarm was exacerbated by a circus of white and green men
with gas masks wrapping up cars and other suspect objects in plastic and taking them away,
while the leaders started doubling down on the accusations against the Kremlin. Admittedly this
was politically convenient, with the Russo-phobic UK wanting to bad-mouth Putin in the run up
to Russian Presidential election. But hardly worth risking a military confrontation with Russia
- unless that's what they wanted.
It might be overlooked here that we are only considering whether Theresa May and Boris
Johnson didn't know what their own intelligence agencies were doing. It is another leap again
to consider a situation where those intelligence agencies were also in the dark – as
might have been the case if this was an operation devised by the CIA or Mossad without the
knowledge of MI5 or MI6.
To consider that possibility – that both the leaders and intelligence services in the
UK were only reacting to what they genuinely perceived as a Russian sponsored chemical weapon
attack – is however obligatory, as that is what the UK and its allies are implicitly and
explicitly claiming.
It must also be true that this claim – of "innocence" by MI5 and MI6 - must be
demonstrated before we can conclude that other leaders in Europe and the US and Australia
– who received their information from these intelligence services – are equally in
the dark about the perpetrators of this crime, and innocent of complicity in it.
Would those
agencies – whose record of intelligence gathering and espionage is formidable – not
have considered it strange that an ally's operatives chose to knock off one of their spies in a
way that would have framed them as responsible – given the aforementioned proximity of
Porton Down? Barring some inexplicable act of sabotage or retribution, only an enemy of the UK
could do such a thing, but that of course is the least plausible explanation; Skripal wasn't their spy.
Sadly in the light of all these options, we must conclude not only that the UK launched this
provocation, but that it was a well-planned and coordinated conspiracy directed at Russia in
which leaders and senior ministers were complicit.
All this of course is only to affirm the conclusions and statements of the Russian Foreign
Ministry and Russian intelligence services. (though one only needs a little "intelligence" to
do this).
But it is far from the end of the matter. And again we may draw some serious conclusions
from the mendacious pronouncements of the UK government, broadcast around the world following
the distribution of their "talking points".
The alleged crimes for which Russia must be punished include other crimes for which it was
not responsible, such as "invading Ukraine" (did I miss that?) shooting down MH17 by proxy, and
"meddling" in elections, including their own. Given that Russia has already been punished
severely for these aberrations, it is hard to believe that the UK and its allies would have
conspired once again as a pretext merely for further punishment for the same crimes; there must
be some other and far more serious pretext for this scheme.
The idea that this was done for
some trivial reason – such as spoiling Putin's party at the World Cup, or even to stir up
dissent against him amongst Russians – would be juvenile, and quite obviously
unproductive.
Something far more "Syrious" perhaps, to be equally juvenile? That Russia's actions in Syria
were conspicuously missing from the UK's initial accusations looks like an attempt to conceal
their true agenda.
Is it not significant that the selected tag for the UK operation is "the first use of a
chemical weapon in Europe since WW2"? What is the constant refrain we hear from the West and
its agents in Syria, other than "Chlorine" attacks, and "Chemical Weapons" being used by the
Syrian army against civilians? Is it not more than coincidental that the main source of these
stories, of Syria still using Chemical Weapons – and now with Russian assistance
– comes from the UK's very own news and propaganda agency on the ground in Syria –
the White Helmets?
Since the Syrian Army launched its campaign to liberate Eastern Ghouta, there has been an
incredible propaganda campaign from the MSM here in Australia – and across the Western
media – driven by headline video reports every day showing supposed bombing aftermaths in
which almost the only people present seem to be White Helmets operatives and young children.
News readers now even refer to the White Helmets without having to explain every time that they
are "Civil Defence Volunteers".
And every so often, to jog our memories of the White Helmets' heroic actions, we are
subjected to their "fire-hose porn" from Khan Shaikoun, as they treat the supposed victims of a
Sarin attack with their bare hands!
First, the reports are "unverified", according to The Wall Street Journal [1] and British
Foreign Office [2] and are unconfirmed, according to the US State Department [3]. What's more,
The New York Times noted that it "was not possible to independently verify the reports," [4]
while The Associated Press added that "the reports could not be independently verified."
[5]
Second, according to The Wall Street Journal, it isn't "clear who carried out the attack"
[6] assuming even that one was carried out.
Third, the "unverified photos and videos" [7] which form the body of (unverified) evidence,
were produced by two groups which have an interest in fabricating atrocities to draw the United
States more deeply into the Syrian conflict. Both groups, the White Helmets and Syrian American
Medical Society, are funded by Western governments [8], which openly seek regime change in
Syria and therefore have an interest in producing a humanitarian pretext to justify stepping up
their intervention in the country. The Western government-funded White Helmets and Syrian
American Medical Society are allied with anti-government jihadists and are active only "in
opposition-controlled areas." [9] They, too, are clearly interested parties.
Trump's recent musings about ending the US military occupation of nearly one-third of Syrian
territory, including the country's richest oil fields, was swiftly met by Pentagon opposition,
led by US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. The US president reluctantly accepted a continued
occupation, so long as it ends in a matter of months rather than years.
Fabricating an atrocity would pressure Trump to maintain the US occupation indefinitely and
possibly escalate US military intervention in Syria, much to the pleasure of Islamist
insurgents, their White Helmet and Syrian American Medical Society allies, and US war
planners.
If that is the intention, the maneuver appears to have met with success. Trump reacted on
Twitter to the unverified (and unverifiable) reports, by dehumanizing Syrian president Bashar
al-Assad as an "animal," who the US president said was responsible for a "humanitarian disaster
for no reason whatsoever." That the US State Department acknowledged that the reports were
unconfirmed failed to restrain the "shoot-from-the-hip" Trump.
Fifth, a chemical attack by the Syrian government would be manifestly self-defeating, and
therefore would seem to be highly unlikely. The Syrian Arab Army is on the cusp of an all but
inevitable victory in Eastern Ghouta. Why would it cancel its gains by handing the United
States a pretext to continue its military intervention in Syria, in the aftermath of Trump
signalling his intention to withdraw US troops?
Seventh, much of the discourse about chemical weapons in Syria implicitly assumes the Syrian
government has them, despite the country cooperating with the Organization for the Prevention
of Chemical Weapons to eliminate them years ago.
Finally, allegations of chemical weapons use are routinely made against the Syrian
government, and while, through repetition, have been transfigured into received truths, have
all proved to be unverified. Jim Mattis acknowledged this at a February 2 news conference.
Q: Just make sure I heard you correctly, you're saying you think it's likely they have
used it and you're looking for the evidence? Is that what you said?
SEC. MATTIS: We do not have evidence of it we're looking for evidence of it .
Q: So the likelihood was not what your -- you're not characterizing it as a likelihood? I
thought I used -- you used that word; I guess I misunderstood you.
SEC. MATTIS: Well, there's certainly groups that say they've used it. And so they think
there's a likelihood, so we're looking for the evidence.
Q: So there's credible evidence out there that both sarin and chlorine --
SEC. MATTIS: No, I have not got the evidence, not specifically. I don't have the
evidence.
What I'm saying is that other -- that groups on the ground, NGOs, fighters on the ground
have said that sarin has been used. So we are looking for evidence. I don't have evidence,
credible or uncredible. [11]
Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, but neither is
it evidence of guilt. The complete lack of evidence, along with a political context that favors
the production of spurious allegations, suggests that the latest chemical weapons claims are --
like all that have preceded them -- dubious at best.
1. Raja Abdulrahim, "Dozens killed in alleged chemical-weapons attack in Syria," The Wall
Street Journal, April 8, 2018.
2. Ben Hubbard, "Dozens suffocate in Syria as government is accused of chemical attack," The
New York Times, April 8, 2018.
3. Hubbard.
4. Hubbard.
5. Zeina Karam and Philip Issa, "Syrian rescuers say at least 40 people killed in eastern
Ghouta has attack," The Associated Press, April 8, 2018.
6. April 8.
7. Abdulrahim, April 8.
8. Raja Abdulrahim, "Syria airstrikes hit hospitals in rebel territory," The Wall Street
Journal, February 5, 2018; Louisa Loveluck and Erin Cunningham, "Dozens killed in apparent
chemical weapons attack on civilians in Syria, rescue workers say," The Washington Post, April
8, 2018.
9. Abdulrahim, April 8; Abdulrahim, February 5.
10. Hubbard.
11. Media Availability by Secretary Mattis at the Pentagon, Secretary of Defense James N.
Mattis, Feb. 2, 2018,
[Russia on Tuesday vetoed a US-drafted United Nations Security Council resolution that
would have set up an investigation into chemical weapons use in Syria following an alleged
toxic gas attack in rebel-held Douma.
It was the 12th time that Russia has used its veto power at the council to block action
targeting its Syrian ally.
Twelve of the 15 council members backed the measure, including France, Britain, African
countries, Kazakhstan and Kuwait. Bolivia voted against the draft resolution, while China
abstained.]
Why petty China always cave in with US. In the latest resolution China AGAIN abstained.
China is a petty colony and people must boycott its garbage, that is called goods. Chinese
criminal 'leaders' still have their slave mentality. They are nothing but petty slaves in the
service of the mass murderers.
They also voted for illegal sanctions against Iran, N. Korea and any other country that
American criminals and mass murderers wanted to kill their children. Chinese petty 'leaders'
are as criminals as US mass murderers. Down with petty colonies and cowards chinese
'leaders'.
Even Bolivia, a small country has more courage than the petty chinses. Long live
Bolivia
California Democrat Zoe Lofgren and Michigan Republican Justin Amash are
circulating
a bipartisan letter to President Trump, insisting that he seek Congressional authorization
before striking the government of Syria.
Defend our Constitution and oppose endless war. Urge your Representative to sign the Lofgren-Amash letter against unconstitutional
war.
Phone calls are best: US Capitol Switchboard (202) 224-3121, ask for your Rep. by
name.
You can leave a message after hours. (Name, zipcode, request.)
The White House: (202) 456-1111
' Don't know how true it is, but this is what Veterans Today says about the captured
spooks and weapons lab '
Thanks for the links
Gordon Duff [Vietnam Marine grunt veteran] and Jim Dean of Veterans Today are well
meaning fellows and are on the 'right team' so to speak
They are often dismissed as Conspiracy Kooks and they sometimes go a bit over the top
I suspect this is because they rely on sources that are perhaps somewhat unreliable [VT
says some of these sources are ex intel guys...so some truth bending might go with the
territory...]
Here is what we do know last month the Syrian government did say it found a 'rebel'
chemical weapons workshop and this was reported in Sputnik
and RT
What has been documented much more extensively especially in RT and Sputnik are huge
conventional weapons caches seized by the SAA as it liberates various locations from
terrorists often these weapons are visibly stamped with manufacturer data plates from US and
Nato countries
This is beyond doubt
So the logical question is how are these holed up bearded fanatics in Ghouta who are
surrounded on all sides getting this stuff for the last five years ?
There is a logistics question here who and how has been smuggling this into the besieged
enclave [including possibly chemical weapons] ?
That is really cloak and dagger stuff no doubt and actual verifiable info would be very
hard to come by
So there could be some truth to this idea that various Western spooks or at
least contractors are involved in this game of smuggling in everything from guns to chlorine
[which is readily available]
However it is doubtful that these personnel would have been caught by the advancing
SAA
Even if SAA did capture various Nato operators or agents there it might not be something
that the Russian side would publicize [I'm just guessing as a layman here...Mr. Giraldi would
certainly have a much better grasp on the nuts and bolts of such things...]
So overall I think this is a case where VT is perhaps a bit too optimistic
' We are still waiting for the first verifiable report of a jhadi and or family that has
been killed by one of these "attacks", or a cemetery of the gassed martyrs, or even a
headstone for such.
The amateur script writers forgot about that part '
That's a very good observation
With all these 'gas victims' churned out by the white helmets how is it that no
such 'martyr' graves have ever turned up ?
Or this observation as to how those chemicals might be used that the headchoppers are
cooking up in their workshops
' As for what these could be used for, how about throwing into a cellar filled with
human shield pro-Damascus family members to generate a nice pile of bodies for our
"un-free" Western media '
Photo showing the buses with the freed prisoners below
On March 26 even the French AFP ran this story
' In the largest city of the East Ghouta district, Douma, civilians and military
personnel have been liberated from the "jail of repentance," where they were kept prisoners
for years by Jaish al-Islam terrorists '
There were hundreds of women and children from the city of Adra, which was
captured by terrorists in December 2013. Adra is one of the largest industrial cities in
the suburbs of Damascus.
"In such places, extremists tortured the abducted people, forcing them to repent of
their sins. Thus, they wanted to realize the doctrine of a peaceful revolution. But what
sins do children, who were the greatest number in the prison, have to repent?" the source
asked.
According to the source, there were 3,500 inmates in the prison. The terrorists
used them as a human shield to put pressure on the Syrian army, which did everything
possible to save the lives of the people of the city '
So these are the 'good guys' for whom Dump is sending the United States to war
?
If he is as stupid as all that then I certainly hope that the Russians don't pull their
punches
At this point Dump is beyond redemption the sooner his disillusioned base cuts him loose
the better
Gordon Duff [Vietnam Marine grunt veteran] and Jim Dean of Veterans Today are well
meaning fellows and are on the 'right team' so to speak
No, they most certainly are NOT. The problem is not with them talking about conspiracies,
conspiracies do take place all the time
Problem is these guys are disinformation, especially Duffy.
The fact that Gordon Duff is a "disinfo toad" is certainly no secret. He has openly
admitted that "about thirty percent of what is on Veterans Today is patently false" and
that at least forty percent of what he writes is "purposely partially false".
Gordon Duff, senior editor of the website Veterans Today, published an article on May
20, 2014, that can only be described as rank disinformation that is meant to obscure the
truth about 9-11. To deliberately spread lies about what caused the deaths of thousands of
people on 9-11 is an egregious and unforgivable offense. The Duff article, which was edited
by Jim W. Dean, is so full of errors that it cannot be taken seriously, except perhaps as
evidence of his role as an agent of disinformation about 9-11.
Also, both Duff and Dean were 100% supporters of the ZUS/NATO war on Libya, and became
furious when several readers protested and confronted them in the comment sections, which led
to censorship. Maybe Duffy boy's defense contracts he claims to have in Africa and the ME had
something to do with that.
Red Crescent Says No Evidence of Chemical Attack in Syria's Douma
Patients treated by aid group not exposed to any chemical agents
Jason Ditz Posted on April 9, 2018
The Syrian Red Crescent issued a statement Monday dismissing the allegations of a
weekend chemical weapon attack in the city of Douma. The statement insisted their medical
personnel in the city had found no evidence any such attack took place.
Y ou might think it would be easier if not more foolproof for the warmongers to
stage a fake chemical attack in Syria by 2018 than it was staging the false flag attack on
the WTC in 2001, but even this simple but bogus narrative crumbles under perfunctory
inspection, and the lies stick out like a pitchfork in a goat's ass, or UA 175 stuck in the
middle at WTC 2, a lie for the ages frozen in pixels.
Not that obvious lies have been any detriment to the warmongers of the past, even when
George W. Bush told his whopper about watching the first WTC crash on the boob tube because
"the TV was obviously on."
Well, Shrub is part of the ruling oligarchy, so he's an untouchable with royal jelly or
something, like Blair, who probably caught it from the Queen.
In October 2001, Rudy Giuliani was even knighted by Her Royal Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II,
who bestowed upon the NYC mayor the modest title of Knight Commander of the Most Excellent
Order of the British Empire ostensibly for his "outstanding help and support to the
bereaved British families in New York."
Of course, successful destruction of WTC evidence had nothing to do with Rudy's award in
the same way that BBC's foreknowledge of WTC 7′s destruction was just one of those
doggone quirky things that happen, during false flags, when the evils hacks can't get their
timing right.
Just one more thing. I noticed that the slim 9/11 articles section has been removed from
the front page at Unz Review. Linh Dinh's article from August 13, 2017 "George Orwell and
Mohammed Atta Were Here" can be found under his name, as can the earlier sole entry in the
now-defunct 9/11 section, author Philip Giraldi's 10-25-2016 article "9/11 Truth?" which drew
over 1,000 comments.
After seeing the 3 Stooges, May, Macron and Trump, locking arms to start another war, I'd
like ours (Larry?) to know that if he becomes a wartime president, it will be difficult to
spend weekends in Mar Largo golfing. Think about it.
Red Crescent Says No Evidence of Chemical Attack in Syria's Douma
Patients treated by aid group not exposed to any chemical agents
Jason Ditz Posted on April 9, 2018
The Syrian Red Crescent issued a statement Monday dismissing the allegations of a weekend
chemical weapon attack in the city of Douma. The statement insisted their medical
personnel in the city had found no evidence any such attack took place.
Crisis Group's Sam Heller wordsmiths a different question, the next question: Can the U.S. Respond to the Syria Chemical Weapons Attack without Risking
Escalation?
After a seemingly sanguine introduction –
So far, no international party has said definitively or presented conclusive evidence
that the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was responsible for the chemical
weapons use. . . .
Heller tightens the frame to fit a preconceived image:
While the lack of access makes it difficult to immediately verify, chemical weapons
use would be consistent with past behaviour by the Syrian government. The government
has repeatedly employed chlorine and, more infrequently, sarin gas against areas under
rebel control , as documented by nonpartisan international bodies such as the United
Nations-established Joint Investigative Mechanism and the Independent International
Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic. Chemical attacks fit within a broader
strategy the government has used of targeting civilians and fighters alike in rebel-held
areas. Through brutal means, this strategy renders these areas highly dangerous and
ultimately unlivable, permitting no viable alternative to government control.
That last bit is problematic: if gassed "areas are rendered unlivable," will the British
be holding hosts of quiet funerals for fallen White Helmet rescuers who entered the areas and
came in body-contact with victims?
Heller next constructs a scenario intended to provide a rationale for the Syrian
government to have made the attack, then reports that
"Syria's T-4 airbase was hit by an apparent Israeli airstrike on the morning of 9 April,
although it remains unclear whether the strike was related to the Douma chemical attack. .
. . from Lebanese airspace . . . killing seven Iranians. . . . "
Though Israel declined to comment, Heller noted that
"Israel also struck the T-4 base in February, after an Iranian drone it said was
launched from the base entered Israeli airspace. "
If all is fair in love and war, one must forebear pointing out the hypocrisy of Israel
attacking a Syrian target from Lebanese airspace in retaliation for Iran flying drones over
Israeli airspace. However, the same logic conveys the right to Iran and/or Syria and/or
Russia to attack an Israeli launching site in retaliation for its attacks on Syria.
But even wars have rules, that civilized people comply with -- statesmen like Sergei
Lavrov and Vladimir Putin understand this. But when the adversary/aggressor is a psychopath
who disdains convention's rules and limits, then what?
Israel is not like a drunk or addict that has hit the wall -- such a person is, at that
point, ready for intensive rehabilitation. But a psychopath is not in that category.
What huge imago made
A psychopathic god?
– W H Auden
How does one deal with a psychopath?
How does one deal with a rabid dog? Can a rabid dog be medicated, or re-trained?
What signals do Israelis send about how an entity that fails to comply with demanded norms
should be treated? Israelis insist that such entities respond "only to force." Projection may
be as close to insight as a psychopath can get.
If it is the case that Israel can only be dealt with by force, that the rabid dog must be
put down, then what are we to make of Phil Weiss's recent claim
that Israel's attacks on Palestinians has caused American Jews to distance themselves from
Israel.
Does that mean they will ignore the mad dog as long as it does not roam on their street, or
does that mean they will agree that for the good of their own neighborhood as well as the
entire community, the dog must be put down?
The press in the USA is more effectively controlled and conformist than in Germany in the
late 1930s
Who controlled the press there and then?
What can be said about the control and conformity of the Soviet, British and American press
of the time?
...and nobody goes around beating up journalists or sending them to a KZ.
That's probably because the usual thugs don't need to do that any longer since
they control virtually everything.
A couple of anecdotes to illustrate my point.:
2 of the reasons we don't hear much about mobsters these days are that the press and
judiciary are owned by them and if you do get something published, you run the risk of getting
snuffed. They probably don't stop at mere blinding anymore.
Victor Riesel was an American newspaper journalist and columnist who specialized in
news related to labor unions. In 1956 a mobster threw sulfuric acid in his face on a public
street in Chicago causing his permanent blindness.
"Treason is a strong word, but not too strong to characterize the situation in which the
Senate is the eager, resourceful, and indefatigable agent of interests as hostile to
the American people as any invading army could be." This indictment launched a
nine-part series of articles entitled "Treason of the Senate."
-David Graham Phillips, Cosmopolitan magazine, February 1906
In 1911 Phillips was shot multiple t imes by Fitzhugh Coyle Goldsborough, a
Harvard-educated scion of a prominent Maryland family, at Gramercy Park in New York City.
The intent of my post was to show that the MSM here is conformist and doesn't like to
stray far from what the USG is claiming and what other journalists are writing. Rather than
explore the topics you raise, as worthy of exploration as they might be, I thought I'd offer
what newspapers around the USA were saying about Saddam's WMD after Powell's UNSC speech;
seems a bit more germane.
The Powell evidence will be persuasive to anyone who is still persuadable.
The Wall Street Journal
Piling fact upon fact, photo upon photo Wednesday, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell
methodically demonstrated why Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein remains dangerous to his own
people, Iraq's neighbors
The Los Angeles Times
On Wednesday, America's most reluctant warrior, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell,
presented succinct and damning evidence of Saddam's enormous threat to world peace.
Arizona Republic
Saddam Hussein's illicit arsenal of biological and chemical weapons, as well as the
equally illicit means that he possesses to deliver them, poses a tangible and urgent danger
to U.S. and world security. Millions of innocent lives are at risk.
Dallas Morning News
At some point, the world chooses to believe President George W. Bush and Secretary Powell
or the international community chooses to side with Saddam Hussein and those who broadcast
his lies to the world. Powell has painstakingly presented a strong case against Iraq.
Greenville News/South Carolina
Iraq is busted. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell laid out the case clearly. No one
hearing Powell's presentation to the United Nations Security Council could doubt Iraq's
actions and intentions.
Jacksonville Times-Union/Florida
The threat is real and at our door. Sept. 11, 2001, stripped away the belief that the
United States can peacefully coexist with evil. Prove it, they said. Powell has.
Charleston Daily Mail/West Virginia
We are a country always loath to fight unless provoked. The reluctance of Americans to
initiate a war needlessly does the nation credit. But this is not a needless war, nor is it
unprovoked. Powell laid out the need, and explained the provocation, in step-by-step fashion
that cannot be refuted without resorting to fantasy.
Chicago Sun-Times
The Dispatch repeatedly has called on the Bush administration to make a compelling case
that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein is developing weapons of mass destruction and hiding these
efforts from U.N. inspectors. Yesterday, Secretary of State Colin Powell made that case
before the Security Council.
Columbus Dispatch
Powell has methodically proved Iraq's failure to comply with U.N. mandates. With each
passing day, Iraq's own choices move it closer to a war that full compliance would
prevent.
Indianapolis Star
Secretary of State Colin Powell's 90-minute presentation to the U.N. Security Council,
buttressed with surveillance photographs and recorded phone conversations, should remove all
doubt that Iraq's Saddam Hussein has developed and hides weapons of mass destruction, in
violation of U.N. resolutions.
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Powell's speech to the U.N. Security Council presented not just one 'smoking gun' but a
battery of them, more than sufficient to dispel any lingering doubt about the threat the
Iraqi dictator poses.
Denver Post
The United States has made a compelling case that Iraq has failed to rid itself of weapons
of mass destruction. This failure violates the U.N. Security Council resolution of late last
year which ordered Iraq to disarm. As a consequence and it is a grave one, the Security
Council must act now to disarm Iraq by force.
Salt Lake City Tribune
Powell has connected enough dots to tie Iraq to al-Qaeda and show that this alliance is a
threat to all of Europe as well as the United States.
Manchester Union Leader
In fact, the speech provided proof that Saddam continues to refuse to obey U.N.
resolutions. Any amount of time he has now to comply fully and openly with U.N. demands
should be measured in days or a few weeks – and no longer.
These ridiculous, suicidal gas attacks by Assad seem to coincide not only with battleground
victories against the head-choppers, but co-incidentally with Israel's murderous attacks on
unarmed Palestinians "throwing stones".
What nobody seems to have picked up is the emphasis – and red lines – on Gas;
gas, gas attacks. Why is gas so much worse than being dismembered, disembowelled, and
mutilated by high explosives? Certainly I would favour unconsciousness and death by gas
before being smashed to pieces by depleted uranium.
These relentlessly repeated claims are an exercise with the dual purpose of providing a
subliminal message about the greatest tragedy in human history, repeated ad nauseam. The
massive 'gassing' of European Jews some 65 years ago. Lest we forget.
It does look rather like those Syrian chemical weapon attacks that happen whenever the rebels
are about to be defeated.
I am pretty sure that it was not ordered within the British government and that most of
the British government don't know where it came from, but are willing to believe it was
Russia.
While the CIA does have plenty of form on assassinations, the risk if they were found to
be assassinating in Britain seems quite high due to the close CIA links with the UK
intelligence sector. But CIA agents could have paid someone else to do it.
Mossad is the one group that can act freely in the UK, has a record of assassinating
scientists, engineers etc here, and unlike CIA, can take the risk of being caught. So it's a
possibility – OTOH Israel has shown a lot less anti-Russian hatred than the US Deep
State has.
Normally I'd assume it was indeed Russia – I thought there was plenty of evidence
the Polonium poisoning was Russia – and it still seems possible, but US or Mossad must
be at least equally likely in this case. It's just possible it could have been British
initiated but I doubt it.
I do think it's most likely the person who actually poisoned them was not an employee of
any agency.
White Helmets was the greatest war propaganda invention since Goebbels "big lie"
The sheeple might realize that they were duped only when it's too late... It's all very darwinian: Elite is too nasty and common
people are too stupid and too busy with surviving in economic uncertainty to decipher lies
Notable quotes:
"... "the West is ruled by a gang of thugs" ..."
"... It is depressing to see that there are very few people in the MSM speaking out for reason. One of the few ones is Tucker Carlson. ..."
"... The US, British etc. taxpayer funded propaganda arm of Islamists, the media trained "white helmets" are delivering videos that look almost as real as Hollywood products and most of the sheeple in the western world don't question their propaganda narrative. ..."
"... Well here you go Dutti. Both Glen Greenwald and Amy Goodman are out there in media land championing the 'truth' for good old Isramerika. ..."
It is depressing to see that there are very few people in the MSM speaking out for reason. One of the few ones is Tucker Carlson.
Unfortunately, even among friends and acquaintances, the story about "evil Assad killing Children" is often readily believed.
The US, British etc. taxpayer funded propaganda arm of Islamists, the media trained "white helmets" are delivering videos that
look almost as real as Hollywood products and most of the sheeple in the western world don't question their propaganda narrative.
"... This funding was used, if not entirely, then in part to finance the White Helmets. The Syrian Civil Defense Force website lists Chemonics as its primary supporter alongside NGO Mayday Rescue, who operate out of offices in Turkey, Jordan and Dubai. ..."
The specialists "found no traces of the use of chemical agents" after searching the sites,
the statement said. The center's medical specialists also visited a local hospital but found
no patients that showed signs of chemical weapons poisoning. "All these facts show that no
chemical weapons were used in the town of Douma, as it was claimed by the White Helmets ," the
statement said, referring to the controversial "civil defense" group that was among the first
to report about the alleged attack.
" All the accusations brought by the White Helmets, as well as their photos allegedly
showing the victims of the chemical attack, are nothing more than a yet another piece of fake
news and an attempt to disrupt the ceasefire ," the Reconciliation Center said.
The Syrian Civil Defense Force (aka the White Helmets) is funded in part by United States
Agency for International Development (USAID) . Included here are two links showing contracts
awarded by USAID to Chemonics International Inc. (DBA Chemonics).
The first award was in the sum of $111.2 million and has a
Period of Performance (POP) from January 2013 to June 2017. It states that the purpose of the
award will be to use the funds for managing a "quick-response mechanism supporting activities
that pursue a peaceful transition to a democratic and stable Syria."
The second was in the sum of $57.4 million and has a POP from
August 2015 to August 2020. This award was designated to be used in the "Syria Regional
Program II" which is a part of the Support Which Implements Fast Transitions IV (SWIFT IV)
program.
This funding was used, if not entirely, then in part to finance the White Helmets. The
Syrian Civil Defense Force website lists Chemonics as its primary supporter alongside NGO
Mayday Rescue, who operate out of offices in Turkey, Jordan and Dubai.
Of course, that didn't stop Netflix from producing an Academy Award winning
documentary about the White Helmets. We're sure recently added board member and former Obama
National Security Advisor Susan Rice is happy considering all of the taxpayer money the
previous administration spent funding the group.
"... As before, all "evidence" boils down to White Helmets' report and a video going viral that does not look or sound very convincing. There was no independent verification. The White Helmets have iffy reputation , to put it mildly. The organization is known to pursue political interests of outside actors. ..."
"... No explanation was given to a simple question: what does Syria's government need this attack for? It is victorious everywhere and the operation in Eastern Ghouta has been a success. Douma is the last remaining stronghold still controlled by rebels in the area and will be liberated soon. It's a matter of a few days. The army's combat actions are supported by Russian aviation. What does Syria's government stand to gain by using CW? Nothing. ..."
"... Syria army units are operating in Douma. By launching an attack, the Syrian government would hit its own troops, This argument appears to be largely missing in Western media reports. President Trump has recently promised to withdraw American forces from Syria. Why would President Assad give him a pretext to renege on his word? ..."
What happened in Syria on April 7 had been expected. While raising hue and
cry over the
alleged chemical attack in Douma, a rebel-held suburb of the capital, Western officials and
media wasted no time to put the blame on the Assad government.
The US State Department issued a statement saying that by shielding
Damascus Moscow has breached its international commitments. The administration immediately
called on Russia to cease its support of Syria's government. President Trump wants an
international action. As usual, few people in the West raised their voices to emphasize the
need to investigate first and make conclusions afterwards.
It strikes the eye that Moscow's
warnings about a CW provocation being prepared to dash the rising hopes for peaceful
settlement in Syria appear to be forgotten! The Defense Ministry shared the information that
the ringleaders of Jabhat al-Nusra and the Free Syrian Army were plotting false flag chemical
attacks in areas under their control. Moscow warned but the West did not listen.
It's the same old song and dance. Last year, the Syrian government was blamed for a
sarin gas
attack on Khan Sheikhun that prompted a US cruise missile strike on a Syrian air base. The
American president's approval ratings went up as a result. This time, the alleged attack
occurred right after the Russia-Turkey-Iran summit that took place in Ankara on April 4 to
promote the Syria conflict settlement.
As before, all "evidence" boils down to White Helmets'
report and a video going viral that does not look or sound
very convincing. There was no independent verification. The White Helmets
have iffy reputation , to put it mildly. The organization is known to
pursue political interests of outside actors.
No explanation was given to a simple question: what does Syria's government need this
attack for? It is victorious everywhere and the operation in Eastern Ghouta has been a success.
Douma is the last remaining stronghold still controlled by rebels in the area and will be
liberated soon. It's a matter of a few days. The army's combat actions are supported by Russian
aviation. What does Syria's government stand to gain by using CW? Nothing.
Syria army units are operating in Douma. By launching an attack, the Syrian government
would hit its own troops, This argument appears to be largely missing in Western media reports.
President Trump has recently
promised to withdraw American forces from Syria. Why would President Assad give him a
pretext to renege on his word?
But the world "indignation" against Russia-supported President Assad benefits the extremists
a lot. They are cornered and need time to take a breath and receive support. Actually, the
ballyhoo raised in the West is their only chance to at least slow down the offensive. A
government forces' victory in Douma would deal a heavy blow to terrorist groups, sounding the
death knell for the rebellion. Sounds simple but that's what it is. There is each and every
reason to believe the
incident was staged by terrorists.
Right after the alleged attack, they asked for talks. The ringleaders believe that this is
their chance for a negotiated truce. The militants keep their fingers crossed hoping that NATO
member states which clandestinely support them will get involved one way or another. Just last
February, Secretary of Defense James Mattis warned
Syria of "dire consequences" if it executed chemical strikes. French President Macron said
he would order strikes if CW were used. It's worth noting that today the US president's
National Security Team is led by a person known as a trigger happy hawk advocating the use of
force as a foreign policy tool.
The US and France
have been harboring plans to launch a joint operation in Syria for some time. Only a few
days ago, a contingent of French forces
arrived in Manbij to join American allies there. Actually, a NATO operation has been
launched leaving Turkey, a bloc's member, out in the cold. It's an open secret that
the US-led coalition
pursues the goal of partitioning Syria to "contain" Russia, roll back Iran, win the support
of rich Persian Gulf Arab states to boost lucrative arms trade and bolster the US and France's
clout in the Middle East.
It would be naïve to think that the chemical attack in Syria and the Skripal scandal
are two separate events. They are links in the same chain. With the spy poisoning case
leading nowhere , the
anti-Russia campaign needs a new impetus. The alleged CW attack is a good pretext to spur the
efforts. But any strike in Syria would pose a risk to the lives of Russian servicemen. It could
make Moscow respond. The US-led coalition is playing with fire. And as in the Skripal case, the
reaction is the same - blame first, wait for the results of investigation second. It just shows
that the West is not interested in the truth. It's looking for new pretexts to damage Russia's
reputation and thus reduce its global clout.
"MS NAUERT: Yes. So this is obviously an interagency process. The United States, through the
White House, through the State Department, and others of well – as well, have been having
conversations with our allies and partners overseas. Deputy Secretary – pardon me. Acting
Secretary John Sullivan spoke on two occasions with Foreign Minister[1] Boris Johnson of the UK
yesterday. I believe a readout was provided of that call.
We are looking for a coordinated response, whatever that response might be, to the situation
in Syria."
kinda like the coordinated response over the skripal affair? very good... bozos unite...
ms nauert... "So the United States is convinced and knows that some sort of a chemical
weapon was used."
matt lee question - "QUESTION: The President, though, was pretty clear that there was going
to be a price to pay. I mean, he literally said that. Why – since April 6th of last year,
when he – when they ordered the missile strikes in Syria, and now – or until this
last incident – there have been numerous uses of chemical weapons that have been alleged
in Syria. What makes this one hit that threshold that a price has to be paid?
MS NAUERT: I think, Matt, to answer that question, we have to look at the number of attacks
that have taken place, the pace, how quickly these attacks are now taking place. This will be
the ninth attack using some sort of chemical substance this year alone. It used to be that when
attacks would take place the world would stand up and take attention and it has become, in the
view of the U.S. Government and many others as well, far too common. So I think it's taken the
world to stand up and say this is unacceptable; this is horrific, and we can't stand for this
anymore."
on the israel missiles.. it is all about iran, lol. apparently israel is allowed to bomb
other countries.. no questions asked..
"QUESTION: Okay. This has to do with Iran. And Israel struck Iranian targets at Syria's T-4
Airbase on Sunday, which is the second time in as many months. Do you share Israel's concern
about Iran's presence in Syria?
MS NAUERT: We have talked about this a lot, that Iran supports Hizballah. Iran has sent not
only fighters but also equipment into Syria. Iran has been a bad actor in Syria and other parts
around the world. They have further destabilized the country of Syria. They have also bolstered
the regime of Bashar al-Assad, enabling the regime to be able to commit attacks against
innocent civilians, not just in Eastern Ghouta and elsewhere, but around the country as well.
Of course we're absolutely concerned about Iran's presence or meddling, whether it be through
proxies, in the country of Syria."
@ 60
Matt Lee (AP) is good, but even he won't ever charge the State Dept with being behind the
staging of these fake attacks, obviously fake to anyone with an ounce (milligram?) of sense.
If he did, he would no longer be enabled by State to ask the first question and enjoy other
perks in these State Dept follies. So it's a waltz around minor issues, never getting to the
basic truth of what's going on.
"... US Ambassador to Nato Kay Hutchison said she hoped allies like Britain would join with Washington in a "concerted and joint effort" against President Bashar al-Assad. ..."
"... And a squadron of British special forces - both SAS and SBS - are supporting elite American Delta force soldiers on the ground. ..."
Coalition warplanes are reportedly heading towards Syria as Britain appears ready to join
the US and France in airstrikes.
Civilian airlines have been asked to clear airspace over Syria for the next 48 hours,
according to reports.
And Theresa May has indicated Britain will stand with the US in bringing justice to dictator
Bashar al-Assad over the barbaric chemical attack in Douma last weekend that left around 70
dead.
But UK and US forces were said to be gathering to launch a wave of Tomahawk cruise missiles
at Assad's defences. Eurocontrol said the warning applies for the next 72 hours.
Announcement on US action in Syria 'imminent'
The US is due to make an announcement on action in Syria shortly, according to reports.
Fox News, President Trump's favoured network, is reporting live that an update is
"imminent".
RAF crews could be diverted from attacking Islamic State positions in Iraq and Syria to
smash Assad's remaining chemical weapons silos.
Teams flying Tornado bombers will hit large buildings and bunkers with deadly Storm Shadow
missiles, capable of smashing into complexes before obliterating them.
They will be accompanied by Typhoon crews capable of providing air-to-air fighter protection
against Russian air-crews but also able to launch air-to-ground missiles.
British RAF drones and spy planes will hoover up radio and phone chatter to conduct "battle
damage assessment" missions to examine the targets after they are hit.
US Ambassador to Nato Kay Hutchison said she hoped allies like Britain would join with
Washington in a "concerted and joint effort" against President Bashar al-Assad.
And a squadron of British special forces - both SAS and SBS - are supporting elite American
Delta force soldiers on the ground."
NBC News Russia has figured out how to jam U.S. drones in Syria, officials say
Four U.S. officials said Russia's signal scrambling has seriously affected military
operations.
WASHINGTON -- The Russian military has been jamming some U.S. military drones operating in
the skies over Syria, seriously affecting American military operations, according to four
U.S. officials. The Russians began jamming some smaller U.S. drones several weeks ago, the
officials said.
Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., reacted to the news of Russian scrambling Tuesday by saying
"Russia wants to undermine our interests at every turn. It is insane to think that Russia
is anything but an adversary," said Sasse.
Duh. This cornhusker struggles to understand the situation. Apparently he's missed the
colorful Haley news lately, with the Russians' hands covered with blood, and also all the
sanctions put on Russia for nothing, etc.. . Insane.. . . That's what passes for a senator
these days.
"... There they found "no trace of any use of chemical weapons," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters Tuesday. He said Russia would propose a U.N. Security Council resolution that would mandate international experts from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to go to Syria to investigate, under the protection of Russian troops. ..."
But with Russia and Syria having strenuously denied from the outset that any kind of
chemical attack occurred, and with Russian troops now deployed in Douma, it is unclear how much
of an independent forensic investigation into the cause of the deaths will be possible. Russian
troops entered the town Monday under the terms of a surrender deal reached with the rebels the
previous day.
Russia says its representatives already have searched the area and could find no evidence
that chemical weapons were used. Russian experts and members of the Syrian Red Crescent have
visited the hospitals where the victims were treated, Russian officials say, and a video showed
Russian troops arriving at the house where the bodies were found.
There they found "no trace of any use of chemical weapons," Russian Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov told reporters Tuesday. He said Russia would propose a U.N. Security Council
resolution that would mandate international experts from the Organization for the Prohibition
of Chemical Weapons to go to Syria to investigate, under the protection of Russian
troops.
The OPCW later issued a statement saying it had accepted an invitation from the Syrian
government and is preparing a team to travel to Syria "soon."
Mohamad Katoub of the Syrian American Medical Society, which supported medical facilities in
Douma before the Russians entered, said he doubted whether any meaningful evidence would
remain. Local staffers are afraid to give testimony, he said. "In the current situation," he
said, an investigation "is too hard."
Many of the activists, medical staffers and rescue workers with information about the
attacks have since scattered, with many leaving Douma on buses headed north to rebel-held
territory under the terms of the surrender deal reached Sunday between the rebels and the
Russians. Among them was Marhoum, who spoke Tuesday from one of the buses.
"... How to stage a false chemical attack? See the Flag on the on the wall and how a pseudo-doctor leave a young patient to care for his buddy :( ..."
"... Both Trump and Mattis have cancelled travel plans. The Brits French US all want war in Syria. Russia needs to provide good protection to the OPCW team. ..."
Both Trump and Mattis have cancelled travel plans. The Brits French US all want war in Syria.
Russia needs to provide good protection to the OPCW team.
19. Underlines that the Security Council will thoroughly assess how to take action following
the UNIMI's conclusions, and reaffirms in this regard its decision in response to violations
of resolution 2118 to impose measures under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter;
China and Russia will veto anything Chapter VII mentioning as I could probably be used to
interpret it into something allowing for use-of-force - i.e. war.
The United States plans to call for a U.N. Security Council vote on Tuesday on a proposal for
a new inquiry into responsibility for use of chemical weapons in Syria after reports of a
poison gas attack on a rebel-held town, diplomats said.
...
"This is basically a diplomatic set-up," said Richard Gowan, the U.N. expert at the European
Council on Foreign Relations.
"Russia will inevitably veto the U.S. resolution criticizing Assad, and Washington will
use this to justify military strikes," he said. "A breakdown at the U.N. will also make it
easier for France to justify strikes."
The usual suspects hype the issue and push for a large war. I doubt that any significant
strike will happen. The UK seems not be willing for now. The OPCW will deploy to Douma tomorrow
and will likely find nothing of relevance.
Any attack will be completely without evidence that anything happened and Russia has
threatened to strike back.
Hizbullah should let Israel know that it will be the main target of a response to a
'western' attack on Syria. We would then have the fun to see Netanyahoo lobbying Washington
against war.
and Yes, Russia is not there to protect Bachar but to forbid the implementation of the
takfirist terrorist state.
But if any stupidity inclined party attacks Russians in Syria retribution will
follow.
Trump hates criticism. So his response is going to have to be bigger than last year's
Tomahawk display, which was widely dismissed as impotent. The problem here of course is that
it cannot be so much bigger as to demand a Russian response. I wouldn't be surprised if there
were back channel negotiations going on with Russia over an amenable list of Syrian targets.
On the other hand, this could be the grand barbecue. Western governing elites might be
convinced that Russia and Iran can be cowed by "shock and awe." In that case, we're at the
beginning of the end.
Trump sinking so low he called his colleague Assad an animal. Accusing Russia and Iran of
also carrying blame for "the chemical attack". Then with the same posture saying a response
to "the chemical attack" will come within 48. And all this while right from the beginning he
could have decided to not side with USA nurtured wahabbi terrorists in Syria and calling for
an investigation first.
I really wonder if he and his war craving handlers will settle for a none-war-response. I
think there will be some military attack. Maybe USA missiles launched from another nearby
(NATO) country or from a (French/Israeli/...) war ship so the Russian response can be more
easily framed by war inciting presstitutes as an attack on another "innocent" country.
OPCW heading to damascus would have been a good sign were it not for that other time when
during their landing in Damascas another chemical attack was purpetrated by the USA nurtured
wahabbi terrorists and blamed on Assad. Not that this would happen again now but I'm not
putting my hopes on it.
Nikki Haley: - "The U.S. has put forward a draft resolution we've held open & transparent
negotiations [on the text] for weeks we made special efforts with one Council member
(#Russia), adding paragraph upon paragraph "
For weeks?
The CW attack happened only last WE - didn't Trump bomb Syria for Sahaairat last year.
What are FrUKUS planning - or the darlings of Israel doing?
One more @RussiaUN veto on #Syria on @USUN draft resolution setting up an independent &
impartial investigation mechanism on chemical weapons use.
@Chinamission2un abstains. 12 other members voted YES.
"There was no chemical weapons attack," Nebenzia told the council. "Through the relevant
channels we already conveyed to the US that armed forces under mendacious pretext against Syria
– where, at the request of the legitimate government of a country, Russian troops have
been deployed – could lead to grave repercussions."
A few hours earlier, Donald Trump said his administration was on the brink of deciding its
response to the Douma attack. "We are meeting with our military and everybody else, and we'll
be making some major decisions over the next 24 to 48 hours," he said at a cabinet meeting. "We
are very concerned when a thing like that can happen. This is about humanity and it can't be
allowed to happen."
Pressed by reporters, Trump went further, saying: "We'll be making that decision very
quickly, probably by the end of today. But we cannot allow atrocities like that. Cannot allow
it."
Trump ordered airstrikes against a Syrian airbase after a previous chemical weapons attack,
in April last year. The latest use of poison gasprovoked from Trump unprecedented direct
criticism of Putin, something he had previously been at pains to avoid.
... ... ...
In his address, Nebenzia suggested a visit to Douma by the Organisation for the Prohibition
of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) might be possible under Syrian and Russian military protection. The
UK envoy to the UN, Karen Pierce, said the Russian proposal was "an offer worth pursuing" but
she added that OPCW inspectors would have to have complete freedom of action and of access.
As a result of the total surrender of the Jihadis previously in control of Douma on Sunday,
it is the Russian military who this time are in control of the alleged crime scene.
This has put the Russians in a position where for the first time they are able both to
invite the OPCW inspectors to attend the crime scene and to provide them with protection if
they are there, whilst at the same time monitoring and supervising their work.
If the chemical attack on Douma really is fictitious – as the Russians insist
it is – then for the first time their control of the crime scene puts the Russians in
a strong position to prove it.
The point was made forcefully by Russia's UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia at the UN Security
Council session today, and it also received indirect backing from the UN Secretariat, who
admitted that they could not confirm that a chemical weapons attack had happened, and who
called upon all sides to show restraint until a proper investigation of the incident had taken
place.
By now it should surprise no-one that the fact that the Russians are in control of the crime
scene and may on this occasion be able to prove conclusively that no chemical weapons attack
happened in Douma, instead of deterring a US attack, is actually making it more likely.
This is because the credibility of the various 'witnesses' to the Douma attack – who
are of course the same witnesses who were previously 'witnesses' to the 2013 East Ghouta and
the 2017 Khan Sheikhoun attacks – is now on the line, as is the credibility of those
Western governments – first and foremost the US government – who believed or who
pretended to believe them.
I would add that not only is the credibility of the US government and of other Western
governments on the line. So is the credibility of Western journalists who also believed or
pretended to believe the 'witnesses'. That more than anything else explains the hysteria of the
last 24 hours, with the extraordinary warlike statements from Donald Trump and Nikki Haley , and
from
certain Western journalists .
On any logic, since what actually happened in Douma is unconfirmed and disputed, and since
the conditions for an objective investigation this time are there, the correct and proper thing
to do is for no action to be taken until that investigation has taken place.
The reason that logic is not being followed, and why against all reason a military strike is
likely, is because those who want a military strike do not want an objective investigation to
take place, which might expose them as having acted previously on a false basis.
In other words, the military strike is not intended to punish the perpetrators of the
alleged chemical strike in Douma. It is intended to make an objective investigation
impossible.
There is something genuinely bizarre about the latest threatened military strike.
The Battle of East Ghouta is over. The Jihadis there – following their capitulation in
Douma – have lost. A military strike now really would be a case of closing the stable
door after the horse has bolted, and its military rationale appears to be non-existent.
Moreover Donald Trump – the man who is supposed to be the President of the United States
– was only a few days ago saying that US troops would be withdrawn from Syria "very
soon".
Yet the US looks likely to launch a military strike – one which the Russians are
warning risks dangerous escalation – not because it has any clear policy which requires
such a strike, but because it is alarmed by a possible loss of face.
When a nuclear powered superpower launches military strikes for such frivolous reasons the
situation in the world has become very bad and dangerous indeed
"... "The primary conclusion of this study, based on a pharmacological analysis of the video and photographic evidence, is that the Ghouta Massacre near Damascus on Aug 21.2013 was not a sarin rocket attack carried out by Assad or his supporters. It was a false-flag stunt carried out by the insurgents using carbon monoxide or cyanide to murder children and use their corpses as bait to lure the Americans into attacking Assad." ..."
"Murder in the Sun Morgue" by Dr. Denis O'Brien (neuropharmacology expert):
"The primary conclusion of this study, based on a pharmacological analysis of the
video and photographic evidence, is that the Ghouta Massacre near Damascus on Aug 21.2013 was
not a sarin rocket attack carried out by Assad or his supporters. It was a false-flag stunt
carried out by the insurgents using carbon monoxide or cyanide to murder children and use
their corpses as bait to lure the Americans into attacking Assad."
"... So the idea that the Israelis were trying to provoke a response directed against US assets in order to escalate the conflict seems plausible. But Syria didn't play. ..."
"... Seems like Israel was used to do the dirty work and get Trump out of the corner he had rapidly painted himself into. Trump's response to the fake Douma chemical attack was so over the top that he would have had to carry out a major attack on Syria to justify it. Major meaning much larger than the last one with 59 tomahawks. So probably a hundred tomahawks at least and against a more important target than last time. This the Russians have said they will not allow. So what to do? Have Israel launch a rather minor harassing attack against a base well away from Damascus and so relieve the pressure on Trump to do something. ..."
" Israeli officials have called on the US to attack the Syrian Army, following what they
called a "shocking attack" in Douma. Israel's own crackdown on Gaza protesters was
"self-defense" and not worthy of attention, they said.
Washington must launch a strike against Damascus in response to the alleged chemical
attack in the city of Douma, the Israeli Strategic Affairs and Public Security Minister Gilad
Erdan told the Army Radio on Sunday, commenting on the reports coming from anti-government
groups in Syria. Erdan also said he personally hopes that the US would take military action
against the Syrian government, which he blamed for the attack, the Jerusalem Post reports.
The minister added that the Douma incident shows the "need" for a US troop buildup in
Syria.
The Israeli construction minister and former IDF major general, Yoav Galant, went even
further and called for a military strike aimed directly against the Syrian president.
"[Bashar] Assad is the angel of death, and the world would be better without him," Galant
said. The Israeli opposition leader Isaac Herzog called on the US to take "decisive military
action" against Syria."
So the idea that the Israelis were trying to provoke a response directed against US assets
in order to escalate the conflict seems plausible. But Syria didn't play.
Confusion about the number, type, and source of missiles, and the fate of the synchronized
ISIS attacks in various accounts.
Seems like Israel was used to do the dirty work and get Trump out of the corner he had
rapidly painted himself into. Trump's response to the fake Douma chemical attack was so over
the top that he would have had to carry out a major attack on Syria to justify it. Major
meaning much larger than the last one with 59 tomahawks. So probably a hundred tomahawks at
least and against a more important target than last time. This the Russians have said they
will not allow. So what to do? Have Israel launch a rather minor harassing attack against a
base well away from Damascus and so relieve the pressure on Trump to do something.
So far I'd say it looks like this is what happened. If so then the Russians wisely allowed
Trump to save face. Hopefully that will allow things to blow over. Next couple days should
tell.
"... Given the Operation Gladio infrastructure that has been painstakingly put into place over years by NATO throughout the Levant, it's very easy to conduct these false flag attacks without being caught in the act. Of course, they are never perpetrated without detection since the CIA, MI6 and MOSSAD have their fingerprints all over these purposefully shocking assaults. ..."
"... "tore through a 50th-floor apartment in Trump Tower" ..."
"... Trump also went along with the patently false accusations that the British government aimed at Russia for the poisoning of the Skripals. Not only did Trump unquestioningly agree with the UK's absurd conclusions, he also expelled 60 Russian diplomats and officers based on an outright lie. ..."
We live in an age when it is virtually impossible to confirm whether these incessant
terrorist attacks are real or hoaxes. The Powers That Be have repeatedly demonstrated
their capability and willingness to implement totally fake terror events. They have also shown
their utter inhumanity in the execution of deadly and destructive terrorist operations.
The recent chemical attack in Douma, Syria could be either of these. However, that's not the
point here. The critical issue is that these chemical attacks are being used by the Western
powers to justify their illegal invasions of Syria. Even President Trump appears to be fully on
board with this conspiratorial plot.
Why is Trump aggressively pushing the Neocon agenda in Syria?
The Zio-Anglo-American Axis is quite determined to complete their Greater
Israel project even though Putin's Russia has already wrecked their plans once. See:
Putin's Russia Blows Up
Scheme For 'Greater Israel'
Ever since Trump was elected, the same Zionist Neocons under W. Bush have been appointed to
various positions in the West Wing. John Bolton is only the most recent and notorious of these
hardcore warmongers.
"Bolton appointment proves that Trump is being blackmailed! -- Q²
This continual stacking of the Trump administration with Russophobes and Iran haters is by
purposeful design. It's also no accident of presidential fate that the Trump has allowed
himself to be used to promote war for Israel. In fact, this particular date with
Armageddon has been planned for centuries by the NWO globalist cabal.
The United States, United Kingdom and Israel have proven to the world community of nations
that they will execute any false flag attack anywhere, anytime to advance their New World
Order agenda. A big piece of that agenda is the Greater Israel project. Hence,
the whole world has been witness to one false flag chemical attack after another.
The ZAAA leadership knows that photos of 'apparently' poisoned children -- piled on top of
each other -- is guaranteed to trigger a knee-jerk reaction by the false accusers against the
innocent accused. The British have established a whole network of fraudulent witnesses on the
ground and throughout the UK who routinely provide false testimony about these staged chemical
attacks. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights is one of those fake organizations;
so are the utterly bogus White Helmets .
Given the Operation Gladio infrastructure that has been painstakingly put into place
over years by NATO throughout the Levant, it's very easy to conduct these false flag attacks
without being caught in the act. Of course, they are never perpetrated without detection since
the CIA, MI6 and MOSSAD have their fingerprints all over these purposefully shocking
assaults.
Why does President Trump always go along with these false accusations?
This crucial question must be answered and dealt with sooner than later. The link that
follows discloses information that ought to concern every patriot who voted for Trump to stop
the wars: Trump's
Syria "Withdrawal" Was Textbook US Deception
The timing of Saturday night's fire that "tore through a 50th-floor apartment in Trump
Tower" is quite suspicious. Is someone basically telling the POTUS to go with the Neocon
plan to invade Syria or else his real estate -- worldwide -- will become vulnerable to arson
and other 'mishaps'?
Trump also went along with the patently false accusations that the British government
aimed at Russia for the poisoning of the Skripals. Not only did Trump unquestioningly agree
with the UK's absurd conclusions, he also expelled 60 Russian diplomats and officers based on
an outright lie.
The entire Novichok nerve agent affair can now be seen in its proper light. The British
intelligence community carried out the attempted murder of the Russian double agent for various
reasons; however, the most important was to smear the Kremlin. By flooding the mainstream media
with false stories about the chemical poisoning by Russia, the real perps made it easier to
associate the chemical attack in Douma with Putin's government.
This plot will only thicken until the West has finished its conquest of the Middle East.
Russia especially remains a target of the Neocon Zionists. The globalists will not rest until
President Putin's government has been completely overthrown. They will employ every strategy
and tactic necessary to force a regime change in Moscow as this article delineates: STRATFOR Chief Reveals
Zio-Anglo-American Plot For World Domination .
The following SOTN article has been reposted in its entirety for those who want to read the
real back story.
The context of the entire Russia mania is ludicrous and the fake news is so ridiculous
that war must be close.
A) Congress votes unanimously to sanction Russia for tampering the election by hacking and
everybody in DC makes believe they've never heard of the dead staffer.
B) Putin decides to poison some guy right before their election using a special poison
only Russia has. Their involvement in the "investiagtion" is forbidden,
C) The maverick outsider says the US will be pulling out of Syria and ~ a week later Assad
decides to shoot chemicals at people like no one will ever find out. Trump calls Assad an
animal and blames Putin.
There are a few possibilities. Trump could truly be a dotard moron and believe this shit
or he's being strong-armed.
It's either that or some sort of wacko plan. Even the most ardent deplorables are having a
hard time with this.
The first batch of prisoners released by terrorists in Syria's Douma has reached the capital
city Damascus via the Wafedin humanitarian corridor.
The prisoners were released early on Monday as part of an evacuation deal reached between
the Syrian government and Jaish al-Islam terrorists.
According to the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which is based in UK, the
militant group has more than 3,500 prisoners and hostages in its prisons in Douma
The evacuations continue with scores of buses waiting to transport the terrorists and their
families out of the besieged city.
In accordance with the deal reached earlier, the militants are permitted to leave along with
their families in return for the release of all prisoners they have been keeping.
Earlier in the day, Russia's military said an operation would begin on Sunday to bring Jaish
al-Islam militants out of their besieged enclave of Douma, located about 10 kilometers
northeast of the center of Damascus.
The agreement came after two days of an intense military showdown in Douma, where Jaish
al-Islam militants reneged on a previous agreement for their evacuation from the area, and
refused to release thousands of kidnapped people.
The militants also launched mortar attacks on several residential neighborhoods inside
Damascus, which left several people killed and injured.
Eastern Ghouta, a besieged area on the outskirts of Damascus which is home to some 400,000
people, has witnessed deadly violence over the past few months, with foreign-sponsored
militants launching mortar attacks on the Syrian capital in the face of an imminent humiliating
defeat.
The US also said yet again that Russia is "ultimately bearing responsibility" for all
chemical incidents in Syria, regardless of who carried them out, after rebel sources accused
Damascus of gassing dozens in Eastern Ghouta's Douma. In other words, even if the "chemical
attack" was carried out by US-backed "rebels", or better yet "ISIS", it's Putin's fault.
"The regime's history of using chemical weapons against its own people is not in dispute,"
said the US State Department, indicating, however, that it was relying on "reports," being
unable to confirm the incident. "Russia ultimately bears responsibility for the brutal
targeting of countless Syrians with chemical weapons."
UN Security Council meets
Meanwhile, the UN Security Council met on Monday to discuss the latest developments - said
Staffen de Mistura, the UN Special Envoy to Syria. " Recent developments carry more than ever
before " the risks contained within the multiple "fault lines in the Middle East" that could
have " absolutely devastating consequences, which are difficult to even imagine ," the official
said, underscoring the possibility that the crisis in Syria may spiral into a larger
international security crisis.
"The United Nations is unable to independently verify or attribute responsibility for this
attack, but we have all parties to show utmost restraint and avoid any further escalation or
confrontation ," de Mistura said.
In other words - let's first chat about that chemical attack before WWIII breaks out.
Russia says Syria chemical attack is a fabrication
Unsurprisingly, Russian officials say they have found no trace of chemical weapons use while
searching through Syria's Douma region - and say that photos of victims posted by the White
Helmets are fabrications, according to Russia's Defense Ministry.
The specialists "found no traces of the use of chemical agents" after searching the sites,
the statement said. The center's medical specialists also visited a local hospital but found
no patients that showed signs of chemical weapons poisoning. "All these facts show that no
chemical weapons were used in the town of Douma, as it was claimed by the White Helmets ," the
statement said, referring to the controversial "civil defense" group that was among the first
to report about the alleged attack.
" All the accusations brought by the White Helmets, as well as their photos allegedly
showing the victims of the chemical attack, are nothing more than a yet another piece of fake
news and an attempt to disrupt the ceasefire ," the Reconciliation Center said. - RT
As well documented by
Disobedient Media and elsewhere, the White Helmets are an organization funded by the United
States which operates throughout various regions within Syria to "help" the anti-Assad effort
while snapping convenient photos of Assad's alleged regime-change-worthy atrocities. Via
Disobedient Media
The Syrian Civil Defense Force (aka the White Helmets) is funded in part by United States
Agency for International Development (USAID) . Included here are two links showing contracts
awarded by USAID to Chemonics International Inc. (DBA Chemonics). The first award was in the sum of $111.2 million and has a Period of
Performance (POP) from January 2013 to June 2017. It states that the purpose of the award will
be to use the funds for managing a "quick-response mechanism supporting activities that pursue
a peaceful transition to a democratic and stable Syria." The second was in the sum of $57.4 million and has a POP from
August 2015 to August 2020. This award was designated to be used in the "Syria Regional Program
II" which is a part of the Support Which Implements Fast Transitions IV (SWIFT IV) program.
This funding was used, if not entirely, then in part to finance the White Helmets. The
Syrian Civil Defense Force website lists Chemonics as its primary supporter alongside NGO
Mayday Rescue, who operate out of offices in Turkey, Jordan and Dubai.
**
Of course, that didn't stop Netflix from producing an Academy Award winning documentary
about the White Helmets. We're sure recently added board member and former Obama National
Security Advisor Susan Rice is happy considering all of the taxpayer money the previous
administration spent funding the group.
"... The "rebel" group now holding out in Douma, Jaysh al-Islam, part of the Islamist opposition to Assad that includes the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda as well as the remnants of ISIS, has itself been credibly accused of using chlorine gas in the course of fighting against Kurdish forces and civilians in Aleppo in 2016. That charge, made by the Kurds, was given extensive publicity by Voice of America, the propaganda arm of the US government. ..."
"... It is possible that Syrian warplanes struck a weapons cache belonging to the rebel group, causing the gas to leak out. More likely, the poison gas was deliberately released by Jaysh al-Islam, at behest of its CIA backers, to provide a pretext for US military intervention. Assuming, that is, that the reports of poison gas exposure are not simply manufactured by the US intelligence agencies for rebroadcast by a servile media. ..."
"... The latest provocation follows a well-worn pattern, from the lies over Iraqi "weapons of mass destruction" to the present. The American intelligence agencies give the signal. Nonstop coverage is immediately launched on cable television, then demands for action are made by the White House and congressional leaders, boosted by editorials written by CIA mouthpieces such as the New York Times. ..."
"... The brazen lies of the media are accompanied by breathtaking hypocrisy. The Times ..."
The "rebel" group now holding out in Douma, Jaysh al-Islam, part of the Islamist
opposition to Assad that includes the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda as well as the remnants of
ISIS, has itself been credibly accused of using chlorine gas in the course of fighting against
Kurdish forces and civilians in Aleppo in 2016. That charge, made by the Kurds, was given
extensive
publicity by Voice of America, the propaganda arm of the US government.
It is possible that Syrian warplanes struck a weapons cache belonging to the rebel
group, causing the gas to leak out. More likely, the poison gas was deliberately released by
Jaysh al-Islam, at behest of its CIA backers, to provide a pretext for US military
intervention. Assuming, that is, that the reports of poison gas exposure are not simply
manufactured by the US intelligence agencies for rebroadcast by a servile media.
What is least likely, from a political standpoint, is that the Assad government, just as it
was on the brink of final victory in Eastern Ghouta after more than five years of bitter
fighting, should suddenly unleash a poison gas attack, which would have no military value but
would invite a savage response from the Trump administration and the other Western powers. A
Syrian government statement pointed this out, declaring that "an army that is progressing
quickly does not need to use any kind of chemical weapons."
According to Al Jazeera and Russian news sources, Jaysh al-Islam has been so thoroughly
defeated that it has struck an agreement to completely withdraw all its militia and their
families from Douma over the next 48 hours or so. Russian troops will reportedly move in to
take control of the city.
Iran's Foreign Ministry rebuffed the US claims of a gas attack in Douma. "Such claims and
allegations by the Americans and some Western countries point to a new plot against the Syrian
government and people, and are an excuse to take military action against them," a spokesman
told the press.
The Russian government denounced the US campaign over the supposed gas attack as a political
provocation aimed at justifying deeper US military intervention in the Syrian civil war. "The
spread of bogus stories about the use of chlorine and other poisonous substances by government
forces continues," the Russian Foreign Ministry said. "We have warned several times recently
against such dangerous provocations. The aim of such deceitful speculation, lacking any kind of
grounding, is to shield terrorists and to attempt to justify possible external uses of
force."
The latest provocation follows a well-worn pattern, from the lies over Iraqi "weapons of
mass destruction" to the present. The American intelligence agencies give the signal. Nonstop
coverage is immediately launched on cable television, then demands for action are made by the
White House and congressional leaders, boosted by editorials written by CIA mouthpieces such as
the New York Times.
The brazen lies of the media are accompanied by breathtaking hypocrisy. The
Times , the Washington Post , NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN and company downplay and
cover up the atrocities carried out by American forces and their allies -- the incineration of
Mosul and Raqqa, the gunning down of demonstrators in Gaza by the Israeli military, the mass
killings in Yemen carried out with US support by Saudi Arabia, even as its crown prince is
feted by the US ruling elite, and the ongoing slaughter in Afghanistan.
The rumor is that Trump himself is a false flag operation ;-)
Notable quotes:
"... I beseech you, sir, to consider the possibility that the supposed chlorine gas attack at Douma, Syria may have been a carefully constructed propaganda fraud on the part of the rebels encircled in Douma. ..."
"... The rebels have been defeated in East Gouta. Their fighters and families are being evacuated to Turkish occupied Jarabulus by air-conditioned bus. How would it benefit the Syrian government to make such an attack in this situation? ..."
"... If he wants to wage war on Syria, Iran and Russia, then he and his family can obtain Israeli citizenship and get themselves elected to the Likud Party. ..."
"... If this goes any further, I won't be voting for him in 2020 and I think many of his supporters feel the same, based on what I have gleaned here and there. ..."
"... Sadly, though, it appears Trump's doubling down on his chemical attacks idiocy and talking himself into a situation where he can't just walk away without doing something stupid even if he wanted t ..."
"... I doubt very much that Gen Mattis and all the other bigwigs involved are unaware of the truth of this incident. The White Helmets etc who staged it didn't do so in order to deceive these 'innocents', but rather to provide them with an excuse to intervene. A mere formality, but, for various reasons, important. ..."
"... The Brits blinked and did not punish the criminal liar Blair. Since then, the war profiteering based on lies has become a national pastime. ..."
"... the risks are asymmetric -- we in the US have very little to fear from war, the deciders have no family at risk, the corporations gain, the front line US soldier has a far lower risk than any other side, so I don't see how we get off the war-war-war track, sorry for the fatalism ..."
"... IAF attack was a classic probing action for SIGINT--what would "light up" in radio diapason during this attack on Russian side. The fact that Israel did not inform Russia, as it was always the case prior, but informed the US is pretty much self-evident fact of what transpired. The target, however, was chosen conspicuously away from any Russian assets in Syria. ..."
I beseech you, sir, to consider the possibility that the supposed chlorine gas attack at
Douma, Syria may have been a carefully constructed propaganda fraud on the part of the rebels
encircled in Douma. Such a fraud would have as its purpose the elicitation of exactly the kind
of response that we are seeing in the Western media. The rebels have been defeated in East Gouta. Their fighters and families are being evacuated to Turkish occupied Jarabulus by
air-conditioned bus. How would it benefit the Syrian government to make such an attack in this
situation?
I hope that you will determine the exact facts of what occurred at Douma before any action
is taken.
I recommend that you send someone competent to Syria to make an on the ground
investigation.
Trump supporters, like myself, sure as hell didn't elect the man to continue the forever war,
let alone escalate it to include nuclear powers. We believed him when he said he would
disentangle us from foreign engagements and focus on rebuilding our country. If he wants to
wage war on Syria, Iran and Russia, then he and his family can obtain Israeli citizenship and
get themselves elected to the Likud Party.
If this goes any further, I won't be voting for
him in 2020 and I think many of his supporters feel the same, based on what I have gleaned
here and there.
Sadly, though, it appears Trump's doubling down on his chemical attacks idiocy and talking
himself into a situation where he can't just walk away without doing something stupid even if
he wanted to:
I doubt very much that Gen Mattis and all the other bigwigs involved are unaware of the truth
of this incident. The White Helmets etc who staged it didn't do so in order to deceive these
'innocents', but rather to provide them with an excuse to intervene. A mere formality, but,
for various reasons, important.
I have sent emails to Senators Kaine and Warner and Representative Wittman asking them to do
what they can "to temper our President's potential response to this incident" and "to ensure
any response our nation undertakes in response to this incident is in the best interests and
in the best traditions of our country."
I join Barbara Ann in encouraging all committeemen to contact their Senators and
Representatives and/or "to Tweet/share this post and its important message to
@SecretaryMattis."
I included this in my emails and included your appeal to Mattis.
"I have serious doubts as to who is responsible for this attack as well as past supposed
chemical attacks in Syria. I also have serious concerns about the rush to judgment over
these attacks and the motivations of those making this rush to judgment. My judgment in
these matters is tempered by my thirty-three years as an Infantry and Special Forces officer
and as a DIA intelligence officer."
I thought that was better than saying that all those lying ass clowns calling for attacks
are chock full of crap.
"John Sullivan [Secretary of State] and Johnson [British Foreign Secretary] agreed that "this
attack bore hallmarks of previous chemical weapons attacks by the Assad regime.."
http://abcnews.go.com/Polit...
The Brits blinked and did not punish the criminal liar Blair. Since then, the war
profiteering based on lies has become a national pastime.
As for the lawyering John Sullivan, "His clients include major oil and gas companies,
consulting, accounting, and financial services firms, petrochemical companies, and
manufacturers. He was also a member of President Bush's Management Council and a member of
the Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wi...
He looks like a Cheney-like opportunist. It is doubtful that he understands what a nuclear
conflict could do to his children.
Trump cannot be in a steady frame of mind given that the FBI has just raided the offices of
Michael Cohen, Trump's longtime counsel, and seized all manner of financial records, emails
etc. Most telling about this action is that the special counsel had no compulsion about
executing a search warrant on the President's personal counsel.
Not sure how Gen. Mattis can get through to Trump if others are pushing the impulsive "fire
and forget" narrative.
I hope Gen. Mattis is a honest American, I pray he succeeds.
http://defence-blog.com/new...
"The Russian military command suddenly puts troops on full combat alert, movements of combat
vehicles and missile systems observe almost all over the country.
An activity of Russian troops is most notable in the Western part of Russia, near the borders
with Ukraine and the Republic of Belarus, as well as in the Transbaikal region and the Far
East. On April 8-9 active movements of a large number of military vehicles and tanks, also
were seen moving of the Iskander missile systems with Air Defence support."
the risks are asymmetric -- we in the US have very little to fear from war, the deciders have
no family at risk, the corporations gain, the front line US soldier has a far lower risk than
any other side, so I don't see how we get off the war-war-war track,
sorry for the fatalism
Trump is saying he will make a decision to attack Syria in the next 24-48 hours, possibly as
soon as "end of day."
The Russians have stated any such attack will have "serious consequences."
I am interested in why Israel decided to use sub-launched cruise missiles this time. Since
they also used aircraft, it can't be because they were concerned their aircraft might be shot
down as in the previous case. Were they hoping that cruise missiles would be assumed to be
US, thus preventing Syria or the Russians from responding? Or that the either Syria or the
Russians would respond against US ships in the Med by mistaking the Israeli cruise missiles
for US? Where were the cruise missiles launched from? Apparently they only launched 8 and 5
of them got shot down by Pantsir air defense. How could a mere 8 cruise missiles be mistaken
for the US, which probably would have used many more? Which suggests that indeed Israel was
trying some sort of provocation, but I can't figure out what.
Today it is being reported that Skripal is going to be shipped off to the US by Britain
with a new identity. Nice way to make sure he never says anything to the press about what
actually happened. I wonder how they intend to shut up Yulia given she's a Russian citizen.
Can we predict that she will "decide" to accompany her father and thus be never heard from
again?
IAF attack was a classic probing action for SIGINT--what would "light up" in radio diapason
during this attack on Russian side. The fact that Israel did not inform Russia, as it was
always the case prior, but informed the US is pretty much self-evident fact of what
transpired. The target, however, was chosen conspicuously away from any Russian assets in
Syria.
Per sub launched Israeli missiles--I don't know about that. Russia has more than enough
ASW assets in and around Tartus, including recently deployed Il-38 with latest Novella ASW
suite to know who and how. For now what is confirmed is the salvo of 8, most likely Delilahs,
5 of which were intercepted while three got through killing 3 and wounding 14 Iranians.
will2713 aka will2.718 short & sweet. Thank you Sir! Of course, they already know or
should know it's a false flag attack, b/ it puts it on the record. Just a quibble, actually
the headchoppers in Idlib don't want these terrible children, they are actually going to
Jarablus from what I've read. Which brings up the next point, Jarablus [edit: was thinking of
Jisr Shagour actually] has been raining fire on Latakia and presents a danger to the Russ
bases, so will it be a game of musical chairs for these takfiris?
Well, that's one shred of comfort in this mess. I hope Mattis sees through this, and Trump
listens to him.
It's been a depressing 24 hours, listening to the Pavlovian responses of reasonably
intelligent people whom I know. They have no idea that they are being softened-up for yet
another installment of the Forever War. And a dangerous installment, with a very real risk of
war with Russia.
Mattis is not the only one who must listen to the honest and competent people: It is the
American Jewish Community at large that needs to act and quickly to put the breaks on
Israel's criminal activities:
http://www.unz.com/article/...
Chemical false flag attacks is the traditional way Syria islamists are calling for the US air support. From comments: "After all
they had lost in Douma - there were no point in Syrian gas attack - the fighting was done. Jaish al Islam must be having a great
laugh at our expensive for falling for their trick of gassing their own people. Let us not help the Islamists."
Anther interesting comment: "With "experts" at president's disposal, seems to me moment Trump announced Syrian withdrawal, at
least one should have anticipated - based on past occurrences - a gas attack aimed to engage US and therefore maintain US presence."
And another " including their mouthpieces at the times manufacture
a chemical attack and claim Assad -- who has no reason whatsoever to do such things -- is some horrible monster that deserves to have
bombs rained down on him. How totally corrupt the MIC has become."
That act reported by White helmets looks like a classic MI6 provocation. Russian investigation has shown that no attack took place.
Moreover the rumors about this false flag were circulating long ago. Russians warned about this possiblity a month or so ago telling
the jihadists prepare such provocation. Looks like all that was needed for Trump is a plausible justification -- the desire to "decapitate"
Assad is too strong to resist.
Notable quotes:
"... Syria is a crappy place primarily because of insane overpopulation and limited water. Getting Assad out is not going to help with population or with water. Moving the entire Syrian population to Europe could be done and they are working on that. ..."
"... With "experts" at president's disposal, seems to me moment Trump announced Syrian withdrawal, at least one should have anticipated - based on past occurrences - a gas attack aimed to engage US and therefore maintain US presence. ..."
President Trump on Monday denounced the suspected chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of people in
Syria over the weekend as a "barbaric act," and said
he will make a decision in the next 24 to 48 hours about whether to retaliate militarily as he did to a similar assault last year.
Congress has skirted their responsibility to authorize war in Syria and Trump is suggesting taking actions that could drag
us into a deep and costly war. The American people deserve to hear this debated in Congress.
Retaliate? They don't even know for sure who it was, could well have been an ally. The place is a mess of competing outside
forces.
Retaliate - and therein lies the problem. Too much to ask that for once they think, discuss, decide a long term policy with
other countries. Last time the 45th tried 'me-big-man-with-bomb' there was no follow up, nothing was done, what was the point?
Look at me I have the biggest, noisiest fire cracker! Pathetic. Careless. Irresponsible. Uniformed. Murderous. The list is endless.
I suppose the President can launch a missile attack, or any military action, based on whatever authority from Congress permitted
the US military to be fighting in Syria in the first place. The more fundamental issue is that Congress long ago ceded to the
President its constitutional responsibility to declare war . This must be corrected with checks restored on the President's power
to deploy the military at will. Otherwise, the US will continue to be in a perpetual state of war, which may be good for the extended
military supply industry but damaging to country as a whole.
What if.....what if this chemical attack was sanctioned not by Assad but by a state or a non-state force that wants the U.S.
to retaliate?
Just why did this chemical attack follow Trump's announced desire to get out of Syria?
Why, also, is Israel urging us to attack now? Could it be to distract from the human rights catastrophe in Gaza?
We all know what John Bolton would have us do.
Where's the proof that this was Assad's work? More WMD ?
Trump wined and dined MBS of Saudi Arabia who has been conducting airstrikes on Yemen with hundreds of casualties, as high
as 68 civilian deaths in one day. It would be hard to imagine a better example of hypocrisy.
Syria is a part of a complex series of issues that make up the problem of Middle Eastern diplomacy. Trump does not have the
capacity to manage any of this. Selling arms to the Saudis to continue their war in Yemen added to the Syrian problem. The cholera
epidemic in Yemen is a form of biological warfare that is killing more civilians than chemical warfare in Syria. Starving the
population of Yemen is also warfare. By supporting the Saudis we have lost the moral high ground in Syria.
Was it the rebels again? Or is it chlorine again? Chlorine is used for several commercial and health purposes--to clean bottles,
to clean water, and for refrigeration. So it is quite easy for a bomb or explosive to hit a container and then there is a serious
gas problem. If pool acid and chlorine are stored together it might be worse when mixed. I do not believe Assad needs to use chemicals
because he has Russians who will do air strikes on his enemies. I call fake news.
The solution to Syria was obvious years ago, if you just wanted to see the obvious. And that was Syria as it had been for years,
in peace, secular, under a government of Assad who, eventually, knew it had to evolve into a more democratic regime . Now that
has changed, and all to Israel´s advantage. It seems as if the whole world has forgotten that the whole Middle East problem was
born, and is still the Occupation of Palestinian Land. Israel is a thorn in Arab Middle East.The only one that has attacked ALL
its neighbours !
We should do nothing. We need to leave Syria to the Syrian. We can't and musn't involve our military in every tragedy in the
world. There is no doubt in my mind that if we mistakenly and stupidly attack the Syrian Army we are aiding the Jihadist who planned
thit attack. After all they had lost in Douma - there were no point in Syrian gas attack - the fighting was done. Jaish al Islam
must be having a great laugh at our expensive for falling for their trick of gassing their own people. Let us not help the Islamists.
The US government LIES about everything. We know this. This has been proved repeatedly.
Yet, here we are with the US government, and its stenographers in the mainstream media, i.e., the stuff that's not Fake News,
right, assuring us that Assad gassed his own people. Again.
Even if we could believe this, or even if we gave the government the benefit of the doubt for . . . what? . . . its integrity?,
we are after all exceptional, right, how is this America's business?
Yes, other countries shouldn't gas their own people. But countries shouldn't commit war crimes either, and that goes on every
day. America is as dirty as any other country. Despite our treaty obligations, even torture is legal here.
We're supposedly the richest country in the world, but we can barely keep our streets paved and lit. And not only that, but
it is a proven fact that one dollar invested in domestic economics brings back much more return than one dollar spent on bombs.
Trump is right. We need to stomp the madness in the Middle East. The oil companies can pay for their own security with all of
the money they don't pay in taxes.
Right now our cities are clogged with people living in tents and defecating on the sidewalks and in the streets. Look at old
pictures from the Depression. It looks the same today.
The left is seeing Russians responsible for every wrong in the world. The right sees itself as the rescuer of the wrongs of
the world. I pray that this does not move this country into a war with Russia.
This nation needs a "policy". Something with careful thought and backed by facts, expert analysis, and wisdom; Aim first and
carefully.
A "Shoot from the Hip" flourish that can be touted at the next Trump self congratulatory ego rally Will Not Do. Either this
nation has a leader or it doesn't - Trump's move!
One of the few things I liked about Trump was his anti-involvement stance in the middle east. We have SO MUCH to fix and worry
about at home. Nothing that Trump does on immigration, environment, or anything else will make me more angry than dragging us
into another war.
I don't see any ink being given to the very likely possibility that the gas attack was a ploy by rebels to get the US (and
their air cover) to stick around. If you ask the question, "Who benefits?" the Assad regime had nothing to gain by gassing a few
civilians -- they're about to win the war, so why would they? OTOH, the rebels need us badly, and know that we will reflexively
blame Assad.
Just a few days ago, Trump talked about withdrawing from Syria. Now, he says he will decide whether to attack Syria within
the next couple of days. One day we're out, the next day we're in. And just a few days ago, Trump said he didn't like to reveal
his military plans in advance. Now, he is announcing to the world that he is consideration retaliation against Syria. His contradictions
make the U.S. look as if it is led by a very confused commander in chief.
Yes, chemical weapons are barbaric, but who launched the attack? Which faction in this complicated civil war? How does trump
know the answer to this question when no one else does? Why would the U.S. "retaliate" based on speculation, especially after
trump recently said, "we need to get out of there and leave it to someone else"? What good would military action do at this point?
Are we anxious to put our "expensive new military" to the test? So many questions...and an administration unable / unwilling to
answer them. Too bad trump can't simply tweet his way out of this one...
The U.S. should respond militarily to Syria's gas attack only on two conditions:
1. The leaders of all key U.S. allies (European countries, Canada, Japan, S. Korea, Australia, etc.) sign a joint declaration
of support for the action.
2. Each of these countries pays a population-weighted share of the expense of the U.S. military operation.
We are either all in this together, or it's not worth doing.
Let's find out if our allies are willing to back up their pious declarations of condemnation.
I don't get it. Subjecting people, women, children and even men, to crushing, burning, lacerating and penetrating wounds is
par for the course. It's war after all. But poison! Oh the (in)humanity!
Also, anyone think it's weird that Assad does this just when the US is making motions to pull out?
It is impossible to know what is really going on as the world's powers continue to fight this proxy war. The only thing that
is certain is the continued suffering of the Syrian people - including the poor sods who will be conventionally incinerated by
American "retaliation" in a day or so.
The President should have no authority to declare war or commit troops, period. So far, there has been no urgent "national
emergency," as required by the War Powers Resolution, which would justify the President to effectively declare war unilaterally
and yet here we are, with presidents on both sides completely ignoring the Constitution, using the WPA as an enabler to bypass
the text which says that only Congress can declare war.
Saddam used gas on the Iranians and we were good with that. It is not clear about this gas in Syria. These "freedom fighters"
have no compunction about using civilians as human shields. How do we know the truth? They are various branches of Al Quaeda and
given their huge birth rate they don't seem to place much weight on human life in the here and now....maybe they focus on the
afterlife more. So why can't we just leave Assad alone and let him be the strong man there? Yes Syria is a crappy place primarily
because of insane overpopulation and limited water. Getting Assad out is not going to help with population or with water. Moving
the entire Syrian population to Europe could be done and they are working on that.
Trump says he was getting us out of Syria. Much to my relief to this endless war.
And I'm pretty sure the president of Syria, Assad, whose regime has been under attack by both the US supported Syrian rebels
and their ISIS allies did not want the US on their soil. So why would he do something like this? I don't believe he did. By the
way if the US was not meddling over in the M.E. there would be no refugees and fewer immigrants.
"Conventional" deaths by artillery and bullets are perfectly acceptable - when bodies are vaporized, ripped and torn apart
unrecognizably. But use a deadly gas and leave the corpses in "beautiful" condition - there you have crossed the line mister.
Lemme get this straight: The US policy doesn't care *how many* Syrians were killed; it only cares *how* they were killed? Nothing
good can come from such an ethically bankrupt policy.
As painful as it is, the possession of chlorine is not in violation of the standards we all signed in to to stop chemical and
biological weapons. Hence, the agreement under Obama, by almost all standards, worked well. Or at least unless we wanted a few
hundred thousands troop on the ground to search the entire country. This use of chlorine is. Maybe Trump will propose a huge tariff
on chlorine exports to Syria?
What is the logic for Assad to provoke the US right after Trump announces his intention to withdraw? Would it not be more strategic
for the regime to hold off until US troops were withdrawn and then go after the rebels? Does Assad assume that the US response
will be more moderate if we still have troops in country? Any chance this was a rogue action to delay or reverse US plans to withdraw?
If so, who benefits from US continuing to maintain troops in Syria?
With "experts" at president's disposal, seems to me moment Trump announced Syrian withdrawal, at least one should have
anticipated - based on past occurrences - a gas attack aimed to engage US and therefore maintain US presence.
Someone didn't RTFA: " President Trump recently announced his intention to pull US troops
out of Syria - although the neocons that now dominate the Trump national security team have
been aghast at such a suggestion, and have managed to convince the president to slow-roll
this. It remains unclear if they staged the false flag chemical attack in Syria with the help
of Israel, or on their own. "
There is a thread
currently trending about the most recent Syrian gas attack and I can't really tell if its
populated by people with a serious deficiency in critical and analytical thought or whether its
a deliberate attempt to control the narrative. However, after reading more comments than I ever
want to repeat I have to assume this is a coordinated effort.
Looking at whats indisputably clear about the situation:
There appears to have been a gas attack targeting civilians in Syria.
If true, it constitutes a war crime.
There has been no investigation and no evidence exists to assign responsibility.
There are a great many tangents this could take in terms of discussing who was responsible
for past gas attacks in Syria, suffice to say there was a massive effort by Western governments
to link them to the Syrian government and thus provide legitimation for greater direct
intervention.
Given this there are a few extra points that are very clear:
The Syrian Government was very clearly winning the military conflict by a
wide-margin.
Even the US is very clear in admitting the Syrian Government is not fighting against
'rebels' but against IS and Al Qaeda offshoots.
These latter groups are equally open about their willingness to target civilians and have
no qualms about slaughtering women and children. Whether the Syrian Government can be accused
of similar crimes is a matter of debate, with the terrorist groups it is established
fact.
Despite this, the Syrian Government has repeatedly, and very recently, offered ceasefires
that allowed these same terrorist fighters (and their families) to leave areas in which they
were surrounded and almost certain to be overrun.
The Syrian Government would have nothing at all to gain from using gas in the manner of
the recent attack. It would generate no strategic military benefits, it would turn the
civilian population against the government (bear in mind, the majority of the Syrian people,
even the ones who dislike Assad, support the government as a far better alternative to power
falling into the hands of the terrorist groups, most of whom came from outside Syria), and
most importantly it might allow Western States to take military action that would be the only
factor capable of changing the course of the conflict in a way that would benefit the
terrorist groups.
In contrast, the terrorist groups have every reason to carry out such attacks. Their
ideology justifies any sacrifice as long as it furthers their cause and they have displayed a
wanton disregard for any form of human life. They have long had access (through both Turkey
and early seized Syrian Army stockpiles) to chemical weapons. And, they now have only months
if not weeks left before their entire war in Syria grinds to a halt.
Despite the above, the thread originally linked is dominated by comments that do three
specific things:
Condemn Assad and the Syrian government for the attacks (with many suggesting it demands
a strong military response).
Calling out an imaginary Russian bot campaign they say is promoting pro-Assad propaganda
DESPITE the fact that the thread is clearly overflowing with exactly the opposite type of
voice.
Denigrating (by means of Poisoning the Well, Ad Hominem and Appeals to Ridicule) a wide
variety of alternative news sites and sources. For example, claiming that sites which have
supported 9/11 Truth, or are in any way pro-Russia are automatically discredited and
incapable of providing relevant information.
The reason I'm posting this is that the thread in question is one of the most glaring, and
frankly depressing, examples I've seen of people taking a mainstream narrative and attempting
to preemptively crush any and all dissenting views.
My one hope is that the majority of voices in that thread are deliberately manufacturing
this attempt at framing the narrative. Because the alternative, that they represent the actual
opinions of members of the voting public whose otherwise neutral viewpoints have been so easily
swayed by propaganda of the most crude and blunt form, is unbelievably disheartening in regard
to the viability of modern democracies and the ability of alternative news to help promote a
better understanding of the complexities of modern war and the dangers involved in mainstream
media efforts to reduce these issues to puppet-shows populated with morally black (Assad,
Putin) and white ('rebel activists', the White Helmets) characters.
An interesting observation by Paul Joseph Watson. He may have something here. The
coincidence appears to be a bit much.
1) Trump announces plan to pull out of Syria. 2) Deep state says no. 3) Massive chemical
weapons attack bringing worldwide uproar, blamed on Russia/Syria despite them being on the
verge of winning.
When your enemy is nearly defeated, and final victory is at hand, gas your own people so
that nations greater than yours will intervene and destroy you
Despite President Trump
adopting his harshest rhetoric yet
to condemn Russia and the government of Syrian leader Bashar
al-Assad for an alleged chemical attack in rebel-held eastern Ghouta, a missile strike carried out
overnight on a Syrian airfield was not the US's doing.
Instead, Russia and Syria have accused Israel of carrying out the strike on Syria's T-4 airfield,
situated about halfway between Homs (Syria's third-largest city) and Palmyra (famously the site of
ancient ruins).
RT
reports that
two Israeli F-15 jets fired eight guided missiles at the airfield from Lebanese airspace. The jets never
entered Syria.
Of these, Syrian air defenses intercepted five. The attack left roughly 14 people dead, including
Iranians and Syrians, the
Associated Press
reported.
Russia and the Syrian military blamed Israel for a pre-dawn missile attack Monday on a
major air base in central Syria
, saying Israeli fighter jets launched the missiles from
Lebanon's air space.
A war-monitoring group said the airstrikes killed 14 people, including
Iranians active in Syria.
Russia's Defense Ministry said two Israeli aircraft targeted the T4 air base in Homs province,
firing eight missiles. It said Syria shot down five of them while the other three landed in the
western part of the base. Syrian state TV quoted an unnamed military official as saying that Israeli
F-15 warplanes fired several missiles at T4. It gave no further details.
Israel's foreign ministry had no comment when asked about the accusations.
Since 2012,
Israel has struck inside Syria more than 100 times,
mostly targeting
suspected weapons' convoys destined for the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which has been fighting
alongside Syrian government forces.
Most recently,
Israel hit the same T4 base in February, after it said an Iranian drone that
had violated Israeli airspace took off from the base.
The base, which was used as a launching
pad for counter offensive attacks against Islamic State militants who were at one point stationed
close by, is near the Shayrat air base, which was targeted by U.S. missiles last year in response to a
chemical weapons attack.
Monday's missile attack came hours after President Donald Trump warned there would be a "big price
to pay" after a suspected poison gas attack Saturday on the last remaining foothold for Syrian rebels
in the eastern suburbs of Damascus.
At least 40 people were killed in that assault, including
families found in their homes and shelters, opposition activists and local rescuers said.
Eight missiles were launched by two Israeli Air Force F-15 jets at the T-4 airfield located about
halfway between Homs and the ancient city of Palmyra. Israel previously launched a strike against the
base back in February after an Iranian drone ventured into Israeli airspace, provoking an alarmed
response.
This isn't Israel's first unprovoked attack on a Syrian military installation: most recently,
Israel launched an attack
against a government installation near Damascus almost exactly two months
ago. Before that, the Israelis launched another unprovoked attack
back in September.
Lebanon's Al-Mayadeen reported Monday that Israeli reconnaissance aircraft had been spotted close to
the border with Syria during the attack. The missiles crossed Lebanese airspace over Keserwan and Bekaa
before heading toward Syria.
France, which we had initially suspected might be behind the attack, along with Israel...
While the US was quick to pin the chemical attack in Ghouta - the last rebel stronghold in what's
considered suburban Damascus - on Russia and Assad, the US jumped to a similar conclusion a year ago when
Trump authorized a fusillade of tomahawk missiles to strike a Syrian airbase. It was later learned that
the US had no proof to suggest that attack was orchestrated by Assad's government.
As for Israel's
desire to provoke another regional war, it is understandable in light of growing Iranian influence on its
border, while President Trump recently announced his intention to pull US troops out of Syria - although
the neocons that now dominate the Trump national security team have been aghast at such a suggestion, and
have managed to convince the president to slow-roll this. It remains unclear if they staged the false
flag chemical attack in Syria with the help of Israel, or on their own.
Meanwhile, the Guardian says the IDF views the chaos in the West Wing as the latest sign that it must
take matters into its own hands, and not wait for explicit US approval. However, with a UN Security
Council meeting scheduled for Monday over recent events in Syria, we now wait to see what kind of
response Russia and Assad will decide on, and how Moscow will respond to this provocation by Netanyahu,
who has been friendly - at least superficially - with Putin in recent months.
The natural regional powers are Iran, Turkey
and Egypt. Just look at any population map
and/or economic activity indicators.
Israel has only technology and
'influence' to create a temporary, brittle
form of power. Saudis have only oil and
'influence', ditto.
Hence, by a short-term accident, Israel
and KSA can effectively create death and
destruction in the region, killing babies for
their own greed and power.
BUT ONLY IF THE US HELPS.
The IDF is essentially useless on
the ground, ditto the Saudis, and neither can
handle Russian intel and air superiority on
their own.
So this populist insurrection is
indeed a pivotal moment,
coming as it
does when the global balance is shifting
toward Eurasian integration, global peace and
prosperity. A 'Chinese Peace' with Russian
muscle. The main idea being to not blow up
shiny new Chinese ports, roads, etc.
So the tiny, tiny minority of
war-mongering, globalist traitors in these
very, very few countries (Israel, KSA, and
the 'Five Eyes') has essentially NO other
cards to play. Use WMDs against civilians,
false flags, try to get their own killed to
trigger war fever.
The very best part right now is: we're
already past the tipping point. No one
cares, and almost no one believes them.
Pretty much game over, but a very
dangerous end game.
I think we
should round up all these sociopaths pronto
before they murder more babies.
Take it one step farther. The US public
is on to the con. BUT the US economy
still depends on the MIC. And the MIC
depends on maintaining the constant state
of little brush wars around the globe to
sell their hardware. Every Israeli or KSA
plane, missile, and bomb is stamped "Made
in the USA". As China and Russia step in
to impose peace in Eurasia and the Saudi
oil runs out, the petrodollar ceases to be
the world reserve currency. The US has
two economic pillars: the MIC and Big Ag.
With a failing currency and no customers
for war toys, it becomes locked into the
position of being a global commodity
supplier: pork, wheat, corn, soybeans,
peanuts. Historically, agricultural
commodity suppliers are third-world
nations, forced to accept low prices on
highly-competitive products while paying
high prices for monopolized industrial
goods.
This is the END for global US
dominance. One can understand why the PTB
are desperate to keep going no matter what
the resistance at home or abroad. A major
war is likely. Victory is not.
And if the Syrian Air Force launched missiles from Jordanian
air space against an Israeli Air Base nothing would happen?
By the way, the Golan Heights does not belong to Israel so
they launched from Syrian territory.
Whatever......hopefully no U.S. Ships are in the way.
Five missiles out of eight shot down - by Syrian (old) defense
systems. Not too bad. Russia is not there to stop Israel. It's
there to stop Daesh, which it's done. Smart, patient, focused
strategy.
Missiles hit the Tiyas airbase, known as T4, near the city of Homs. Observers say 14 people
were killed.
Israel, which has previously hit Syrian targets, has not commented. Syria initially blamed
Washington for the strike, but the US, UK and France have all denied involvement.
It is unclear if the strike has anything to do with the suspected chemical
attack.
Russian forces deployed in Syria, including S-400 and Pantsir-S1 air defense systems and
Sukhoi Su-30SM multirole fighters, have been put on a combat alert, according to reports
appearing from local sources in the country's provinces of Tartus and Latakia where Russian
military facilities are located.
Meanwhile, the Israeli TV channel i24NEWS claimed citing US officials that the US military
is going to provide President Donald Trump with "a set of options for carrying out strikes
against the Syrian government".
"Both the Joint Chiefs of Staff and CENTCOM, the US forces in the Middle East, were
compiling target lists and attack options to be presented to Trump and his national security
team within hours, the officials said,"
i24NEWS wrote .
@22 text only...lots of good photos there...site is there for me. but it is very slow...
Last week, Russia and Syria announced the capture of British chemical weapon stockpiles in
East Ghouta along with the capture of a "coalition" command and chemical weapons facility
with all personnel. Taken from the combined statement censored from the western press, from
March 25, 2018
"The Syrian Arab Army and with the help of Russian captured a shipment of chemical weapons
destined for the Eastern Ghouta. These were British weapons produced at Porton Down in
Salisbury. Russian suspects that the Skripal incident is related as by their records,
Skiripal was working at Porton Down as a chemical weapons trafficker in partnership with a
Ukrainian firm. Russia denies attacking Skripal but admits he was under surveillance for his
activities involving support of terrorism in Syria and arms trafficking.
Russia also confirms that there are British, American, Israeli and Saudi intelligence
officers who were caught by the Syrian army in one of the heavily fortified operations rooms
during the invasion of the Syrian army and its allies of the East Ghouta."
VT asked the Syrian government for serial numbers and closeup photographs of chemical
weapons used. Syria sent them to us today.
Today, the Syrian Army captured the following German made poison gas shells, shipped into
Syria though Ukraine and Turkey and delivered to Jeish al Islam by a US CH53 helicopter,
according to statements "allegedly" gotten from POW interrogations.
American, British and Israeli military personnel captured in Syria have confirmed they
were ordered to stage chemical attacks in East Ghouta by their governments.
NYT continue to propagate this false flag day after Russian specialists inspected the area and found not signs of chemical
attack.
Notable quotes:
"... Read comments and agree it seems to be staged to allow the US to be 'forced' to become involved. Ever the good guy, that US. ..."
"... There is no way that this Israeli attack was not coordinated with the Trump administration. ..."
"... Syria had the rebels cornered and had no reason to give US/anybody justification to attack. The Rebels had every reason to do this since their only hope is to get the US/NATO involved. ..."
Big power tensions in the Syria
conflict, already running high after an apparent chemical weapons attack, ratcheted up again on Monday as Syria and
Russia blamed Israel for early morning airstrikes on a Syrian military base that a conflict monitoring group said had
killed 14 people, including fighters from Iran.
The strikes came a day after
President Trump called President Bashar al-Assad of Syria
an "animal"
and warned him and his
Russian and Iranian backers they would have a "big price to pay" after
dozens of people were
killed
on Saturday near Damascus, in what rescue workers said was a chemical attack.
Russia did not respond
immediately to the accusation, though a spokesman for President Vladimir V. Putin rejected Mr. Trump's inflammatory
language. "Assad is the legitimate president of the Syrian Arab Republic," the spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, said.
"It's hardly acceptable to apply that sort of abusive wording to a president."
American and French officials
denied that their countries had carried out the airstrikes, and a spokesman for the Israeli military declined to
comment.
The war
in Syria has sucked in fighters from around the world, as well as global powers including Iran, Israel, Russia,
Turkey and the United States, all of which are seeking to advance their interests in the Middle East while avoiding
direct confrontations with the others.
This is probably fake news. There no real reason for foriegn chemical specialists to be present in such a dangerous area.
Presntce of some chanical munitions is more probable, but again why would Great Britain intelligence services authorize such a
shipment which is in direct violation of treates GB signed and chances of being caught are extremely high.
The article contains several pictures that were omitted...
Notable quotes:
"... How long US media and our own Congress can pretend they know nothing about who some of the major terrorist elements are that most are afraid to mention? Their house of cards is crumbling, and "they" will be more dangerous in that situation, as we are talking about some serious crimes here. ..."
"... "The Syrian Arab Army and with the help of Russian captured a shipment of chemical weapons destined for the Eastern Ghouta. These were British weapons produced at Porton Down in Salisbury. Russian suspects that the Skripal incident is related as by their records, Skiripal was working at Porton Down as a chemical weapons trafficker in partnership with a Ukrainian firm. Russia denies attacking Skripal but admits he was under surveillance for his activities involving support of terrorism in Syria and arms trafficking. ..."
"... Russia also confirms that there are British, American, Israeli and Saudi intelligence officers who were caught by the Syrian army in one of the heavily fortified operations rooms during the invasion of the Syrian army and its allies of the East Ghouta." ..."
Our pleading with Syria has been rewarded with these new photos. The SAA has US Coalition
chemical weapons officers in custody; and Russia has told the US, Brits, Israelis, and Saudis
that they will have to deal with Damascus.
How long US media and our own Congress can pretend they know nothing about who some of
the major terrorist elements are that most are afraid to mention? Their house of cards is
crumbling, and "they" will be more dangerous in that situation, as we are talking about some
serious crimes here.
We are suspicious of why the Brits would throw together what appears to us to have been a
sloppy false flag, even to use against Russia, for putting Russia's feet in the fire to get the
Brits people back from Syria and keep this story out of major news distribution.
Is now the time for some of the really guilty to have to pay the piper? We shall see. But
for that to happen, what is left of non-compromised public institutions has to step up to the
plate, when they have shown a hesitancy to do so when their countries really needed them.
We hope they will get to see this and start asking the obvious questions Jim W. Dean ]
Today another chemical weapons stockpile was found in East Ghouta, produced in Germany,
fully weaponized and commercially produced by Merck.
Merck was the primary producer of chemical weapons for Germany in World War I and George
Merck founded the War Research Service along with Frank Olson in 1944, which using captured
Germany and Japanese scientists and research facilities, took control of America's biological
and chemical warfare production which continues to this day in facilities at Fort Meade,
Maryland and at the Lugar Lab in Tibilisi, Georgia in partnership with the current government
of Ukraine. Last week, Russia and Syria announced the capture of British chemical weapon
stockpiles in East Ghouta along with the capture of a "coalition" command and chemical weapons
facility with all personnel. Taken from the combined statement censored from the western press,
from March 25, 2018
"The Syrian Arab Army and with the help of Russian captured a shipment of chemical
weapons destined for the Eastern Ghouta. These were British weapons produced at Porton Down in
Salisbury. Russian suspects that the Skripal incident is related as by their records, Skiripal
was working at Porton Down as a chemical weapons trafficker in partnership with a Ukrainian
firm. Russia denies attacking Skripal but admits he was under surveillance for his activities
involving support of terrorism in Syria and arms trafficking.
Russia also confirms that there are British, American, Israeli and Saudi intelligence
officers who were caught by the Syrian army in one of the heavily fortified operations rooms
during the invasion of the Syrian army and its allies of the East Ghouta."
VT asked the Syrian government for serial numbers and closeup photographs of chemical
weapons used. Syria sent them to us today.
Today, the Syrian Army captured the following German made poison gas shells, shipped into
Syria though Ukraine and Turkey and delivered to Jeish al Islam by a US CH53 helicopter,
according to statements "allegedly" gotten from POW interrogations.
American, British and Israeli military personnel captured in Syria have confirmed they were
ordered to stage chemical attacks in East Ghouta by their governments.
The Americans are still being held along with Israeli's while British prisoners are being
negotiated for. Sources in Damascus told us that representatives of Oman in Damascus approached
the Russian Office of Reconciliation on behalf of Britain for the return of British chemical
warfare personnel.
The shells in the above video are identified as VX gas from British stockpiles.
Russian officials in Syria informed Britain through Oman that they would have to directly
deal with Syria for the return of their personnel. We have received no further information
since, Damascus has remained silent on how or if negotiations were proceeding.
We do know that US Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, a US Army combat veteran of Iraq,
met with both President Assad and Donald Trump, in order to arrange for covert exchange, for
substantial financial consideration, of captured Americans.
Initial introductions for this meeting were done by VT.
Israel bought back a Brigadier General (they claimed he was a colonel) in 2015 that we know
about.
The recent gas attack in Syria, timed as the last terrorists were surrendering for
relocation inside the Douma region of the Ghouta pocket, was planned personally by nominated
presidential advisor John Bolton and President Donald Trump personally, according to highly
placed sources.
Our sources in Russia, highest level, told us the attack was coming based on information
they received from US and Israeli prisoners taken in East Ghouta after an evacuation attempt
failed.
US casualty announcements in this effort have been released over the past few days as
happening in other areas to cover US complicity in terrorism. This dishonors families of the
dead, not just in the misuse of service members to support terrorism but in lying to families
about combat deaths. This shame goes directly to coward Trump!
"The loss of our Marines weighs heavy on our hearts," Maj. Gen. Mark Wise, commanding
general of 3rd MAW, said in a statement.
"Our priority is to provide support for our families and HMH-465 during this critical
time."
The four Marines killed in the crash were Capt. Samuel A. Schultz, First Lt. Samuel D.
Phillips, Gunnery Sgt. Derik R. Holley and Lance Cpl. Taylor J. Conrad."
Other US casualties were listed as a US Air Force F16 that allegedly crashed at Nellis Air
Force Base in Nevada and up to 6 Americans who the US claims were killed by "Kurdish forces" in
the north of Syria.
All died in a failed combined US/Israel rescue operation to remove not only communications
and command personnel but also chemical weapons operations teams as well.
Last week, VT Damascus received evidence that Americans, US Army Special Forces along with
Israeli chemical weapons officers had been captured in East Ghouta. We were told that not only
was a command facility captured with modern weapons but a stockpile of British made 81mm poison
gas mortar shells, numbering in the hundreds, was seized as well.
Video's were viewed by former MOD weapons specialists who identified the green stripe on the
shells seized in East Ghouta as VX gas from British stockpiles.
The Obama administration investigated alleged chemical attacks in 2012 and 2013 and advised
Syria to turn over chemical stockpiles as a way of discouraging terrorists from continuing to
stage chemical attacks to blame on Damascus.
Most efforts had their roots in Britain's MI6 and its affiliates, the Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights and the White Helmets.
The US is currently facing combined military operations against its occupied zone in Syria
by Iraq, Syrian and Russian forces. The US has been told to remove forces from Syria or face a
wider conflict.
The US and Russia have been at war against one another inside Syria for about a month
now.
"... "It is regrettable to say that our Western partners had tried to disrupt today's session. In the beginning they offered to observe a minute of silence in memory of people killed in Khan Sheyhun, Idlib province, Syria. We proposed them to hold a moment of silence to remember all victims of chemical weapons, primarily in Vietnam, Cambodia, Iran, Iraq, and our partners somehow felt uncomfortable. [They] don't want to remember all victims of chemical weapons," said Shulgin." ..."
So nice of him to toss off t hreats on Orthodox Easter Sunday. What a guy.
Who's influencing him? Bolton? FOX? Pompeo? Where does Mattis stand?
Wonder who is actually influencing him.
****
Interesting article at RT about Jaysh al-Islam coming to an agreement with the Syrian
government to leave Duma/Douma and go to Jarablus.
Published time: 8 Apr, 2018 13:56
Edited time: 8 Apr, 2018 15:05
The Islamist group is to leave Douma for the city of Jarablus within 48 hours, SANA reported,
citing an official source. It said a deal to release all the prisoners has been reached.
Damascus agreed to negotiate with one of the last major militant groups holding out in Douma
in a bid to protect civilians and liberate abductees
The radical Islamist group, which has been accused of using civilians as human shields,
earlier agreed to leave the enclave of Eastern Ghouta near the Syrian capital. Jaysh al-Islam
will have to clear barricades and provide maps of minefields that they have laid in the area.
The militants were set to begin withdrawing from the city of Douma on Sunday, the head of the
Russian Defense Ministry's Syrian Reconciliation Center, Major General Yury Yevtushenko has
said.
So...were the negotiations going on while supposedly Syrian was attacking with some sort of
chem bombs?? Weird.
Also, the number of injured and dead has escalated very unbelievably. From about 15 to
thoursands!!
Yes, there is a "strategy" to pretend Russia is a criminal worse than other countries.
They even mentioned the word "weapons of mass destruction" again. It is a very real campaign
in a run up to war.
"It is regrettable to say that our Western partners had tried to disrupt today's
session. In the beginning they offered to observe a minute of silence in memory of people
killed in Khan Sheyhun, Idlib province, Syria. We proposed them to hold a moment of silence
to remember all victims of chemical weapons, primarily in Vietnam, Cambodia, Iran, Iraq,
and our partners somehow felt uncomfortable. [They] don't want to remember all victims of
chemical weapons," said Shulgin."
The US media reports these attacks, based on information it gets from -- where? They give the
names of organizations but don't reference any documents. Actually they are getting the
information from a small US State Department office in Istanbul. Details follow--
(CNN) -- Several Syrian activist groups Saturday reported that a brutal attack on the
remnants of the rebel-held city of Douma in Eastern Ghouta left dozens of civilians dead and
scores wounded. The groups -- including the White Helmets, the Douma Coordination Committee
and the Ghouta Media Center -- said toxic gas inside barrel bombs dropped by helicopters over
Douma caused people to suffocate and choke.
White Helmets activities have been well documented.
Douma Coordination Committee - they have used twitter and facebook in the past, but those
media are not used currently.
Ghouta Media Center -- "opposition-affiliated"
wiki -- The Local Coordination Committees of Syria started in March 2011
LCCSyria is financed by donations from individual supporters.[7] This is further facilitated
by the "Adopt a Revolution" initiative.[8] Furthermore, the Office for Syrian Opposition
Support, which itself was founded by the United States Department of State and Foreign and
Commonwealth Office[9] and is funded by the Friends of Syria Group, provides "material
support" and "training assistance" to the LCCs
fom The Telegraph, Aug 26, 2012 Britain and US plan a Syrian revolution from an innocuous office block in Istanbul
An underground network of Syrian opposition activists is receiving training and supplies of
vital equipment from a combined American and British effort to forge an effective
alternative to the Damascus regime.
Dozens of dissidents have been ferried out of Syria to be vetted for foreign backing.
Recipients of the aid are given satellite communications and computers so that they can act
as a local "hub" linking local activists and the outside world.The training takes place in
an Istanbul district where handsome apartment blocks line the steep slopes and rooftop
terraces boast views over the Golden Horn waterway.Behind closed doors the distractions of
outdoor coffee shops and clothing boutiques gives way to power point displays charting the
mayhem sweeping Syria.
The schemes are overseen by the US State Department's Office of Syrian Opposition
Support (OSOS) and Foreign Office officials. America has set aside $25 million for
political opponents of President Bashar al-Assad while Britain is granting £5 million
to the cause of overthrowing the regime.
Victoria Nuland, the State Department spokesman, confirmed the OSOS programme last week
and said its full effect would only be seen when President Assad leaves office. "There are
groups inside and outside Syria beginning to plan for that day-after and beginning to plan
for how they might quickly stand up at least that first stage of transition so that we
could move on when Assad goes, because he will go." . . .
here
Fort Russ is reporting that Jaish al-Islam has agreed to leave Douma within the next 48
hours, and will release their hostages as a condition of this BUT they don't cite a source
for this news:
BREAKING: Jaish al-Islam agree to leave Duma within 48 hours
DAMASCUS, April 8 (Xinhua) -- The Islam Army rebels will evacuate the Douma district east
of Damascus and release the kidnapped people under a new deal reached Sunday with the Syrian
government forces, state TV reported.
The priority of the new deal is the evacuation of the kidnapped people in the captivity of
the Islam Army militants in Douma, the last rebel-held area in the Eastern Ghouta countryside
of Damascus.
And the rebel group will evacuate Douma toward the rebel-held city of Jarablus in Aleppo
province in northern Syria near the Turkish border.
Negotiations between the Islam Army militants and the Syrian government were renewed on
Sunday about the situation in Douma after the militants asked to launch new negotiations with
the government after they backed down on a previous deal that technically contained the same
details in Douma.
The state TV said the Islam Army rebels, who have been in of Douma since 2012, have asked
for negotiating with the Syrian government after two days of a wide-scale military offensive
on Douma following the failure of the first agreement.
The Islam Army rebels backed down on the previous agreement with the Russians and the
Syrian side for their evacuation from that district as well as rejecting to release thousands
of kidnapped people.
The militants also launched mortar attacks on several residential areas inside
Damascus.
A day earlier, the Syrian army stormed the frontlines of the Islam Army in Douma from
farmlands east of that area amid a state of collapse and chaos among the militant group,
according to state news agency SANA.
Douma was supposed to witness a similar destiny as other areas in the Eastern Ghouta,
where 43,000 rebels and their families withdrew under a deal with the government toward
rebel-held areas in northern Syria.
Three batches of the Islam Army and families withdrew from Douma recently, but as the
fourth batch was preparing to leave, the agreement about Douma collapsed.
The '666 government is urging a US military attack on Syria in response to the alleged
chemical attack in Douma.
Since that would be likely to trigger a military conflict between the US and Russia, it
also makes 666 involvement in the Salisbury story -- which has played a major role in the
demonisation of Russia and the formation of an international anti-Russian coalition -- more
likely.
"Construction Minister Yoav Galant, a former IDF major-general who is the security figure
closest to Netanyahu, said 'Assad is the angel of death'". He seems to have got the Passover
story seriously mixed up!
Surprise, surprise -- Israieli "opposition" leader Isaac Herzog also called for US
military action against Syria.
"Zionist Union MK Nachman Shai demanded an emergency meeting of the Knesset Foreign
Affairs and Defense Committee to discuss the readiness of the Israieli Homefront for a Syrian
chemical attack on Israiel." Will that be the next false flag?
"... Nikki Haley claims that the US "Will Respond" To Syria Gas Attack Regardless Of Security Council's Decision ..."
"... Last year, the US destroyed more than a dozen aircraft, as well as oil storage facilities and other structures, and killed at least seven people when it fired 59 missiles at Syria's Shayrat Airbase following a chemical weapons attack that the US also pinned on the Syrian government. ..."
"... Both the UK and France have suggested they're considering military action in Syria. UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said he and his French and US allies agree there should be "no impunity for those that use such barbaric weapons." ..."
"... However, Johnson added that Monday's emergency meeting of the UN Security Council would be "an important next step in determining the international response" and that "a full range of options should be on the table." ..."
Nikki Haley claims that the US "Will Respond" To Syria Gas Attack Regardless Of Security Council's Decision
Update (4:15 pm ET): US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said during an emergency meeting of
the UN Security Council on Monday that the US would retaliate against the attack in Syria
regardless of what the UN Security Council decides.
"History will record this as the moment when the Security Council either discharged its
duty or demonstrated its utter and complete failure to protect the people of Syria. Either
way, the United States will respond."
She described the victims in graphic terms.
"I could hold up pictures of babies lying dead next to their mothers, in their diapers,
all lying together, dead, ashen blue, open eyed and lifeless, white foam bubbling from their
mouths and noses."
Haley added that "the world must see justice done" in Syria.
* * *
Before heading into his Monday afternoon cabinet meeting, President Donald Trump condemned a
chemical weapons attack in Ghouta, Syria during an impromptu press conference. The president
said "even with the world as bad as it is, you just don't see things like that" before saying
he'd decide on a response "probably by the end of today."
And while the US was "having trouble getting people in" to the town, Trump added that he
would definitively determine which states were involved in the attack - be it Syria, Iran,
Russia (or presumably all three).
With Trump and his most trusted advisors still debating the proper response, several
anonymous Pentagon officials have told the
Washington Examiner that the US is considering several options including a missile barrage
similar to the strike carried out on a Syrian air base last year.
The Israeli F-15s launched a lethal strike on a Syrian airbase early Monday, killing 14
people with
the US's tacit approval .
The options being considered now are similar to the options that were provided to the
president before last year's strike. The US has several ships armed with tomahawk cruise
missiles stationed in the region - including the USS Donald Cook, a guided-missile destroyer
that just completed a port call in Cyprus and got underway in the eastern Mediterranean. The
ship is within range of Syria and could presumably strike at any target the president
orders.
Last year, the US destroyed more than a dozen aircraft, as well as oil storage facilities
and other structures, and killed at least seven people when it fired 59 missiles at Syria's
Shayrat Airbase following a chemical weapons attack that the US also pinned on the Syrian
government.
But according to one official who spoke with
the Examiner , Trump could be considering a "more robust" strike this time around,
considering that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad didn't quite get the message last time.
Both the UK and France have suggested they're considering military action in Syria. UK
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said he and his French and US allies agree there should be "no
impunity for those that use such barbaric weapons."
However, Johnson added that Monday's emergency meeting of the UN Security Council would be
"an important next step in determining the international response" and that "a full range of
options should be on the table."
"... Trump's statement is a particularly stupid piece of revisionism on his part. Trump was opposed to Obama's threatened attack in 2013 , and then as president Trump ordered an illegal military attack on the Syrian government one year ago to punish it for an alleged chemical weapons attack. ..."
"... The danger in having an ongoing illegal military presence in Syria is that it exposes U.S. forces to unacceptable and unnecessary risks and creates the possibility of escalation with the Syrian government and its allies. If Trump orders another illegal attack on the Syrian government or the forces of any of its supporters, it could easily trigger a larger conflict. Russia has given an explicit warning against a U.S. attack this time, saying that it could trigger "the gravest consequences." Even if it doesn't lead to a larger conflict with a nuclear-armed major power, it isn't worth taking the risk for the sake of policing the conduct of a foreign civil war. ..."
"... If Trump were really interested in extricating the U.S. from war in Syria, he would not be engaged in mindless saber-rattling against the Syrian government and its allies. Unfortunately, Trump's bellicosity always seems to take over in these situations. That is what we get from Trump's anti-restraint foreign policy. ..."
"... But the odd thing is, the most stable and invested country in the region is Iran. Crazy as it might sound to an Iran-hater-dead-ender, the country we should be chatting with about Syria is Iran. If we genuinely cared about anything humanitarian. The two countries with the most likely influence over Bashar with the aim of mitigating his violence would likely be Iran and Russia. If we wanted to actually accomplish something we could quietly and diplomatically arrange that chat and encourage some beneficial influence there. ..."
"... If Assad is really the brute that the West portrays him to be he would have been toppled by now. That the Syrian population by and large has stood by him in 6 years of war should tell you something. I make a point to get most of the news about Syria from Christian organisations who live there – and they are all unequivocal. They are now beyond livid of what the US and its allies has allowed and even facilitated to happen there. Tthankfully for them they still have the Syrian Arab Army and Russia to protect them unlike their brethren in Iraq, one of the oldest Christian communities in existence which has been practically wiped out thanks to America's intervention. ..."
"... Clinton ignored the Russian objections to the West's unilateral recognition of Balkan breakaways. Bush, Saakashvili and the usual entourage of the neocon meddler travelling circus that nowadays haunts the Ukraine dismissed both the Russian warnings and the Russian military response. The result was utter failure. ..."
"... Putin might never see an opportunity for a similarly deadly and promising "play" in the circle jerk of Syria free-for-all invasions – Gulf states, Turkey, US, Israel – but if he should ever see an opening, I would expect him to seek another object lesson. His hand might not be strong, but he appears to play it well. ..."
"... Meanwhile, the Kurdish YPG and Syrian government troops ally against NATO partner Turkey, and the US military has repeatedly attacked Syrian regular military and boasts – by leak – about massacring Russian "private military contractors". ..."
"... Iran demonstrated in Iraq that US ineptitude combined with impunitivism provides many openings to stabilize, in a sense, the region. ..."
Trump's statement is a particularly stupid piece of revisionism on his part. Trump was
opposed to
Obama's threatened attack in 2013 , and then as president Trump ordered an illegal military
attack on the Syrian government one year ago to punish it for an alleged chemical weapons
attack. He had no authority to do this, the attack was a flagrant breach of the U.N. Charter,
and it apparently failed to discourage the Syrian government from carrying out similar attacks
later on. The president ordered the "unbelievably small attack" that Obama administration
threatened to launch in 2013, and it made no meaningful difference to the course of the war or
the regime's behavior.
Trump tweeted out earlierin the day that
"President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad. Big price to pay."
He didn't say what that "big price" was or how it will be "paid," but the fact that he thinks
it is a good idea to make threats against the Syrian government's patrons bodes ill for the
future of U.S. policy in Syria. The foreign policy establishment was beside itself last week
when they thought that Trump wanted to withdraw from Syria, but they should be much more
worried that he will launch an illegal attack and plunge the U.S. in even deeper.
The danger in having an ongoing illegal military presence in Syria is that it exposes
U.S. forces to unacceptable and unnecessary risks and creates the possibility of escalation
with the Syrian government and its allies. If Trump orders another illegal attack on the Syrian
government or the forces of any of its supporters, it could easily trigger a larger conflict.
Russia has given an explicit warning against a U.S.
attack this time, saying that it could trigger "the gravest consequences." Even if it doesn't
lead to a larger conflict with a nuclear-armed major power, it isn't worth taking the risk for
the sake of policing the conduct of a foreign civil war.
If Trump were really interested in extricating the U.S. from war in Syria, he would not be
engaged in mindless saber-rattling against the Syrian government and its allies. Unfortunately,
Trump's bellicosity always seems to take over in these situations. That is what we get from
Trump's anti-restraint foreign policy.
It's true that I'm no genius, but after reading as much as I can and thinking it over I still
don't know who is the right horse to back, or what is the right side to be on in Syria. Assad
is a brute, Isis are brutes, the other parties of opposition are useless, and etc., and none
of it has anything to do with us anyway. To Daniel's point, we're keeping an army hanging
around in a volatile and illegal situation for no discernible point.
Except to hate Iran.
The longterm on Syria doesn't look good for anyone. I'm guessing, because of his long
history of ignorance and incoherence, Trump has no plan.
But the odd thing is, the most stable and invested country in the region is Iran.
Crazy as it might sound to an Iran-hater-dead-ender, the country we should be chatting with
about Syria is Iran. If we genuinely cared about anything humanitarian. The two countries
with the most likely influence over Bashar with the aim of mitigating his violence would
likely be Iran and Russia. If we wanted to actually accomplish something we could quietly and
diplomatically arrange that chat and encourage some beneficial influence there.
If Assad is really the brute that the West portrays him to be he would have been
toppled by now. That the Syrian population by and large has stood by him in 6 years of war
should tell you something. I make a point to get most of the news about Syria from Christian
organisations who live there – and they are all unequivocal. They are now beyond livid
of what the US and its allies has allowed and even facilitated to happen there. Tthankfully
for them they still have the Syrian Arab Army and Russia to protect them unlike their
brethren in Iraq, one of the oldest Christian communities in existence which has been
practically wiped out thanks to America's intervention.
"If President Obama had crossed his stated Red Line "
Interesting view. Obama imagined he drew a "red line" that Assad was not to cross, and
allegedly did. Trump's tongue apparently wore a Freudian slip when he rubi-conned this phrase
into twitter.
To make this a turn worthy of Croesumpus, let us just say that if Trump crosses that red
line of his own, a great war criminal will be destroyed.
"In early March 2008, Abkhazia and South Ossetia submitted formal requests for their
recognition to Russia's parliament shortly after the West's recognition of Kosovo to which
Russia was opposed. [The] Russian ambassador to NATO, warned that Georgia's NATO membership
aspirations would cause Russia to support the independence of Abkhazia and South
Ossetia."
Clinton ignored the Russian objections to the West's unilateral recognition of Balkan
breakaways. Bush, Saakashvili and the usual entourage of the neocon meddler travelling circus
that nowadays haunts the Ukraine dismissed both the Russian warnings and the Russian military
response. The result was utter failure.
Putin might never see an opportunity for a similarly deadly and promising "play" in the
circle jerk of Syria free-for-all invasions – Gulf states, Turkey, US, Israel –
but if he should ever see an opening, I would expect him to seek another object lesson. His
hand might not be strong, but he appears to play it well.
Meanwhile, the Kurdish YPG and Syrian government troops ally against NATO partner
Turkey, and the US military has repeatedly attacked Syrian regular military and boasts
– by leak – about massacring Russian "private military contractors".
Iran demonstrated in Iraq that US ineptitude combined with impunitivism provides many
openings to stabilize, in a sense, the region.
Looks like Skripal case was the stage one of the same false flag operation...
Notable quotes:
"... Both Syria and Russia deny a chemical attack took place and have reached an evacuation deal with the rebels. ..."
"... One video, recorded by rescue workers known as the White Helmets, shows a number of men, women and children lying lifeless inside a house, many with foam at their mouths. ..."
US President Donald Trump has lashed out at Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad and his allies Russia and Iran over a suspected chemical attack, saying there will
be a "big price to pay".
Medical sources say dozens of people were killed in an attack on the rebel-held town of Douma on
Saturday. The UN Security Council is expected to discuss the crisis on Monday.
Both Syria and Russia deny a chemical attack took place and have reached an evacuation deal with
the rebels.
Outrage at the alleged use of chemical weapons has been widespread with Pope Francis saying,
"Nothing, nothing can justify the use of such devices of extermination against defenceless people
and populations."
The European Union has called for an "immediate response by the international community".
One video, recorded by rescue workers known as the White Helmets, shows a number of men, women
and children lying lifeless inside a house, many with foam at their mouths.
Other unverified footage shows young children crying as they are treated in a makeshift medical
unit.
However, it has not been possible to verify independently what actually happened, or the actual
number of dead.
The Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations, which runs medical facilities in the Eastern
Ghouta, told BBC News that 70 deaths had been confirmed.
More than 500 people were brought to medical centres with such symptoms, it said, quoting
emergency services in Douma.
A doctor at an overwhelmed hospital in the rebel-controlled town told the BBC's Joel Gunter he
had panicked as his own children coughed from gas seeping into the basement where they were hiding.
A medical student described in horrifying detail how he had treated a dying man.
End of Twitter post by @joelmgunter
A test of resolve
Analysis by James Landale, BBC diplomatic correspondent
The reported chemical weapons attack on the rebel-held enclave of Douma poses some hard
questions.
For the civilians, the families and children there, can they continue to bear the terror,
bloodshed and inhumanity being rained upon them?
For the militant rebel fighters, do they believe their struggle and continued resistance is
still worth the price they and the civilians are being forced to pay by the Syrian government?
For Russia, how far is it prepared to defend its allies' apparent use of chemical weapons when
its own apparent use of a nerve agent in the UK is subject to so much global condemnation?
And for the international community, how will it respond to what is clearly a test of its
resolve one year on from the Khan Sheikhoun chemical attack?
Will the ritual condemnations be backed by military action in an attempt to deter President
Assad's further use of chemical weapons? Or will the West believe that any escalation would simply
prolong a conflict that many just want to end?
At least 40 people are reported dead in Syria -- including women and children -- after a
suspected chemical gas attack on a rebel-held town near the capital on Saturday, as the State
Department said the reports, if confirmed, would demand "an immediate response."
The Syrian American Medical Society and opposition-linked Syrian Civil Defense
said in a joint statement that at least 40 people had died in the attack in Douma, about 10
miles east of Damascus, and over 500 people, mostly women and children, were injured and
brought to medical centers.
The injuries included difficulty breathing, foaming at the mouth, and burning of the eyes,
according to the organization. It said patients gave off a chlorine-like smell and some had
blue skin, a sign of oxygen deprivation. The alleged attack occurred amid a resumed offensive
by Syrian government forces after the collapse of a truce. The Russian-backed Syrian government
denied that its forces had launched any chemical attack,
Reuters reported . The government said rebels in Douma were in a state of collapse and
spreading false news.
None of the reports could be immediately independently confirmed, both the Associated Press
and Reuters said.
President Trump said on Twitter that the Syrian Army needs to open the area "immediately"
for medical help and verification.
"Many dead, including women and children, in mindless CHEMICAL attack in Syria," Trump
tweeted. "Area of atrocity is in lockdown and encircled by Syrian Army, making it completely
inaccessible to outside world. President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing
Animal Assad. Big price to pay. Open area immediately for medical help and verification.
Another humanitarian disaster for no reason whatsoever. SICK!"
First responders said they found families suffocated in their homes and shelters, with foam
on their mouths. The opposition-linked Syrian Civil Defense were able to document 42 fatalities
but were impeded from searching further by strong odors that gave their rescuers difficulties
breathing, said Siraj Mahmoud, a spokesman for the group, which is known as the White
Helmets.
"Until this minute, no one has been able to find out the kind of agent that was used,"
Mahmoud said in a video statement.
Looks like Aljazeera tried uncritically
propogate the version of a gas attack put forward by the White Helmets. Which is not compete
impossibility if a bomb or a shell hit a container with chorine gas stored buy the rebels. And
there were large storage of chorine gas (something like 20 tons) discovered already in liberated
from jihadists area or this province along with Western equipment to produce poison gas
munitions.
This Abu Jaafar story smells fiction: after being poisoned he lost conscience was was saved
by somebody. He was poisoned badly enough for his lungs being affected. Them miraculous he became
a recue worker with enough strength to evacuate others.
Unlike the previous false flag now this area in under control of government forces.
Notable quotes:
"... Rescue workers and medical staff have said at least 85 people were killed in the chlorine gas attack - an accusation dismissed by the Syrian government as "farcical". ..."
"... Among those killed, witnesses said, were many women and children who had sought refuge in the basements of buildings to escape heavy bombardment by pro-government forces. ..."
"... The Syrian army said the offensive was in response to deadly shelling by Jaish al-Islam, the last remaining opposition group in Eastern Ghouta, on residential areas in Damascus. Jaish al-Islam denied the allegation. ..."
"... The group is currently in negotiations with the Russian army, a major ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad , over a possible evacuation deal, according to reports carried by state media and pro-Syrian opposition Orient TV. Last week, two other rebel groups reached evacuation agreements with the Russians, which resulted in about 19,000 people leaving for the northern province of Idlib. ..."
"... The chemical attack in Douma is the largest of its kind in Syria since April last year, when nerve agent sarin or a sarin-like substance was dropped onto the town of Khan Sheikhoun , killing at least 85 people. ..."
"... On Saturday evening, rescue workers posted videos on social media of people appearing to show symptoms consistent with a gas attack. Some appeared to have white foam around their mouths and noses. ..."
"... He explained many of those who lost their lives were still under destroyed buildings and have not yet been pulled from the rubble. ..."
"... "Others are instantly being buried by their families, so they aren't accounted for in terms of registered numbers," al-Khair said. ..."
By his third frantic dash down the stairs, with a wet piece of cloth over his mouth and a
little girl in each arm, everything went dark for Khaled Abu Jaafar.
"I lost consciousness. I couldn't breathe any more; it was like my lungs were shutting
down," recalled the resident of Douma, in Syria's Eastern
Ghouta .
"I woke up about 30 minutes later and they had undressed me and were washing my body with
water," Abu Jaafar told Al Jazeera on Sunday. "They were trying to make me vomit as my mouth
was emitting a yellow substance."
Abu Jaafar is one of the survivors struggling to cope with the effects of a
chemical attack on Saturday in the besieged town of Douma, the last rebel stronghold near
the Syrian capital, Damascus.
Rescue workers and medical staff have said at least 85 people were killed in the
chlorine gas attack - an accusation dismissed by the Syrian government as "farcical".
Among those killed, witnesses said, were many women and children who had sought refuge
in the basements of buildings to escape heavy bombardment by pro-government forces.
Abu Jaafar, a radio station worker, said that as panicked residents started running around
after the attack, he rushed to one of these hideouts to check on his friends and help get
people out.
"While people were in the shelters, some on the roof managed to see the gas bombs as they
dropped from the planes," Abu Jaafar said, describing what he said was green gas emanating from
the canisters falling from the sky.
"Those who saw them rushed to tell everyone in the basement to evacuate," he added. "I went
up and down the stairs about three times to help evacuate children from the
building."
Evacuation deals
The attack came on the second day of a
fierce ground and air push by pro-government forces after a period of relative calm.
The Syrian army said the offensive was in response to deadly shelling by Jaish al-Islam,
the last remaining opposition group in Eastern Ghouta, on residential areas in Damascus. Jaish
al-Islam denied the allegation.
The group is currently in negotiations with the Russian army, a major ally of Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad
, over a possible evacuation deal, according to reports carried by state media and pro-Syrian
opposition Orient TV. Last week, two other rebel groups reached
evacuation agreements with the Russians, which resulted in about 19,000 people leaving for
the northern province of Idlib.
They included fighters from the Faylaq al-Rahman and Ahrar al-Sham groups, their relatives
and other locals. Rebel groups argued that the evacuation amounts to forced displacement, but
gave in after weeks of intense bombardment. Meanwhile, remaining civilians continue to endure a
bombing campaign and the effects of a crippling government siege that has been in place since
2013.
'Unbearable scenes'
The chemical attack in Douma is the largest of its kind in Syria since April last year,
when nerve agent sarin or a sarin-like substance was dropped onto the town of
Khan Sheikhoun , killing at least 85 people.
Symptoms of a chlorine attack include dyspnea and coughing, as well as intensive irritation
of the mucous membrane and breathing difficulties.
On Saturday evening, rescue workers posted videos on social media of people appearing to
show symptoms consistent with a gas attack. Some appeared to have white foam around their
mouths and noses.
Abu Jaafar said that those who did not manage to evacuate their shelters died instantly.
"There were basements in other buildings with people who didn't see the gas in time. We
entered those buildings and found bodies on the staircases and on the floor - they died while
attempting to exit," he said.
Although some Douma residents rushed to various medical points, a shortage of supplies and
doctors meant that treatment options were limited.
Activists said that several of Douma's clinics and ambulance teams had been hit during the
bombardment campaign, largely disrupting the town's medical assistance capacity.
When we arrived to the roof of the building I was helping at, I saw the lifeless bodies of a
mother in her 50s, with two of her adult daughters and a child with their arms around each
other, all foaming at the mouth
Alaa Abu Yasser
Local activist Alaa Abu Yasser was also among those who tried to help evacuate people.
"I went to a building where about 35 people had died as a result of this attack; the scenes
I saw were unbearable, it's like nothing I have ever seen even in the movies," he told Al
Jazeera, describing the aftermath of the attack.
"As I approached the building, a father was crying hysterically as he dragged his feet
towards us carrying his two children he was hugging them, smelling and kissing them after they
suffocated to death," Abu Yasser added.
Several witnesses speaking to Al Jazeera said that during a chemical attack it is common
practice for people to rush to the top floors and on the roofs of buildings in a bid to avoid
inhaling the gas that tends to "stick to the ground".
"When we arrived to the roof of the building I was helping at, I saw the lifeless bodies of
a mother in her 50s, with two of her adult daughters and a child with their arms around each
other, all foaming at the mouth," said Abu Yasser.
"I mostly saw bodies of women and children in three separate rooms; they've been placed
there to isolate the smell of the gas from those who survived," he added.
Although the White Helmets, a group of rescuers operating in opposition-held areas in Syria,
and Syrian American Medical Society have given a death toll of at least 85, there are fears
that the number of people killed in the attack could be higher.
"The rescue teams have not been able to document all the cases," local activist Mansour Abu
al-Khair told Al Jazeera. "They're overwhelmed and cannot deal with the impact of the
attack."
He explained many of those who lost their lives were still under destroyed buildings and
have not yet been pulled from the rubble.
"Others are instantly being buried by their families, so they aren't accounted for in
terms of registered numbers," al-Khair said.
"We expect the death toll to surpass 100," he added.
From comments: "I was quite surprised the rebels actually went ahead with the so-called gas attack. They didn't, US-France-UK-(Turkey)
did. The rebels are the ones with guns and ammo, the alliance are the ones with actors and cameras. "
Notable quotes:
"... If Trump possesses one talent it must surely be the ability to spot a Con Artist pulling a fast one. If he can't connect the same dots that b has just done then Trump has to be an idiot, and I don't for a second believe that he is an idiot. ..."
"... Just one thing that I should point out: the Syrian Observatory is NOT claiming that there has been a chemical weapons attack on Douma. ..."
"... But the claim that those suffocations were the result of chlorine attack is being made by the white helmets, not (at least so far) by the SOHR. ..."
"... The best time for Putin to respond to a Western provocation isn't now, it's when he effectively has hundreds of thousands of Western hostages in his country - June/July. ..."
"... For White Helmets read Britain. They are British created, funded and operated. May's Government has to be deep in this as well. ..."
"... Never forget that May, Cameron and other conservative MPs crossed the floor of parliament and voted for Blair and the illegal attack on Iraq when Labour MPs refused to support him. ..."
"... I hope that this "news" will just fade away. Sad fact is that whatever Russians say or do it doesn't really matter anymore. A narrative and a rhetoric coming from the US is now at the so low level that any diplomatic language or a talk is rendered obsolete. ..."
"... I also think that is is not up to Trump, but more off to a military and the dark powers around Trump, that he doesn't really understand, to decide what is happing next. If anything. ..."
"... The hostage here is the world cup itself, just as the 2014 Olympics were. And in retrospect it was probably a mistake for Russia to host them, but then who could have predicted all this back in 2007 or 8? ..."
"... At any rate, Russia should resist provocations games or not. Retaliation, if any, should be covert and deniable. Unless the west is dumb enough to openly attack Russian forces. Then a hammer blow to the face is appropriate. ..."
"... If there was such a FF 'gas attack' as we have just seen in Syria while the World Cup was on and the US/UK response (as we've heard previously from Russian/Syrian sources) was to initiate strikes against Syrian Government installations, and then Russia has promised to respond if any of their personnel were killed in these strikes the Russians reserve the right (as they have repeatedly started) to strike back against any US/UK targets responsible for the strikes - ie - shooting US/UK planes out of the sky or sinking US/UK warships, destroyers or carriers in the Eastern Mediterranean. ..."
"... If that level of escalation were to occur (and take note I'm not saying it will because I don't believe Putin will take this bait), but if it were, where could the escalation lead on the part of the US/UK?? ..."
"... These areas are intensely scrutinized by the Russians and the SAA, drones, satellite. It would be good to get some footage of the White Helmets staging this, but of course they are embedded with all the rest of the fighting men elsewhere and are never anywhere near where all the children tend to be targeted. ..."
"... I am confident that JAYSH was not going to negotiate, until after they had finished the "job" for their paymasters...once that was completed, they are ready to negotiate again... ..."
"... But The Donald is saying that there are women and children amongst those affected by the supposed attack, but other sites are reporting on the astonishing fact that there are only children in the broadcast footage.. what amount to a staged play like that of Goutha years ago... ..."
"... July 16, 2017. Newswire. CIA Director Admits Fooling Trump Over Syrian Chemical Weapons Story ( ) The false flag attack, which actually originated from CIA rebel groups in the region, resulted in Trump launching Tomahawk missiles into Syria, killing 15 civilians. Posted because of some interest despite misleading title and dubious source. http://yournewswire.com/cia-trump-syria-chemical-weapons/ ..."
"... I am afraid. Have not been this afraid since election night when Hillary was almost elected. The world lucked out and survived to live another day. Has our luck run out? ..."
"... Sigh, here we go again, just like Skripal case, west acts with propaganda and psyops without any evidence. The stupid TRUMP will of course bomb Syria again along with the disgusting Macron cheered by EU and western media. ..."
"... In the US when a murder occurs and a suspect apprehended there is a trial that can take weeks or months, and the prosecution and the defense present their expert Witnesses. Then at the end of all that a jury usually decides where the person is guilty or not. On the other hand, when a crime is alleged in another country far far away from the US, such as an alleged gas attack in Syria, within days we know exactly who is responsible and on that basis are willing to commit arms, troops and spend billions of dollars to kill people in large quantities and destroy a country. One would think that given the stakes involved a little bit more care might be taken. ..."
"... "Gas" scares the bejesus out of rubes. Makes Great Drama. Triggers, then reinforces historical themes. "The fiend! He gassed his own people!" "Gas Chambers" (Cant' go there!). If there's gas, well, by golly there's got to be a ham-handed, asymmetrical "response" (motherfocker of all bombs!) from the "International Community". ..."
"... BTW, kudos to those who pegged the Skripal incident as prelude to some sort of chemical incident in Syria. It couldn't have been scripted better for a TV program. Oh, wait... ..."
"... The point is that the Russians have been preparing for just such an event for months. Was it not two months ago that the Russians put troops into Damascus to prevent a decapitating strike? A US strike would be a sort of Kursk Offensive, attacking into a well-prepared defence. ..."
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The United States' diplomatic policy on Syria for now is no longer focused on making the war-torn country's
president, Bashar al-Assad, leave power, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said on Thursday, in a departure from the Obama
administration's initial and public stance on Assad's fate.
World leaders expressed shock and outrage Tuesday at reports of a suspected chemical attack in northwestern Syria that killed
scores of civilians, with one UK official suggesting the incident amounted to a war crime.
The US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, has told CNN that removing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power is
a priority, cementing an extraordinary U-turn in the Trump administration's stance on the embattled leader.
The Khan Sheikhun incident had been faked. An international investigation
found that half of the alleged casualties arrived in hospitals before the incident was said to have happened. Nothing followed
after Haley's last announcement. The administration was apparently not willing to go beyond the one-off strike. The flip-flop was
attributed to confusion or infighting
within the Trump administration.
I have the feeling that Russia is loosing patience, and if the US try something it will be big trouble. The speed with which Ghouta
was taken caused problems for the West. I hope Russia will clean up Syria quickly; I think we are approaching a decisive moment.
All of these world leaders walk in lockstep together following the script handed to them. I would leave Damascus in a hurry if
I was living there. The Zionists want to fulfil Isaiah 17.
now we know why the skripals happened. the west is now, today, intent on russia's destruction. putin 'dies' or the west dies.
not since the 1950's era of hiding under desks in elementary school have i felt as though i am living in the 'end times.'
If Trump possesses one talent it must surely be the ability to spot a Con Artist pulling a fast one. If he can't connect the
same dots that b has just done then Trump has to be an idiot, and I don't for a second believe that he is an idiot.
Surely
this is a golden opportunity for Trump to go off-script and shaft those who are trying to con him.
All it would take is one twitter post from him stating that only an dimwit would fall for such an obvious trap, and he will
turn the tables on anyone who shouts that The USA Must Do Something About This!!!!!
Trump's retort would be devastating: there ya' go, Dimwit Number One.
World Cup starts on June 14. Do you really think Putin/Russia will do anything to jeopardize the hosting of that event this close
to the finish line?
I really doubt it.
Who in Russia would be held responsible if a conflict started and the World Cup in Russia was cancelled??
Which Russian politician would be blamed by the people???
Putin will do nothing and will not be provoked. Do you know the best time to respond? It is actually during the World Cup when
hundreds of thousands of EU and foreign nationals will be in Russia - effectively hostages that prevent the West taking over action
against Russia - yep, it's that simple.
The best time for Putin to respond to a Western provocation isn't now, it's when he effectively has hundreds of thousands
of Western hostages in his country - June/July.
Yeah/7: For White Helmets read Britain. They are British created, funded and operated. May's Government has to be deep in
this as well.
Never forget that May, Cameron and other conservative MPs crossed the floor of parliament and voted for
Blair and the illegal attack on Iraq when Labour MPs refused to support him.
Without Theresa May and David Cameron, Blair wouldn't have had the authority to attack.
The Iraqi blood is on her hands.
And Libyan blood.
And Syrian blood.
And now Salisbury and this.
I hope that this "news" will just fade away. Sad fact is that whatever Russians say or do it doesn't really matter anymore.
A narrative and a rhetoric coming from the US is now at the so low level that any diplomatic language or a talk is rendered obsolete.
UK will trumpet this as there is no tomorrow while Skripal case is, in their eyes, hopefully blurring away. Or so they might
think.
I also think that is is not up to Trump, but more off to a military and the dark powers around Trump, that he doesn't really
understand, to decide what is happing next. If anything.
@8, that is impossible. There is no way Russia will harm any of the soccer fans or stop them from leaving if they choose to leave.
The hostage here is the world cup itself, just as the 2014 Olympics were. And in retrospect it was probably a mistake for
Russia to host them, but then who could have predicted all this back in 2007 or 8?
At any rate, Russia should resist provocations games or not. Retaliation, if any, should be covert and deniable. Unless
the west is dumb enough to openly attack Russian forces. Then a hammer blow to the face is appropriate.
With due respect I think you misunderstand what I'm saying about 'hostages'.
If there was such a FF 'gas attack' as we have just seen in Syria while the World Cup was on and the US/UK response (as
we've heard previously from Russian/Syrian sources) was to initiate strikes against Syrian Government installations, and then
Russia has promised to respond if any of their personnel were killed in these strikes the Russians reserve the right (as they
have repeatedly started) to strike back against any US/UK targets responsible for the strikes - ie - shooting US/UK planes out
of the sky or sinking US/UK warships, destroyers or carriers in the Eastern Mediterranean.
If that level of escalation were to occur (and take note I'm not saying it will because I don't believe Putin will take
this bait), but if it were, where could the escalation lead on the part of the US/UK??
Could it lead to Western military strikes of some sort or another?
Could it do that next week? Maybe.
Could it do that while Russia is hosting the World Cup worth hundreds of thousands of Western nationals in Russia? Of course
not. The Western route of escalation is therefore blunted while the World Cup is being hosted while there is no such barrier on
Russian response to Western provocation while the World Cup is being hosted.
Ie - if Russia did respond to US/UK strikes against Syria whilst the World Cup was being hosted by sinking a couple of US destroyers,
what would happen then?
Given the level of Western insanity and the frequency of the outrages being perpetrated, I don't think we will have to wait several
months to see all hell break loose.
WaPo and NYT led the way on this story at news.google. WaPo said that Washington based non-profit Syrian-American Medical Society
(SAMS) issued a joint statement with "opposition-linked Civil Defense" (the usual suspects - The White Helmets). There are lots
of details on the attacks and damage at Douma but only a tiny mention that Jaish al-Islam launched rockets into densely populated
Damascus. Why are there no reports of death and damage in those areas? And where did SAMS come from?
Worth to check out - East Ghouta, Syria. Report of Chinese analysts examined by Russian leading Middle East expert (UK/US military
advisers in Syria, "Skripal case" hysteria etc.)
This is Trump's big chance to redeem himself with the U.S. military ( after "mindlessly" declaring his wish to leave Syria and
the entire area ) and get down on his knees and suck Pentagon cock. He will obligingly do this ( as his girlfriends and wife do
for him ) and "allow " ( as if he has a choice ) the U.S. war machine, to which he has conceded all civilian control, to respond
to the obviously faked and staged false flag chemical attack, in any way they see fit. Russia has already announced that if their
troops in Syria are attacked they will respond by Removing the source of that attack, i.e., sinking the ship that launched the
missiles. So the U.S. military has lit the fuse and as has worried all of us for a very long time : God only knows where this
is headed.
These areas are intensely scrutinized by the Russians and the SAA, drones, satellite. It would be good to get some footage
of the White Helmets staging this, but of course they are embedded with all the rest of the fighting men elsewhere and are never
anywhere near where all the children tend to be targeted.
It's anybody's guess with Trump, remember he said he liked the element of surprise, well, it's hard to spring a surprise when
the MSM, in Europe particularly, is literally screaming for a military response with top page headlines.
It was interesting last night watching various outlets over there and how from a seedling article, a little sidebar headline
no pics, then came a weed of propaganda, they began every 3-4 hours nudging it to the top and the accusations got wilder and and
wilder, ie calling it a 'nerve agent'...
Commenting is now turned back on at SST, look forward to b and others commenting there again. I think the whole idea there
was to be like the Louis Rukeyser show in the old days, genteel host and guests, just an opinion, didn't work out.
I am confident that JAYSH was not going to negotiate, until after they had finished the "job" for their paymasters...once
that was completed, they are ready to negotiate again...
I would recommend not negotiating with Jaysh until the hostages
have been released...I think their attitude will change quickly now that they are surrounded and no escape/rescue is possible...i
wonder how many state agents are stuck inside douma? going to be very embarassing...and it sounds like SAA has a few in custody
already...
"I think the fog is clearing on Trump's thoughts on the matter with his fierce tweet storm mentioning "Animal Assad.""
But The Donald is saying that there are women and children amongst those affected by the supposed attack, but other sites
are reporting on the astonishing fact that there are only children in the broadcast footage.. what amount to a staged play like
that of Goutha years ago...
I think I understand your post better now, thanks for the clarification. I'm not sure that it makes a difference where the
tourists are if I understand your 2nd comment correctly. If envision an escalation to full on war, then it really doesn't matter
if the soccer fans are at home getting disintegrated by Russian nukes or in Russia getting disintegrated by American nukes.
July 16, 2017. Newswire. CIA Director Admits Fooling Trump Over Syrian Chemical Weapons Story ( ) The false flag attack, which
actually originated from CIA rebel groups in the region, resulted in Trump launching Tomahawk missiles into Syria, killing 15
civilians. Posted because of some interest despite misleading title and dubious source.
http://yournewswire.com/cia-trump-syria-chemical-weapons/
SecDef Mattis is a key player in this drama. Mattis didn't buy the fake attack a year ago which no doubt contributed to the
flashy but ineffective US response. Putting the blame for this latest fake attack on Russia and Iran (a difference this time)
suggests an asymmetric non-military response, one designed to grab headlines and then be forgotten. Trump has sanctioned Russia
three times in the past month and bragged about it, so Putin is now his go-to enemy when fake news arises. That Trump strategy
(or lack of it) strengthens Russia domestically and internationally, especially with China, so it works for Putin.
Perhaps the British false flag poisoning may have a dampening effect on world reaction to this false flag. There are many governments
with egg on their face after rushing to throw out the russ diplomats.
Affluent Anglo Soccer guests in Russia would be need be detained for their own safety - a kind of twist on R2P. Very embarrassing
for elite US, UK, EU jet-setting soccer fans to be detained for an indeterminate period. But for their own safety! Here, enjoy
your borscht and caviar.
re: SST
"17 million page views for SST and gone -- I am leaving you. Guest authors, commenters and the various troll nations may continue
if you wish. I may start another blog under "Pat Lang's Blog" but there will not be comments. pl" -- Jun 8, 2017
The SAA launching a chemical attack on Douma makes no sense. The intention with chemical weapons was to deny areas of land to
opposing forces. Now that most modern armies are supplied with effective protection against chemical weapons for individuals and
vehicles, area denial no longer works except to the extent that wearing chemical protection suits hinders movement but this applies
to both sides so nobody benefits and nobody loses.
I am afraid. Have not been this afraid since election night when Hillary was almost elected. The world lucked out and survived
to live another day. Has our luck run out?
Sigh, here we go again, just like Skripal case, west acts with propaganda and psyops without any evidence. The stupid TRUMP
will of course bomb Syria again along with the disgusting Macron cheered by EU and western media.
That is the most plausible scenario. The "intensity" of the US "response" to the False Flag gas (always gas!) attack. remains
to be seen. Pummeling airstrips are generally good stagecraft/showmanship and little else. Airstrips are quickly repaired and
back up to speed in short order.
Beirut (AP) -- An alleged gas attack killed at least 40 people in the eastern suburbs of Damascus, as Syrian rebels agreed
to give up their last foothold in the area, medics and state media reported on Sunday.
...
Meanwhile, state news agency SANA said the Army of Islam group agreed to leave Douma on Sunday, after three days of intensive
government shelling and bombardment.
... The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 80 people were killed in Douma on Saturday, including around 40 who
died from suffocation. But it said the suffocations were the result of shelters collapsing on people inside them.
"Until this minute, no one has been able to find out the kind of agent that was used," said Mahmoud, the White Helmets'
spokesman, in a video statement from Syria.
"The 2017 Shayrat missile strike took place on the morning of 7 April 2017,[1][4] ..the strike was executed under responsibility
of U.S. President Donald Trump, as a direct response to the Khan Shaykhun chemical attack that occurred on 4 Apri"
miss match in timings damn it. The syria event production should have happened same day as bell pottinger salsbury thus creating
another libya quick all in nato depleted uranium party. with movie play and tv show timing and script and emotion are critical
for engagement.
emotion is the gelling agent for consent that is why so many tv and radio news pundit are actor not journalist
In the US when a murder occurs and a suspect apprehended there is a trial that can take weeks or months, and the prosecution
and the defense present their expert Witnesses. Then at the end of all that a jury usually decides where the person is guilty
or not. On the other hand, when a crime is alleged in another country far far away from the US, such as an alleged gas attack
in Syria, within days we know exactly who is responsible and on that basis are willing to commit arms, troops and spend billions
of dollars to kill people in large quantities and destroy a country. One would think that given the stakes involved a little bit
more care might be taken.
"Gas" scares the bejesus out of rubes. Makes Great Drama. Triggers, then reinforces historical themes. "The fiend! He gassed
his own people!" "Gas Chambers" (Cant' go there!). If there's gas, well, by golly there's got to be a ham-handed, asymmetrical
"response" (motherfocker of all bombs!) from the "International Community".
Happy Easter to all our Orthodox Christian friends around the globe. The message is 'never lose hope or live in fear'. Christ
leads in this eternal battle against evil and Satan's minions. This war has brought all civilizations of the land together. The
dying civilization of the ocean will wreck havoc until it expires. There are many paths to that ruin.
Confronting the Son of
God is assuredly one of them. Naturally, the devils have chosen Orthodox Easter to launch this latest perfidy against Russia.
@morongobill #19. There is often a stark difference between what Trump says or tweets and what he actually does. Often he is speaking
and acting for the benefit of various target audiences, sometimes on opposite sides, simultaneously. However, his bellicose response
to the alleged chemical attacks in Syria is cause for worry. Trump is a bully, and he would not wish to appear weak by backing
down from explicitly threatening rhetoric. Besides, he doesn't give a damn about killing Syrians or anyone else.
BTW, kudos to those who pegged the Skripal incident as prelude to some sort of chemical incident in Syria. It couldn't
have been scripted better for a TV program. Oh, wait...
And
2 days ago bbc arabic was running a headline all day about Russian mercenaries flow to Syria on regular commercial flights. There
s a whole world out there in the propaganda addressed to Arab viewers. No time to check if alarabiyya and Aljazeera are now broadcasting
the vids from duma 24/7 as they used to do
Trump is a like a wind-up doll in that he can be easily led astray due to his complete lack of knowledge of foreign and military
affairs. Just tell him children have been "gassed" and he gets angry and wants to strike back. The super hawks can thus wind up
him whenever they really need to him to do something stupid. (I mean, other than the normal stupid things he does all the time
on his own.)
I don't see it as an Israel issue but a "who controls the tools of human exchange" issue that may be about to evolve.....or
not
Certainly the entitlement of some folks will be affected by making finance a global public utility but I think that is a good
thing....
Think of the potential of our species if we can evolve beyond the "social contract" we operate under currently....I am excited
about the potential and measured about the chances of it all happening.
we need to come together as a world community forget about yesterdays semite children of palastine slaughter and deal with animal
assad and the more important children of ghouta
Israeli officials: U.S. must strike in Syria
"Assad is the angel of death, and the world would be better without him."
The United States must attack the regime of Bashar Assad in Syria in response to the regime chemical gas strike on the Syrian
town Douma that killed more than 70 people, Strategic Affairs and Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said Sunday.
Speaking on Army Radio, Erdan, who is Netanyahu's number two in Likud, said he hoped US military action against the Assad regime
would be taken again, as it was when the regime used chemical weapons against its people in the past.
@24 Noirette - thanks for that link to the story of how Pompeo gamed Trump into the missile launch (not to call it a "strike")
against Syria last year. I must keep that one for reference.
Good that Trump got those tweets off his chest. We can rest easier now. I wonder if he ever will understand how he's being
played by the people around him? His sentimentality seems to be a weakness they can easily leverage.
Nothing will happen, of course. As lysander suggests, Russia probably will inflict some covert pain on US interests, while
as b reports the FM has already warned of consequences if the US should be stupid enough to do something overt. I really like
lysander's image of the hammer blow to the face as Russian retaliation.
Friends, we are seeing the last days of false flags and the last days of the world caring about western propaganda. How many
Russian diplomats are left for vassal nations to expel? How many times can the UK government disgrace itself, or Trump have a
meltdown on Twitter - and nothing serious ever happens? How many times do we need to see a fleet turn back from Korea - even assuming
it could find its way there in the first place - or US missiles fail to strike their targets, whether in Syria or Yemen?
The greater the bluster, the more crystalline the result of no-result appears to the cooler heads of the world. Which shows
that even when the dog doesn't bark in the night, still the caravan moves on.
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) tore into President Trump after he put blame on former President Obama following reports of a chemical
attack in Syria.
"Dear @realDonaldTrump: Remember when you launched cruise missiles at a largely empty field in Syria? That unconstitutional
act didn't do very much," Lieu tweeted.
"Remember when you said last week that US is leaving Syria in six months? So what
is your plan? You're the President now. Remember?"
Trump took to Twitter Sunday to condemn the attacks and rail against Obama. "If President Obama had crossed his stated Red
Line In The Sand, the Syrian disaster would have ended long ago! Animal Assad would have been history!" Trump tweeted, referring
to Syrian President Bashar Assad. . .
here
@49 "Just tell him children have been "gassed" and he gets angry and wants to strike back."
He does have a couple of options...neither very appealing. He can ignore the 'gas attack' and be called callous and uncaring.
He can hold off and ask for more evidence and get told he's soft on Putin/Assad.
Imho i find the us statement pretty "soft". "verification" is better than "russia/assad did it". i don't think the us is going
to "strike". the military paradigm has changed. they know, we hope.
Convenient timing to take the focus away for the IDF shooting Palestinian kids and journalist or the botched Skripal show. The
new memo is Assad, gas, Iran, Russia, Putin - repeat.
Look everybody, over there!!!
You gotta hand it to these guys. They've perfected the art of fooling the masses very well.
"Is Trump really willing to escalate towards that?"
More than likely willing and able to take it right up to the wire in the lead up to (and during)
the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia between 14 June to 15 July 2018.
Putin will be at his weakest. UK farce was just an appetizer.
State : "We continue to closely follow disturbing reports on April 7 " . . .which we write, and we decided this time to
pile on Russia. . ."Russia has breached its commitments to the United Nations as a framework guarantor. It has betrayed the Chemical
Weapons Convention . . . yadda yadda". . . here
Don Bacon, 55, Idk. link I posted seemed interesting enough.
There is no straight admission of course (re. > Pompeo fooling Trump) and the whole story may be made up,
but it has the the ring of truth in the sense that it fits with the US top echeleons are mired in dire,
multiple, crossed, struggles. The various factions of the US PTB are not unified, and fighting secretly under the radar,
there is no unified position from the US, so not from the UK either.
@psychohistorian (67) Thanks very much for that posting of actual events on the ground in Douma. They are further reason to believe
that the alleged chemical gas attack was not the work of the Syrian army. Clearly, the rebels were on the ropes and ready for
a knockout blow. We must ask: What might the Syrian government have gained by poisoning civilians and incurring the wrath and
condemnation of the "civilized" world? Absolutely nothing! From a military standpoint, it was completely unnecessary, and from
a public relations standpoint, a predictable disaster. Hence, being rational actors, they would never have chosen to use chemical
weapons under the circumstances. Why is this so hard for Western nations and their media to understand? The only reason that I
can give is that it is in their interest not to understand. It does not comport with their agenda, which is to topple Assad and
weaken Russia.
thanks b and thanks for the many insightful comments...
of course isis is being coddled by the west as a tool for the same agenda that has never been dropped... same deal the freaks
in douma that are unwilling to negotiate... ditto oldenyoungs comments @22... don't worry oy - russia can see thru that..
@27 dh - yes.. we will see how long that lasts.. i made a comment, but it didn't show yet.. the guy is a crank at this point..
@30 Breadonwaters.. good point, but i wouldn't count on it.. the endless propaganda and false flags are relentless and i see
no sign of it stopping.. maybe if the white helmets funding dried up, but that is highly unlikely as well..
@33 don bacon.. sst - 'as the stomach turns' a soap opera that periodically does or doesn't run..
@62 zico... i always ask the question 'what would israel want here?'...
Is Trump about to have an interview with Mueller soon? Is he also trying to set up the US military to get a bloody nose in Syria?
.. so that he can fire a few generals and to try and get back on his campaign promises about pulling back foreign wars?
@Noirette 68 Ok?
Weeelll, okay. . . I will continue to value your comments.
Probably the main point here is that the CIA can't be trusted, which in its history has resulted in several comeuppances, and
should again.
Pat Lang: "Animal" Assad? Our beloved president has once again been watching a bit too much TV news. Does it ever occur to him
to pick up the secure phone and call the watch officer at CIA, NSA or wherever and ask if they think the news reports are correct?
Sure, Pat. If we can't trust the Intelligence Community, then whom can we trust? Our own lyin' eyes?
Amazing. Absolutely amazing. There is a chance Assad did this -- but here's also a chance he would walk in front of a moving train,
or jump out of an airplane. The question is, why? There's no military advantage to this. None. On the other hand, there is stupendous
value to terrorists to conduct a false flag attack.
Americans. Being played by a fiddle, like complete idiots, for... ever.
As I recall, just a few weeks ago, the US was hitting the "Attack No.Ko." circuit hard. Not much came of it, as usual, and to
what end DJT thinks these venting moments will lead, I don't have a clue. But it does follow that not much will come of this other
than us plebs wondering why we have to live under this looming threat of annihilation. At the very least, maybe a few tomahawks
will be unleashed on a few targetted shit-shacks which are being used by sheep herders. Wrong time to take a crap! The MSM needs
a rating boost and exploding outhouses with a million-dollar tomahawk might be able to beat "American Idol" tonight. I'd tune
in.
Duh, here we go again. Syria with help of Russian aerospace forces are winning the war. Why use WMD that would invite US retaliation??????The
discredited NeoCons are not happy with the state of Syria instigated war.Again regime is winning.... And lo and behold Trumpster
called for withdrawal of US forces that are illegally occupying a sovereign country. What are the NeoCon /Likudniks e to do???.Well.....
stage a false flag opps of course. Syria was always the low hanging fruit on way to war with Iran folks.........
Indeed, something Ive also thought about, I would never put my foot in the US if I were the leader of Russia.
I dont see them meeting now when Trump blow it over and over, Trump never seems to learn or he doesnt care, maybe the generals,
and state dep. is in charge of the foreign policy. Hes just a puppet?
Regardless of who makes the decisions in the US, I seriously doubt that the Russians will back down from their thrice stated threat
of direct retaliation against US forces, should the US hit Russian military personnel. The Russian red line has clearly been drawn
and if the US crazies choose to cross it, look out.
I watched the Security Counsel meeting the other day and I thought Russia really blew it. The Russian ambassador was sputtering
and stammering and all over the map and did not provide or mention the ample evidence of the widespread ability to make these
chemicals or any other evidence. While the British simply had to stay on script. Russia looked bad in my view.
Now, with the new "chemical attack" in recent hours BoJo is already calling for a prompt investigation and warns - Russia should
not be allowed to stall it. Why was not Russia out first calling for an independent investigation and demanding proper procedures
and observers?
Russia can't continue to just stand there and get punched.
A question I've been mulling over for sometime that may appear unrelated to this thread but does have a general bearing.
In the lead up and during WW2, when did the German population begin to realize they were the bad guys?
I was quite surprised the rebels actually went ahead with the so-called gas attack. I suppose some sort of combination between
a hard-line faction in Douma, desperate about being about to lose their last foothold, and nutters in the US, like Bolton. Far
too late.
The point is that the Russians have been preparing for just such an event for months. Was it not two months ago that the
Russians put troops into Damascus to prevent a decapitating strike? A US strike would be a sort of Kursk Offensive, attacking
into a well-prepared defence.
I remain convinced that Trump is psychologically unwilling to go ahead with a major war, whatever the people around him.
Trump have recently added Bolton, Pompeo, I mean come on, its obvious that Trump have no "psychologically unwilling" traits
about bombing another nation. He have done it before and will do it again, but beside its not only about Trump but also the ugly
little guy in France, Macron that are as warmongering on Syria.
This gas attack is also, from the US point of view, a sort of "surge". An unwillingness on the part of the US to admit defeat.
Something has to be done to put the US, currently losing, back into the game. Just that facing up to Russia is a bit more complicated
than beating up poorly armed Arab tribes.
@ Laguerre 94 I was quite surprised the rebels actually went ahead with the so-called gas attack. They didn't, US-France-UK-(Turkey)
did. The rebels are the ones with guns and ammo, the alliance are the ones with actors and cameras.
I am a bit confused, did the rebels agree to return to the agreement they defaulted on before or after the supposed "gas" attack?
If before, it was a ruse (or the west set the up), if after, they may have been told by Russia to return to the agreement or be
slaughtered. We live in interesting times and I am most unhappy about it.
"... Russia is warning the U.S. against any "military intervention" in Syria over the government's alleged chemical attack against civilians this weekend, saying any such response would be "unacceptable" and lead to the "most serious consequences". ..."
"... The foreign ministry in Moscow also says in a statement on its website that allegations of the chemical attack are "fabricated," suggesting the claims were invented by rebel forces and the Syrian Civil Defense known as the White Helmets. ..."
"... "We decisively deny that information," the head of Russia's Reconciliation Center in Syria, Major Gen. Yuri Yevtushenko, told Interfax, referring to allegations that the chemical attack was caused by a chlorine bomb dropped by pro-Assad forces. ..."
"... Yevtushenko said that after Douma has been retaken by the government, Russia is ready to immediately send its own chemical weapons experts in to "collect data that will confirm the fabricated character" of the allegations. ..."
"... ABC News' Elizabeth McLaughlin and Justin Fishel contributed to this report. ..."
Syrian
Civil Defense White Helmets via AP
WATCH
Syria accused of launching new poison gas attack on
civilians
Russia is warning the U.S. against any "military intervention" in Syria over the
government's alleged chemical attack against civilians this weekend, saying any such response would be
"unacceptable" and lead to the "most serious consequences".
The foreign ministry in Moscow also says in a statement on its website that allegations
of the chemical attack are "fabricated," suggesting the claims were invented by rebel forces and the Syrian Civil
Defense known as the
White Helmets.
"It is necessary to warn again that military intervention under invented and fabricated
pretexts in Syria, where at the request of the lawful government there are Russian military personnel, is
absolutely unacceptable and can lead to the most serious consequences," the statement reads. "The aim of these
false speculations, that have no basis, is to shield the terrorists and the irreconcilable radical opposition, who
reject a political solution, at the same time while trying to justify possible armed strikes from outside."
The alleged attack on Saturday killed 40 in the rebel-held town of Douma, multiple
opposition and rescue groups including told The Associated Press, which was unable to independently verify the
reports.
It came a year and a day after President
Donald
Trump
ordered dozens of strikes on a Syrian regime air base for its alleged use of sarin gas on April 4, 2017,
that killed approximately 100 people, according to the the State Department. More than 30 of the victims were
children. The government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad denied carrying out the attack.
Syrian
Civil Defense White Helmets via AP
This image released early Sunday,
April 8, 2018 by the Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets, shows a child receiving oxygen through respirators
following an alleged poison gas attack in the rebel-held town of Douma, near Damascus, Syria.
more
+
President Donald Trump meanwhile blasted Russian President Vladimir Putin and the
government of Iran for backing Assad, whom Trump dubbed "Animal Assad," in the country's years-long civil war.
The State Department, while unable to confirm reports of chemical weapon use Saturday,
called the alleged attack "horrifying."
"Reports from a number of contacts and medical personnel on the ground indicate a
potentially high number of casualties, including among families hiding in shelters," Nauert said in a release.
"These reports, if confirmed, are horrifying and demand an immediate response by the international community."
The
United Nations
also weighed in, saying that the alleged use of chemical weapons if true is "abhorrent."
"The Secretary-General is particularly alarmed by allegations that chemical weapons have
been used against civilian populations in Douma," a spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in
a statement. "While the United Nations is not in a position to verify these reports, the Secretary-General notes
that any use of chemical weapons, if confirmed, is abhorrent, and requires a thorough investigation."
"It is critical that civilians be protected," the statement from spokesman Stephane
Durjarric said. "There has also been shelling on Damascus city, reportedly killing civilians."
The Syrian government has always denied using chemical weapons against opposition forces
or civilians.
But a U.N. war-crimes investigation found the Assad regime was responsible for the
attack last year in Khan Sheikhoun.
The U.N. Commission of Inquiry on
Syria
found in September that Syrian government warplanes dropped a sarin bomb in that attack and that Syrian government
forces have carried out more than two dozen chemical attacks in the course of the country's civil war.
Human Rights Watch
has estimated the Syrian government has committed "at least five more chemical weapons
attacks" since April 2017 when Trump ordered 59 Tomahawk missiles fired on a Syrian airbase. The missiles were
fired after the U.S. said a year ago that Assad was responsible for a sarin gas attack on the area of Khan
Sheikhoun in northwestern Syria, which killed over 100 people.
Russia's military, which has supported Assad, denied the Syrian army is behind the
chemical attack in Douma in Eastern Ghouta on Sunday and accused Western countries of trying to use the alleged
attack for their own ends.
"We decisively deny that information," the head of Russia's Reconciliation Center in
Syria, Major Gen. Yuri Yevtushenko, told Interfax, referring to allegations that the chemical attack was caused by
a chlorine bomb dropped by pro-Assad forces.
Yevtushenko said that after Douma has been retaken by the government, Russia is ready to
immediately send its own chemical weapons experts in to "collect data that will confirm the fabricated character"
of the allegations.
"We express our readiness, after the liberation of Douma from militants, to immediately
send Russian specialists in radiological, chemical and biological protection for the collection of data, that will
confirm the fabricated character of these statements," Yevtushenko said.
Yevtushenko then accused "a range of Western countries" of using the allegations of the
attack to try to hinder the Russian-Syrian operation to pull out militants from Douma.
"For that, that theme beloved by the West, the use of chemical weapons by the armed
forces of Syrian Arab Republic, is being used," Yevtushenko told Interfax. He also said the allegations were being
made by groups like the White Helmets, which he accused of "being widely known for their
fake
news
."
The U.S., meanwhile, has supported Kurdish and Arab forces on the other side of the
country as they attempt to eradicate
ISIS
forces
from the country.
The
Associated Press
FILE - This Feb. 2, 2018 file photo
provided by the Syrian rebel group Army of Islam, shows a fighter with the Army of Islam rebel group, firing a
weapon during clashes with government forces in Housh al-Dhawahira in the eastern Ghouta region near Da
more
+
It was less than a week ago that Trump announced during a rally in Ohio that he planned
to get U.S. troops out of Syria "very soon." The timing of the comment caught even senior officials off-guard, a
senior administration official and a U.S. official familiar with the matter told ABC News. He repeated that he
wanted the U.S. military out of the country in a press conference on Tuesday.
"It's time. We were successful against ISIS," Trump said. "We'll be successful against
anybody militarily, but sometimes it's time to come back home -- and we're thinking about that very seriously."
The White House walked back those claims a little on Wednesday, with press secretary
Sarah Sanders telling reporters the president isn't going "to put an arbitrary timeline" on withdrawal.
ABC News' Elizabeth McLaughlin and Justin Fishel contributed to this report.
"... Every time the legitimate Syrian army has the upper hand over the terrorists the west cries "chemical weapons by assad".Seriously. The world has to wake up. ..."
"... Well the ground was laid; with the other false flag chemical attacks, which were never properly investigated, then the Scripal Affair, now this. They probably think they have convinced enough people, through the controlled western media, to have majority support for an attack on Syria. This was the plan all along, to remove Assad, then onto Iran. One problem: Russia is blocking the way to final conquest- will they test Russia's resolve? This could get ugly very quickly, let us hope that reason, and sense prevail. ..."
Tensions are escalating between the US and Russia as Washington says Moscow "ultimately bears
responsibility for these brutal attacks," in reference to a reported chemical attack the US blames on the
Syrian government.
"These reports, if confirmed, are horrifying and demand an immediate response by
the international community," US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement on Sunday.
"The United States continues to use all efforts available to hold those who use chemical weapons, in Syria and
otherwise, accountable The Assad regime and its backers must be held accountable and any further attacks
prevented immediately."
Russia has dismissed as "bogus" reports of the chemical gas attack in Eastern Ghouta, while Damascus
maintains that it has not launched any chemical attacks.
Nauert further called on the Kremlin to stop supporting the Syrian government.
"The United States calls on Russia to end this unmitigated support immediately and work with the
international community to prevent further, barbaric chemical weapons attacks," she said.
Earlier in the day, US President Donald Trump said his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin is to blame along
with Iran.
Iran has strongly condemned the use of chemical weapons by any country in any part of the world, saying
claims about a chemical attack by the Syrian government in Eastern Ghouta are "conspiratorial and illogical."
The US, meanwhile, is suggesting that all options are on the table as White House homeland security adviser
Tom Bossert said nothing should be taken "off the table."
The report came not long after Trump called for withdrawal of US troops from war-ravaged Syria.
Trump has reportedly been butting heads with his military advisers who disagree with immediate withdrawal.
A similar debate over Afghanistan finally ended with Trump acquiescing to indefinite presence of US military
forces there.
The British mission to the United Nations has said in a tweet that the issue is being taken to the UN
Security Council.
"UK, France, US, Poland, Netherlands, Sweden, Kuwait, Peru and Cote d'Ivore have called an emergency meeting
of #UNSC to discuss reports of chemical weapons attack in #Syria. Meeting expected on Monday," it said.
h,
30
minutes ago
Let the people around the world to make a judgment ,WHO IS THE ANIMAL ,Trump or Assad ????
Minaret
,
38
minutes ago
I wish Americans and other EU regimes are condemning Israeli killings of Palestininas in
Gaza few days ago as they condemning this Syria and Russia
Rawson
,
2
hours ago
"Tom Bossert said nothing should be taken ' off the table. ' " I suggest take that Fat
Animal's turd off that table or the Evil House will stink like hell.
read it in its entirety at VETERANSTODAY dot,>
2
hours ago
Proof: Intel Drop, Trump, Bolton behind Syria chemical attacks, confirmed
Germany, Britain, America, Israel, VT provides proof of chemical warfare and war crimes.
By Gordon Duff, Senior Editor - April 8, 2018
We were also concerned that the longer "they" got away with doing this the more innocent
people would be murdered by the alleged protectors of freedom and democracy in the world,
but who we know to be currently be among the worst enemies of mankind.
Their house of cards is crumbling, and "they" will be more dangerous in that situation as
we are talking about some very serious crimes here.
Today another chemical weapons stockpile was found in East Ghouta, produced in Germany,
fully weaponized and commercially produced by Merck.
American, British and Israeli military personnel captured in Syria have confirmed they
were ordered to stage chemical attacks in East Ghouta by their governments.
Alkhair,2
hours ago
The videos released by the Terrorist ( Shall I say Mercenaries ) show very clearly that
the people were not affected by any chemicals. The Children seemed normal yet they were
being hosed with water. There were many adults standing as though they were watching a
drama. When the majority of ' terrorists haveleft why this tiny group insists resisting?
My view is that they have been promised by USA that they will this drama will give USA a
reason to display its ugly face. What about killings over two dozen and seriously shooting
in legs to disable nearly 2000 people in Gaza? Is the Animal in Evil House not aware of
it?
Soloh,
2
hours ago
The hooligans have been doing all possible to legitimize there illegitimate presence in
Syria. Well I hope they are aware of the dangers in trying to bully Russia out....
best in the west
,>
2
hours ago
The USA and NATO are pathetic --- continually accusing Russia--china--iran--and syria of causing trouble
when their is no evidence whatsoever -- sanctions against russia -- a trade war with china -- iran of causing chaos in the middle
east.
And now syria again for as the USA are saying -- using chemical weapons -- i for one am totally sick and
tired of the lies that are told by the insane USA and NATO and no doubt all good people around the world will see through their
lies
So if their is to be a war then i am 100% behind Russia China Iran Syria North Korea -- and all other like
minded countries -- though sadly any war will quickly turn into the last war ever -- as all life on planet earth will be
DESTROYED.
Time Bomb
,
3
hours ago
And....Not a Word or calls for an "emergency meeting" of the UNSC of the killing of
Palestinians that is taking place daily by psychopathic snipers using live ammunition,
Not
a word but all of them jump on the band wagon of the worst criminals in recent history
and all are ready to swallow any of their lies. U.S. is just a Criminal and Rogue "state"!!!
Luke,
3
hours ago
False flags to help West save their terror legion, Russia should use all at their disposal
and stop or severely retaliate when Trump now the puppet of neocons orders strikes. After
than no more talks with rebels all should be pushed out of Douma to stop this game West is
playing with lives of Syrians.
Joe
,
3
hours ago
Every time the legitimate Syrian army has the upper hand over the terrorists the west cries
"chemical weapons by assad".Seriously. The world has to wake up.
rainbow musoke,
4
hours ago
But why can't nations like Iran' Palestians Russia' Koreans 'Africa to initiate
formation of a new world body to replace the current "UN"
A new body tasked with solving 22nd century challenges that this UN has shamelessly
failed..eg the issue of Palestine, Golan, Korean penissula, poverty in Africa, sovereignty
of weak states.. the list is big
Smiley,>
4
hours ago
Well the ground was laid; with the other false flag chemical attacks, which were never
properly investigated, then the Scripal Affair, now this. They probably think they have
convinced enough people, through the controlled western media, to have majority support
for an attack on Syria. This was the plan all along, to remove Assad, then onto Iran. One
problem: Russia is blocking the way to final conquest- will they test Russia's resolve?
This could get ugly very quickly, let us hope that reason, and sense prevail.
Iran has strongly condemned the use of chemical weapons by any country in any part of the
world, saying claims about a chemical attack by the Syrian government in Eastern Ghouta are
"conspiratorial and illogical."
"Such claims and accusations by the Americans and some Western countries signal a new
conspiracy against the Syrian government and nation and a pretext for military action against
them," Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said on Sunday.
He added that using such allegations as a pretext for a military intervention in Syria
would "certainly aggravate the situation in this country and in the region."
He added that terrorists would be emboldened by any act of aggression which would not be in
favor of peace, stability and security in the region and across the world.
"When the Syrian army has the upper hand on the battlefield against armed terrorists, it
would not be rational for it to use chemical weapons," he pointed out.
Qassemi's comments came a few hours after militants and activists linked to them, including
the so-called civil defense group White Helmets, claimed that government forces on Saturday had
dropped a barrel bomb containing poisonous chemicals in Douma, Eastern Ghouta's largest town,
killing and wounding dozens of civilians.
Damascus, in a statement released late on Saturday, strongly rejected the allegation and
said that the so-called Jaish al-Islam Takfiri terrorist group, which has dominant presence in
the town, was repeating the allegations of using chemical munitions "in order to accuse the
Syrian Arab army, in a blatant attempt to hinder the Army's advance."
"The chemical fabrications, which did not serve the terrorists and their sponsors in Aleppo
and Eastern Ghouta, will not serve them today either, as the Syrian state is determined to end
terrorism in every square inch of Syrian territory," read the statement.
Qassemi further said the Islamic Republic, in line with its principle policies and religious
teachings and as a victim of chemical weapons itself, denounces the use of chemical weapons in
any part of the world.
He added that the alleged chemical attack in Eastern Ghouta is not in conformity with the
realities on the ground because the Syrian government has had appropriate cooperation with the
United Nations.
Syria surrendered its stockpiles of chemical weapons in 2014 to a joint mission led by the
US and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which oversaw the
destruction of the weaponry. Damascus has consistently denied using chemical weapons over the
past years of conflict in the country.
Western governments and their allies, however, have never stopped pointing the finger at
Damascus whenever an apparent chemical attack takes place.
If you are interested in Higgins and 'Bellingcat', you might want be interested in a
'Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media' which has recently been set up by a group of
British academics.
At the moment, work which has already been done is being prepared for publication on the
site. However, some of it has already appeared on the blog of one of the members, Tim
Hayward.
This includes a detailed discussion of the report of the 'Joint Investigative Mechanism'
on the Khan Sheikhoun attack by Paul McKeigue.
His professorship, at Edinburgh, is in Genetic Epidemiology and Statistical Genetics. This
means that, unlike most of us interested in these matters, with the obvious exception of
Theodore Postol, he has a grasp of a lot of relevant science.
A basic tool of his trade is a technique called 'Bayesian analysis', one of whose many
applications is to separate out genetic factors in disease from others. His use of it in the
piece may make bits of it somewhat hard going for those of us whose scientific education
stopped at school.
But if you are interested in a demonstration of the way that the kind of pure charlatanry
propagated by Higgins and Kaszeta has come to be accepted uncritically by supposed impartial
international bodies, you should read the piece.
Also on Hayward's blog is an article which was submitted to the Guardian's 'Comment is
Free' page, in response to a piece by Olivia Solon smearing those who have had the temerity
to suggest that the 'White Helmets' may be something less than a band of disinterested
charity workers, and an account of the attempts of the 'Working Group' to get a response from
the paper.
Thanks for the link. But what Mattis has said relates to the latest accusations, not early
ones. Key paragraphs:
'A deadly sarin attack on another rebel-held area in April 2017 prompted President Donald
Trump to order a U.S. missile strike on the Shayrat airbase, from which the Syrian operation
is said to have been launched.
'"We are on the record and you all have seen how we reacted to that, so they would be
ill-advised to go back to violating the chemical (weapons) convention," Mattis said.'
So he is not repudiating the conventional wisdom according to which sarin was used at Khan
Sheikhoun, and the possibility of a military response to a fresh 'false flag' is left open.
Unless he is basing his accusation on credible evidence, this to be blunt, comes close to
inciting jihadists to atrocity.
The extent -- and unscrupulousness -- of the mounting propaganda campaign in relation to
the recently claims is well brought out in a piece by Rick Sterling in 'Consortium News' on
Sunday. Whether those involved are still hoping to precipitate a serious American military
intervention, and whether those hopes might be realistic, I cannot say.
This makes the detailed demonstration by Professor McKeigue of the frankly farcical nature
of the 'Joint Investigative Mechanism' report into Khan Sheikhoun, to which I linked, all the
more important. In addition to exposing the total dependence of its analysis on a completely
incredible claim about the aircraft which is supposed to have delivered the chemical weapon,
and discussing much other evidence, he brings out a key point about developments in 'chemical
forensics' over the past years.
As well as the 1995 sarin attacks, the 2001 anthrax letter attacks led to an enormous
investment of money and intellectual energy in the development of analytical techniques
making it possible to identify perpetrators of chemical weapons incidents. A fascinating
article entitled 'Tracing a Threat' by Bethany Halford in 'Chemistry & Engineering News
World' in February 2012 provides a good picture of what the state of play was at that
time.
She quotes an expert called Joseph Chipuk, from a consultancy called 'Signature Science'
in Austin, explaining how the 'spectra' -- different wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation
associated with different 'impurities' in samples, including 'environmental' ones, such as
soil, fragments of weapons, and clothing -- can be matched with reconstructions of possible
'synthetic pathways'.
The levels of sophistication of which this kind of analysis was already capable, he made
clear, are close to breathtaking:
'To figure out signatures based on various synthetic routes and conditions, Chipuk says
that the synthetic chemists on his team will make the same chemical threat agent as many as
2,000 times in an "almost robotic manner," following a database that tells them exactly what
conditions to use. They then hand off the product to the analytical chemists, who look at all
the tiny impurities that turn up along with the toxic chemical -- "the stuff that's down in
the weeds," as Chipuk describes it. From there, the hundreds or, in some cases, thousands of
spectra that are collected go to statisticians and computer scientists who work their magic
to tease out the unique attribution signatures.'
At the end of the article, Halford quotes Chipuk again making clear that improvement is
continuous in a way that is making it quite extraordinarily difficult to fool analysts who
are genuinely looking for the truth -- as not only Dan Kaszeta but, very regrettably, key
figures at the OPCW and some of its 'Designated Laboratories' do not appear to be:
'"The fact is that technology continues to improve, instrumentation continues to improve,
and computers continue to improve. The chances of someone being able to slip by undetected
are getting smaller and smaller," says Signature Science's Chipuk. "If you were to choose to
do something like this, the science is going to catch up to you."'
In relation to the claims now being made, what is initially at issue is simply the
question of whether the 'impurities' identified by the 'spectra' in samples from the
incidents at Khan Sheikhoun, Ghouta, Saraqeb, and Khan Al-Asal match.
What characterised the 'hexamine hypothesis' as put forward by Kaszeta was the -- close to
surreal -- suggestion that a single substance, hexamine, was a 'smoking gun'. To anyone who
had taken the trouble to read easily accessible discussions of the methodology, such as
Halford's piece, it would be apparent that it is simply ludicrous to base a claim on a single
substance -- particularly given that hexamine is also used in explosives.
In the 'Reuters' report on 30 January, we were told:
'Two compounds in the Ghouta sample matched those also found in Khan Sheikhoun, one formed
from sarin and the stabilizer hexamine and another specific fluorophosphate that appears
during sarin production, the tests showed.'
So we have an -- unidentified -- compound which supposedly establishes that the hexamine
did indeed form part of the sarin production process, rather than of the explosive charge.
And we are then told of the presence of another compound, which are told is 'another specific
fluorophosphate': why not tell us which?
To anyone interested in actually making sense of the evidence, to have a mere two
compounds mentioned, and those not adequately identified, suggests an alternative
possibility: that people who knew details of the 'synthetic pathway' by which Syrian
government sarin had been synthesised leaked them to those who were producing the substance
for a 'false flag.' It would have been beyond the capabilities of a relatively primitive
operation to produce any kind of close fit -- to get a couple of compounds to match would
probably not have been difficult at all.
If this suspicious interpretation if false, there is a very simple way to refute it -- and
General Mattis is in a perfect position to do this.
The close links between the American and British 'intelligence communities' have been
stressed in comments on this thread. It is clear that in relation to Syrian chemical weapons,
there was a division of labour.
Analysis of 'environmental' samples was concentrated at the British OPCW-certified
facility, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down in Wiltshire.
Meanwhile, preparations for the dismantling of the Syrian chemical arsenal were the made at
one of the two American OPCW-certified laboratories, the U.S. Army's Edgewood Chemical
Biological Center in Maryland.
The destruction of the 581 tonnes of the sarin precursor methylphosphonyl difluoride, or
DF, aboard the specially kitted out vessel 'M.V. Cape Ray' in the Mediterranean was announced
in August 2014. In the extensive reporting on the preparations for this, it was made
absolutely clear that -- as one would expect -- the vessel was equipped with a proper
analytical laboratory, with OPCW scientists involved as well as those from the Edgewood
Center.
In a post entitled 'Sentence First -- Verdict Afterwards?' shortly after the Khan
Sheikhoun attack, and then in two 'open letters' to the members of our Defence and Foreign
Affairs Committees, I pointed to the mass of evidence suggesting that the test results from
different incidents did not match each other or those from the stocks destroyed on the 'Cape
Ray.'
The publicly available evidence, I argued, provided strong reason to believe that results
from Porton Down and the OPCW confirmed the claim made by the Russians, supposedly on the
basis of tests from their own OPCW-certified laboratory, that the sarin used at Khan Al-Asal
and Ghouta was a 'cottage industry' product. This was also what Seymour Hersh claimed that
tests carried out at Porton Down had revealed about the sarin used at Ghouta - he used the
term 'kitchen sarin.'
What the Reuters report has -- perhaps inadvertently -- confirmed is that Porton Down had
in fact tested 'environmental' samples from the Khan Al-Asal incident on 19 March 2013, the
first where sarin was used in Syria, by suggesting that tests from that incident as well as
those at Ghouta and Khan Sheikhoun matched the results from the stocks on the 'Cape Ray':
'Laboratories working for the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
compared samples taken by a U.N. mission in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta after the Aug. 21,
2013 attack, when hundreds of civilians died of sarin gas poisoning, to chemicals handed over
by Damascus for destruction in 2014.
'The tests found "markers" in samples taken at Ghouta and at the sites of two other nerve
agent attacks, in the towns of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib governorate on April 4, 2017 and Khan
al-Assal, Aleppo, in March 2013, two people involved in the process said.
'"We compared Khan Sheikhoun, Khan al-Assal, Ghouta," said one source who asked not to be
named because of the sensitivity of the findings. "There were signatures in all three of them
that matched."'
Can anyone seriously believe that if the tests we know to have been done on at Porton Down
had established what this 'source' who does not have the guts to the identify himself claims,
this fact would not have been trumpeted to the skies -- first when the results from Ghouta
matched those from Khan Al-Asal, and then when both matched those from the 'Cape Ray'?
Allright -- sometimes the practically incredible turns out to be true. But if he has any
evidence on which to base his claims, General Mattis should have the courage of his
convictions, and order the disclosure of the relevant 'spectra.'
You are wrong about this. That the 'chain of custody' principle has been flagrantly
violated in the reports of the 'Fact-Finding Mission' and the 'Joint Investigative Mechanism'
is patently the case, and in itself reason why the almost unanimous acceptance of these in
the MSM is scandalous. But that is a separate issue.
The reasons why the test results from the various laboratories were critical were set out
last April in my '"Sentence First -- Verdict Afterwards"?' piece, and the two 'open letters'
to the members of the Defence and Foreign Affairs Committees pointing out the need for
clarification as to what was being claimed about the test results.
Let me recap, and update.
An example of the kind of 'chemical forensics' one needs in incidents like this was
provided by the analysis of test results on 'shell and soil' samples purporting to derive
from the Khan Al-Asal incident on 19 March 2013 which formed part of the document from the
Russian OPCW-certified laboratory which was submitted to the UN Secretary-General on 9 July
that year.
On 4 September, as part of the attempt to stop the visible attempt to use Ghouta to create
an unstoppable momentum towards the destruction of the Syrian government, more details of
what looks like an expanded version of the original document were made public by the Russian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In it they claimed that:
'shell and soil samples contained nerve agents -- sarin gas and diisopropylfluorophosphate
-- not synthesized in an industrial environment, which was used by Western states for
producing chemical weapons during World War II.'
It was also made clear that the conclusions rested upon precisely the kind of very complex
analysis Bethany Halford is describing:
'We highlight that the Russian report is extremely specific. It is a scientific and
technical document containing about 100 pages with many tables and diagrams of spectral
analysis of the samples. We expect that it will significantly assist in the investigation
into this incident by the UN. Unfortunately, it has in fact not started yet.'
Unfortunately, the detailed 'spectra' have not been released, but they have certainly been
analysed by experts at the OPCW and that organisation's 'Designated Laboratories' in the
West, including Porton Down. We know that the results from the materials tested on the 'Cape
Ray' will show a sarin precursor 'manufactured in an industrial environment.'
To prove what Mattis and others want to claim it is necessary that the 'spectra' from none
of the other tests match those in the Russian report, and the 'markers' from the 'Cape Ray'
materials are the same as those from Khan Sheikhoun, Ghouta, and Khan Al-Asal. If there are
serious 'chain of custody' problems, the 'markers' from the four sets of tests might not be
sufficient to establish Syrian government culpability -- a lack of a match would be quite
sufficient to establish that the indictment cannot be accepted as it stands.
As I brought out in my post last April, the publicly available evidence -- of which
Hersh's 'Red Line and Rat Line' article and subsequent interviews form an important part --
strongly suggests the Russian claims that the toxin used in both Khan Al-Asal and also Ghouta
was 'cottage industry', as they put it, or 'kitchen sarin', as he put it, are correct.
It is simply not a refutation of these claims to treat one compound supposed to validate
the 'hexamine hypothesis', and an unspecified fluorophosphate, which could be the
diisopropylfluorophosphate reported by the Russians, or hexafluorophosphate, as conclusive
evidence. (The implications, or lack of them, would be quite different, depending on which
compound it was.)
And all this hush-hush whisper-whisper from 'diplomats and scientists' who are not
prepared to be identified, as well as assurances from that supposedly 'independent' expert
Colonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, only add to the grounds for scepticism. As I brought out in
my post, he is under the strongest possible suspicion of having been involved in covering up,
and quite possibly colluding in, the 'false flags.'
If they have evidence to support the case, then let Western governments produce the
'spectra' -- as also should the Russians. We do not need complete reports, which may need to
be kept secret for perfectly good reasons -- simply the 'many tables and diagrams' which must
exist. Once these were out in the open, then it would be much easier to have an informed
argument.
Most of this ground I covered last April. However, there is some crucial new context. Part
of this is provided by a report in 'The Intercept' last October, entitled 'NSA Document Says
Saudi Prince Directly Ordered Coordinated Attack By Syrian Rebels On Damascus.' As it
explains:
'According to a top-secret National Security Agency document provided by whistleblower
Edward Snowden, the March 2013 rocket attacks were directly ordered by a member of the Saudi
royal family, Prince Salman bin Sultan, to help mark the second anniversary of the Syrian
revolution. Salman had provided 120 tons of explosives and other weaponry to opposition
forces, giving them instructions to "light up Damascus" and "flatten" the airport, the
document, produced by U.S. government surveillance on Syrian opposition factions, shows.'
This was on 18 March -- the day before Khan Al-Asal. Further relevant context is provided
by a piece in February 2017 on the 'Monitor on Massacre Marketing' site by Adam Larson,
entitled 'What happened on March 19, 2013?' which is subtitled 'The First Bodies Tossed
Across Obama's "Red Line" in Syria.'
This starts by reviewing the -- ample -- evidence that the Khan Al-Asal attack came at a
point where there was very visible enthusiasm on the part of a lot of people in the United
States and Western Europe for intervention in support of the 'Assad must go' agenda, so that
he had every incentive to avoid chemical weapons use, and the insurgents every incentive to
produce a 'false flag.'
And Larson goes on to note that 'Ironically, the first solid news of the feared chemical
attack came in the form of a Syrian government announcement on March 19 that their forces had
been gassed by "terrorists" in a town just west of Aleppo" -- that is, the Shi'ite town of
Khan Al-Asal.
There follow detailed reviews of the evidence of another incident on the same day, in
which the victims appeared to be insurgents, at the Damascus suburb variously transliterated
as Otaybah and Uteibah, and more fragmentary and puzzling evidence about events at Homs.
And Larson goes on to suggest that a three-pronged 'false flag' was planned for 19 March,
in Aleppo, Damascus and Homs -- the country's three largest cities. This would obviously fit
very well with the NSA intercept, in that it would suggest that the intent was to portray
these as Assad's savage response to the attacks in Damascus, thus, hopefully, generating
unstoppable momentum for American military intervention.
This seems to me eminently plausible, but it leaves open two possible interpretations of
Khan Al-Asal. When insurgents who are difficult to control are given access to weapons like
sarin, there is an obvious possibility of matters developing in unexpected directions, either
as the result of their bungling an attack, or succumbing to the temptation to use it against
government forces.
However, a different set of unintended consequences is also possible. It could be that
Syrian intelligence, perhaps with the assistance of Russian and/or Iranian, and with a
combination of 'SIGINT' and 'HUMINT' methods quite possibly being deployed, knew precisely
what was going on -- and had double agents inside the groups preparing the 'false flags.'
Rather than wait until the inevitable chorus calling for all-out air strikes began, it
could well have made sense to turn one of the incidents into a 'false flag' within a 'false
flag.'
The anti-Assad camp would then have been effectively 'snookered.' They would have faced a
situation where they would know that, if they acceded to the calls from the Syrians and
Russians for a proper UN/OPCW investigation, making a rigorous use of 'chemical forensics',
these would implicate the insurgents. And if the evidence suggested that it was these who had
crossed Obama's 'red line', it would have been game and set, and probably match, to the
Syrian and Russian governments.
Irrespective of people's views on what interpretation is plausible in relation to Khan
Al-Asal, the important point is that strategies which rely strongly on convert action -- as
the 'régime change' projects I outlined in the current post do -- are inherently
liable to run out of control. The uncontrollability of their instruments, and the possibility
of covert action meeting covert action in return, are always liable to generate unintended
consequences which can escalate.
As soon as the possible that an impartial investigation would implicate the insurgents was
real, in relation to Khan Al-Asal, irrespective of whether the imputation would have been
justified, the alternative to facing a complete collapse of their projects in Syria, for
Western governments, was inherently likely to be at best covering up, at worst colluding in,
further 'false flags.' Moreover, intense pressure had to be mounted, to ensure that what were
supposed to be sources of independent expertise supported their cover-ups.
This pattern, I am suggesting is common both to history of the 'StratCom' in which
Christopher Steele has been involved, and that relating to chemical weapons use in Syria.
Particularly when the 'Fourth Estate' ceases to do its job, a likely result is the
progressive systematic corruption of institutions.
You have read one of the articles on what James Mattis said on Friday about sarin? He quite
clearly states that the United States has no evidence that the Syrian government has used
sarin. Given the way, the French, British, German, etc. intelligence services share
information, that suggests that if James Mattis is speaking the truth then no one in NATO,
except perhaps for Turkey given Erdogan's recent behavior, has any evidence either. This
means that both incidents, East Ghouta and Khan Shaykhoun, and any other incidents that are
alleged by the terrorists to have involved sarin are not what they are claimed to be in
western msm and most western politicians. Bellingcat and all the other NGOs who have made
similar claims about sarin are all wrong.
"... I would bet my life that the BBC reporter received her narrative from the UK FCO- bankrolled White Helmets who have produced all propaganda from the terrorist besieged areas/frontlines – such as East Aleppo, Daraa and Idlib. ..."
I don't think enough people appreciate just how influential the great 'liberal' news platforms like the Guardian and the NYT and
Washington Post are, out there in the rest of the western empire the rest take their lead from them, the 'framing' of events and
stories. Foreign journalists, especially those specialising in the coverage of the Anglo-Saxon world, follow the BBC/Guardian
closely, because well, they would never lie, would they unthinkable. This means that if the state were to succeed in 'capturing'
the Guardian this alone would have enormous implications for how liberals and the soft left see the world and what's going on.
It's also important to remember and understand that the British really invented modern propaganda during WW1 with the aim of
bringing world opinion over to the British side and especially influencing the public in the United States, as a vital war aim
was to drag the US into the war when it became obvious that the UK would never defeat Germany without direct American military
support. That basic truth isn't being talked about very much, is it, even though we're supposed to be thinking about WW1, where
most of the coverage looks like 'fake news' to me but that's probably another story.
The British were so good at selling their version of the 'truths' of WW1 that the Nazis attempted to copy them and set up their
own Ministry of Propaganda, only they weren't a successful as the British who had so many advantages compared to the Germans,
chiefly the Germans were forced to twist the truth totally out of recognition as they were, after all, living under an openly
fascist dictatorship.
@MichaelK: "It's also important to remember and understand that the British really invented modern propaganda during WW1"
I can vouch for that as a personal reaction. Recovering from fever in WW2, I idled away the time by perusing some bound newspaper
articles from WW1; you know, the sort of thing you find in doctors waiting rooms and hospital libraries. I was appalled at the
viciousness of the anti-German propaganda, especially against the Kaiser; the WW1 atmosphere seemed far more savage than what
I was reading from WW2 British papers against the Nazis; the latter often had a touch of gentle humour, such as Low's cartoons
in the Daily Express about Hit&Muss on their Axis.
I was a loyal Guardian reader for 35 years and have witnessed it's decline to the extent I now refuse to buy it. The paper is
now owned by the Guardian Media Group which is run by a high-powered Board comprising elite, well-connected people from the "corporate
establishment". I stopped buying the Guardian some years ago because I was sick and tired of being lied to by blatant propaganda
or omission of the truth which didn't fit into their worldview narrative. This coincided with the rise of the alternative media
which was able to search for the truth without having a hidden agenda.
It is up to existing Guardian readers to decide if they only want to believe what they read in the main stream media or if they
want to find a more balanced view of the world by doing some research of their own by consulting a wide range of "trusted" media.
My comments in The Guardian were moderated a long time ago and I have become so disgusted with the paper that I no longer even
grab a free one when shopping in Waitrose.
Thankfully there are many of us who still comment on their facebook page to counter their lies and propaganda particularly on
Syria.
Very good questions – particularly as I have just spent 5 weeks in Syria trying to enter the Eastern Ghouta enclave without success
– because it is a "hot" military zone with no access for the safety of the foreign journalists. I even tried various other avenues
which included entering a Syrian government-established refugee camp near Douma and East Ghouta that had been set up to receive
and treat civilians who had been injured or not given treatment by the terrorist factions occupying Ghouta, Douma & Jobar to the
East of the City of Damascus.
Ghouta, to my knowledge and according to my personal experience as a journalist in Syria, is out of bounds for the time being
because of high risk of sniping or shelling from the terrorist factions controlling those areas.
Having entered what was once, the REAL Syria Civil Defence HQ in Jobar and having peered through the sandbags at the windows
into Jobar and having seen the ghostly snipers moving in the lunar landscape of houses and destroyed buildings, I would respect
the decision by the Syrian Govt & military to protect journalists from being in the vicinity of such extremists.
However, despite not being able to enter the actual zone, I did gather enough testimony from refugees in Damascus, NGOs, Russian
humanitarian operators etc to know that the "starvation" is a non-issue based on the number of convoys that have entered E Ghouta.
The issue is the Western backed terrorists who, as in East Aleppo and Madaya, are taking delivery of the supplies and stockpiling
them, eking them out to civilians who pay the highest price or depriving civilians deliberately in order to maintain the "starvation"
propaganda that facilitates the faux-humanitarian intervention by the NATO-aligned NGOs and organisations.
I would bet my life that the BBC reporter received her narrative from the UK FCO- bankrolled White Helmets who have produced
all propaganda from the terrorist besieged areas/frontlines – such as East Aleppo, Daraa and Idlib.
It's a classic propaganda piece. The takeaway message throughout the article is "Russia did it". Tillerson even says no matter
who did it or what actually happened, Russia bears responsibility. Count how many towns variations of that message appear in the
article. It's prime purpose is to keep the RussiaDidIt project alive and hammer Russia's "guilt" into the public mind.
Bannon backed candidate later lost. So much for this Bannon "success".
This idea of Trump playing 6 dimensional chess is a joke. It's the same explanation that was pushed for Obama disastrous neocon
foreign policy. Here is one very apt quote: "What Trump has done are disasters, and equates to treason. Selling billions of dollars
of weapons the our enemies the terrorists/Saudis, killing innocent people in Syria, and Yemen, sending more troops to
Afghanistan..." What 6-dimetional chess?
According to Occam razor principle the simplest explanation of Trump behaviour is probably the most correct. He does not control
foright policy, outsourcing it to "generals" and be does not pursue domestic policy of creating jobs as he promised his
electorate. In other words, both in foreign policy and domestic policy, he became a turncoat,
betraying his electorate, much like Obama. kind of Republican Obama.
And as time goes by, Trump looks more and more like Hillary II or Republican Obama. So he might have problems with the candidates he supports
in midterm elections. His isolationism, if it ever existed, is gone. Promise of jobs is gone. Detente with Russia is gone.
What's left?
Note the level disappointment of what used to be Trump base in this site comment section...
Notable quotes:
"... In a serious rebuke for President Trump (and perhaps moreso for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell), ousted judge and alt-right favorite Roy Moore has won the Alabama Republican Primary by a landslide ..."
"... The Steve Bannon-backed candidate, who defied court orders to remove the Ten Commandments from his courtroom and refused to recognize gay marriage after the Supreme Court's June 2015 ruling legalizing same-sex marriage, is leading by 9.6 points with 92% of the votes counted... ..."
"... These attacks on Bannon were one of the most prominent news stories in the first week following Trump's election victory. It didn't take long, however, for a counter-attack to emerge - from the right-wing elements of the Jewish community. ..."
"... Bannon is a true fucking patriot trying to pull this once great country from the sinkhole. ..."
"... I think the reality is that this was a message to McConnell much more than Trump. That message is simple: I'm coming to kill your career. Bannon went out of his way to say he fully supports Trump (despite backing the opposite candidate). And, let's face it, if Bannon buries McConnell, he's doing everyone a service, Trump included. ..."
"... The echo chamber media "is so surprised" that in Germany and the US we are seeing a rising tide of pissed off people, well imagine fucking that? Leaving the echo chamber and not intellectually trying to understand the anger, but living the anger. ..."
"... Well, we can only hope that Trump gets the message. He was elected to be President of the USA, not Emperor of the World. Quote from that Monty Python film: "He's not the Messiah; he's a very naughty boy!" ..."
"... A cursory background reading on Roy Moore tells me that he is one of the worst types for public office. And he might just turn out to be like Trump -- act like an anti-swarm cowboy and promise a path to heaven, then show his real colors as an Establishment puppet once the braindead voters put him in office. ..."
"... When Trump won the Republican nomination, and then the Presidency it was because people were rebelling against the establishment rulers. There is considerable disgust with these big government rulers that are working for themselves and their corporate cronies, but not for the US population. ..."
"... Trump seems to have been compromised at this point, and his support of the establishment favourite, Luther Strange is evidence that he isn't really the outsider he claimed to be. Moore's victory in Alabama says the rebellion still has wheels, so there is some hope. ..."
"... In Missouri where I live, the anti-establishment Republican contender for the upcoming US Senatorial 2018 race is Austin Peterson. It will be interesting to see how he, and his counterparts in other states do in the primaries. Both of the current Missouri Senators are worthless. ..."
"... I remember well the last "3-Dimensional Chess master" Obama while he too was always out maneuvering his apponents, per the media reports... ..."
"... Every now and then Trump tends to make huge blunders, and sometimes betrayals without knowing what he is doing. "Champions"- (great leaders) do not do that. ..."
"... What Trump has done are disasters, and equates to treason. Selling billions of dollars of weapons the our enemies the terrorists/Saudis, killing innocent people in Syria, and Yemen, sending more troops to Afghanistan... ..."
"... It is epitome of self-delusion to see people twisting themselves into pretzels, trying to justify/rationalize Trump's continuing display of disloyalty to America ..."
"... YOU CAN'T BE A ZIONIST AND AN AMERICAN FIRSTER, IT IS ONE OR THE OTHER. ..."
Congratulations to Roy Moore on his Republican Primary win in Alabama. Luther Strange started way back & ran a good race. Roy,
WIN in Dec!
In a serious rebuke for President Trump (and perhaps moreso for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell), ousted judge and
alt-right favorite Roy Moore has won the Alabama Republican Primary by a landslide
The Steve Bannon-backed candidate, who defied court orders to remove the Ten Commandments from his courtroom and refused to
recognize gay marriage after the Supreme Court's June 2015 ruling legalizing same-sex marriage, is leading by 9.6 points with 92%
of the votes counted...
... ... ...
However, as Politco
reported this evening, President Donald Trump began distancing himself from a Luther Strange loss before ballots were even cast,
telling conservative activists Monday night the candidate he's backing in Alabama's GOP Senate primary was likely to lose ! and suggesting
he'd done everything he could do given the circumstances.
Trump told conservative activists who visited the White House for dinner on Monday night that he'd underestimated the political
power of Roy Moore, the firebrand populist and former judge who's supported by Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon, according
to three people who were there.
And Trump gave a less-than full-throated endorsement during Friday's rally.
While he called Strange "a real fighter and a real good guy," he also mused on stage about whether he made a "mistake" by backing
Strange and committed to campaign "like hell" for Moore if he won.
Trump was encouraged to pick Strange before the August primary by son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner as well as other aides,
White House officials said. He was never going to endorse Alabama Republican Rep. Mo Brooks, who has at times opposed Trump's agenda,
and knew little about Moore, officials said.
... ... ...
Déjà view -> Sanity Bear •Sep 26, 2017 11:19 PM
AIPAC HAS ALL BASES COVERED...MIGA !
On Sept. 11, the Alabama Daughters for Zion organization circulated a statement on Israel by Moore, which started by saying
the U.S. and Israel "share not only a common Biblical heritage but also institutions of representative government and respect
for religious freedom." He traced Israel's origin to God's promise to Abram and the 1948 creation of modern Israel as "a fulfillment
of the Scriptures that foretold the regathering of the Jewish people to Israel."
Moore's statement includes five policy positions, including support for U.S. military assistance to Israel, protecting Israel
from "Iranian aggression," opposing boycotts of Israel, supporting Israel at the United Nations, and supporting direct Israeli-Palestinian
negotiations without outside pressure. He added, "as long as Hamas and the Palestinian Authority wrongly refuse to recognize Israel's
right to exist, such negotiations have scant chance of success."
While those views would give Moore common ground with much of the Jewish community regarding Israel, most of the state's Jewish
community has been at odds with Moore over church-state issues, such as his displays of the Ten Commandments in courthouses, and
his outspoken stance against homosexuality, both of which led to him being ousted as chief justice.
moore misreads the Bible as most socalled christians do. they have been deceived, they have confused the Israel of God( those
who have been given belief in Christ) with israel of the flesh. They cant hear Christs own words, woe is unto them. they are living
in their own selfrighteousness, not good. they are going to have a big surprise for not following the Word of God instead following
the tradition of men.
They were warned over and over in the Bible but they cant hear.
I Claudius -> VinceFostersGhost •Sep 27, 2017 6:27 AM
Forgive? Maybe. Forget? NEVER!! He tried to sell "US" out on this one. We now need to focus on bringing "Moore" candidates
to the podium to run against the RINO's and take out McConnell and Ryan. It's time for Jared and Ivanka to go back to NYC so Jared
can shore up his family's failing empire. However, if his business acumen is as accurate as his political then it's no wonder
the family needed taxpayer funded visas to sell the property. Then on to ridding the White House of Gen Kelly and McMaster - two
holdover generals from the Obama administration - after Obama forced out the real ones.
Clashfan -> Mycroft Holmes IV •Sep 26, 2017 11:33 PM
Rump has hoodwinked his supoprt base and turned on them almost immediately. Some refuse to acknowledge this.
These attacks on Bannon were one of the most prominent news stories in the first week following Trump's election victory.
It didn't take long, however, for a counter-attack to emerge - from the right-wing elements of the Jewish community. The
Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) came to Bannon's defense and accused the ADL of a "character assassination" against Bannon.
The Wizard -> Oh regional Indian •Sep 26, 2017 10:12 PM
Trump should figure out the Deep State elites he has surrounded himself with, don't have control of the states Trump won. Trump
thought he had to negotiate with these guys and his ego got the best of him. Bannon was trying to convince him he should have
stayed the course and not give in.
~"American politics gets moore strange by the day..."~
Technically speaking OhRI, with Moore's win politics became less Strange, or "Strange less", or "Sans Luther", depending on
how one chose to phrase it [SMIRK]
Adullam -> Gaius Frakkin' Baltar •Sep 26, 2017 11:05 PM
Trump needs to fire Jared! Some news outlets are saying that it was his son in law who advised him to back Strange. He has
to quit listening to those who want to destroy him or ... they will.
overbet -> Killtruck •Sep 26, 2017 9:41 PM
Bannon is a true fucking patriot trying to pull this once great country from the sinkhole.
Juggernaut x2 -> overbet •Sep 26, 2017 10:07 PM
Trump better pull his head out of his ass and quit being a wishy-washy populist on BS like Iran- the farther right he goes
the greater his odds of reelection because he has pissed off a lot of the far-righters that put him in- getting rid of Kushner,
Cohn and his daughter and negotiating w/Assad and distancing us from Israhell would be a huge help.
The whole Russiagate ploy was a diversion from (((them)))
NoDebt -> Killtruck •Sep 26, 2017 9:42 PM
I think the reality is that this was a message to McConnell much more than Trump. That message is simple: I'm coming to
kill your career. Bannon went out of his way to say he fully supports Trump (despite backing the opposite candidate). And, let's
face it, if Bannon buries McConnell, he's doing everyone a service, Trump included.
Oldwood -> NoDebt •Sep 26, 2017 10:08 PM
I think it was a setup.
Bannon would not oppose Trump that directly unless there was a wink and a nod involved.
Trump is still walking a tightrope, trying to appease his base AND keep as many establishment republicans at his side (even
for only optics). By Trump supporting Strange while knowing he was an underdog AND completely apposed by Bannon/his base he was
able to LOOK like he was supporting the establishment, while NOT really. Trump seldom backs losers which makes me think it was
deliberate. Strange never made sense anyway.
But what do I know?
Urahara -> NoDebt •Sep 27, 2017 12:20 AM
Bannon is hardcore Isreal first. Why are you supporting the zionist? It's an obvious play.
general ambivalent -> Urahara •Sep 27, 2017 2:23 AM
People are desperate to rationalise their failure into a victory. They cannot give up on Hope so they have to use hyperbole
in everything and pretend this is all leading to something great in 2020 or 2024.
None of these fools learned a damn thing and they are desperate to make the same mistake again. The swamp is full, so full
that it has breached the banks and taken over all of society. Trump is a swamp monster, and you simply cannot reform the swamp
when both sides are monsters. In other words, the inside is not an option, so it has to be done the hard way. But people would
prefer to keep voting in the swamp.
Al Gophilia -> NoDebt •Sep 27, 2017 3:58 AM
Bannon as president would really have those swamp creatures squirming. There wouldn't be this Trump crap about surrounding
himself with likeminded friends, such as Goldman Sachs turnstile workers and his good pals in the MIC.
Don't tell me he didn't choose them because if he didn't, then they were placed. That means he doesn't have the clout he pretends
to have or control of the agenda that the people asked him to deliver. His backing of Stange is telling.
Bobbyrib -> LindseyNarratesWordress •Sep 27, 2017 5:38 AM
He will not fire Kushner or Ivanka who have become part of the swamp. I'm so sick of these 'Trump is a genius and planned this
all along.'
To me Trump is a Mr. Bean type character that has been very fortunate and just goes with the flow. He has nearly no diplomacy,
or strategic skills.
NoWayJose •Sep 26, 2017 10:35 PM
Dear President Trump - if you like your job, listen to these voters. Borders, Walls, limited immigrants (including all those
that Ryan and McConnell are sneaking through under your very nose), trade agreements to keep American jobs, and respect for our
flag, our country, and the unborn!
I had hope for Trump, but as someone who reads ZH often, and does not suffer from amnesia (like much of America), I knew he
was way too good to be true.
We all know his back tracking, his flip flops...and while the media and many paid bloggers like to spin it as "not his fault",
it actually is.
His sending DACA to Congress was the last straw. Obama enacted DACA with a stroke of his pen, but Trump "needed to send it
to Congress so they could "get it right". The only thing Congress does with immigration is try and get amnesty passed.
Of course while Trump sends DACA to Congress, he does not mind using the military without Congress, which he actually should
do.
Why is it when it's something American's want, it has to go through the "correct channels", but when its something the Zionists
want, he does it with the wave of his pen? We saw the same bull shit games with Obama...
Dilluminati •Sep 26, 2017 11:02 PM
Anybody surprised by this is pretending the civility at the workplace isn't masking anger at corporate America and Government.
I'll go in and put in the 8 hours, I'm an adult that is part of the job. However I'm actually fed up with allot of the stupid
shit and want the establishment to work, problem is that we are witnessing failed nations, failed schools, failed healthcare,
even failed employment contracts, conditions, and wages.
The echo chamber media "is so surprised" that in Germany and the US we are seeing a rising tide of pissed off people, well
imagine fucking that? Leaving the echo chamber and not intellectually trying to understand the anger, but living the anger.
You haven't seen anything yet in Catalonia/Spain etc, Brexit, or so..
This is what failure looks like: That moment the Romanovs and Louis XVI looked around the room seeking an understanding eye,
there was none.
Pascal1967 •Sep 26, 2017 11:19 PM
Dear Trump:
Quit listening to your moron son-in-law, swamp creature, Goldman Sachs douchebag son-in-law Kushner. HE SUCKS!! If you truly
had BALLS, you would FIRE his fucking ass. HE is The Swamp, He Is Nepotism! THE AMERICAN PEOPLE HATE HIM.
MAGA! LISTEN TO BANNON, DONALD.
DO NOT FUCK THIS UP!
ROY MOORE, 100%!!!!
You lost, Trump ... get your shit together before it is too late!
ElTerco •Sep 26, 2017 11:28 PM
Bannon was always the smarts behind the whole operation. Now we are just left with a complete idiot in office.
Also, unlike Trump, Bannon actually gives a shit about what happens to the American people rather than the American tax system.
At the end of the day, all Trump really cares about is himself.
samsara •Sep 26, 2017 11:25 PM
I think most people get it backwards about Trump and the Deplorables.
I believed in pulling troops a from all the war zones and Trump said he felt the same
I believed in Legal immigration, sending people back if here illegal especially if involved in crime, Trump said he felt the
same.
I believed in America first in negotiating treaties, Trump said he felt the same.
I didn't 'vote' for Trump per se, he was the proxy.
We didn't leave Him, He left us.
BarnacleBill •Sep 26, 2017 11:31 PM
Well, we can only hope that Trump gets the message. He was elected to be President of the USA, not Emperor of the World.
Quote from that Monty Python film: "He's not the Messiah; he's a very naughty boy!" It's high time he turned back to the
job he promised to do, and drain that swamp.
napper •Sep 26, 2017 11:47 PM
A cursory background reading on Roy Moore tells me that he is one of the worst types for public office. And he might just
turn out to be like Trump -- act like an anti-swarm cowboy and promise a path to heaven, then show his real colors as an Establishment
puppet once the braindead voters put him in office.
America is doomed from top (the swarm) to bottom (the brainless voters).
Sid Davis •Sep 27, 2017 1:40 AM
When Trump won the Republican nomination, and then the Presidency it was because people were rebelling against the establishment
rulers. There is considerable disgust with these big government rulers that are working for themselves and their corporate cronies,
but not for the US population.
Trump seems to have been compromised at this point, and his support of the establishment favourite, Luther Strange is evidence
that he isn't really the outsider he claimed to be. Moore's victory in Alabama says the rebellion still has wheels, so there is some hope.
In Missouri where I live, the anti-establishment Republican contender for the upcoming US Senatorial 2018 race is Austin Peterson.
It will be interesting to see how he, and his counterparts in other states do in the primaries. Both of the current Missouri Senators
are worthless.
nevertheless -> pfwed •Sep 27, 2017 7:33 AM
I remember well the last "3-Dimensional Chess master" Obama while he too was always out maneuvering his apponents, per the
media reports...
LoveTruth •Sep 27, 2017 2:56 AM
Every now and then Trump tends to make huge blunders, and sometimes betrayals without knowing what he is doing. "Champions"-
(great leaders) do not do that.
nevertheless -> LoveTruth •Sep 27, 2017 7:16 AM
What Trump has done are disasters, and equates to treason. Selling billions of dollars of weapons the our enemies the terrorists/Saudis,
killing innocent people in Syria, and Yemen, sending more troops to Afghanistan...
But most treasonous of all was his sending DACA to "get it right", really? Congress has only one goal with immigration, amnesty,
and Chump knows dam well they will send him legislation that will clearly or covertly grant amnesty for millions and millions
of illegals, dressed up as "security".
Obama enacted DACA with the stroke of a pen, and while TRUMP promised to end it, he did NOT. Why is it when it's something
Americans want, it has to be "Constitutional", but when it comes form his banker pals, like starting a war, he can do that unilaterally.
It is epitome of self-delusion to see people twisting themselves into pretzels, trying to justify/rationalize Trump's continuing
display of disloyalty to America, and loyalty to Zionism.
Trump should always have been seen as a likely Zionist shill. He comes form Jew York City, owes everything he is to Zionist
Jewish bankers, is a self proclaimed Zionist...
YOU CAN'T BE A ZIONIST AND AN AMERICAN FIRSTER, IT IS ONE OR THE OTHER.
Either Zero Hedge is over run with Zionist hasbara, giving cover to their boy Chump, or Americans on the "right" have become
as gullible as those who supported Obama on the "left".
"... GRAHAM: The first thing I want to tell you he beat me like a drum. He ran against 17 Republicans and crushed us all. He ran against a Clinton machine and won. So all I can say is you can say anything you want to say about the guy. I said he was xenophobic race-baiting religious bigot. I ran out of things to say. He won. Guess what he's our president. ..."
"... GRAHAM: In my view he is my president and doing a good job on multiple fronts. Again I'll tell you why. I went into this thing not voting. I didn't vote for the guy. ..."
Monday on ABC's "The View," when asked about President Donald Trump's
tweet saying he was a "stable genius,"
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said that if Trump didn't call himself a genius, "nobody else will."
.to President of the United States (on my first try). I think that would qualify as not smart, but genius .and a very stable
genius at that!
BEHAR: Saturday Trump called himself quote "like really smart" and a stable genius. Do you think he's like really smart and
a stable genius?
GRAHAM: I think this, if he doesn't call himself a genius, nobody else will.
NAVARRO: That was funny.
GRAHAM: The first thing I want to tell you he beat me like a drum. He ran against 17 Republicans and crushed us all. He
ran against a Clinton machine and won. So all I can say is you can say anything you want to say about the guy. I said he was xenophobic
race-baiting religious bigot. I ran out of things to say. He won. Guess what he's our president.
BEHAR: You're calling him a xenophobic religious bigot?
GRAHAM: I did during the campaign.
BEHAR: Yeah you did.
NAVARRO: Is he still all those things?
GRAHAM: In my view he is my president and doing a good job on multiple fronts. Again I'll tell you why. I went into this
thing not voting. I didn't vote for the guy.
Trump is now 100% pure neocon. What a metamorphose is less a year from inauguration...
Notable quotes:
"... It says, with extreme hyperbole, that "China and Russia challenge American power, influence, and interests, attempting to erode American security and prosperity. They are determined to make economies less free and less fair, to grow their militaries, and to control information and data to repress their societies and expand their influence. At the same time, the dictatorships of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Islamic Republic of Iran are determined to destabilize regions, threaten Americans and our allies, and brutalize their own people." ..."
"... A somewhat more detailed account of what Moscow is up to is also contained in the written report, stating that "Russia is using subversive measures to weaken the credibility of America's commitment to Europe, undermine transatlantic unity, and weaken European institutions and governments. With its invasions of Georgia and Ukraine, Russia demonstrated its willingness to violate the sovereignty of states in the region. Russia continues to intimidate its neighbors with threatening behavior, such as nuclear posturing and the forward deployment of offensive capabilities." ..."
"... Nearly every detail in the indictment of Russia can be challenged. Most notably, if anyone is forward deploying offensive capabilities in Eastern Europe or invading other countries it is the United States, a trend that continues under Donald Trump. Just this past week, Trump approved the sale of offensive weapons to Ukraine, which has already drawn a warning from Moscow and will make any dialogue with Russia unlikely. ..."
"... And, of course, there is the usual softball for Israel claiming that "For generations the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians has been understood as the prime irritant preventing peace and prosperity in the region. Today, the threats from jihadist terrorist organizations and the threat from Iran are creating the realization that Israel is not the cause of the region's problems." It is a conclusion that must make the unspeakable Benjamin Netanyahu smile. One might observe that as Israel has attacked all of its neighbors since it was founded, holding its governments blameless is a formulation that others in the region might well dispute. ..."
"... So the Donald Trump National Security Strategy will be more of the same, a combination of the worst ideas to emerge from his two predecessors with little in the way of mitigation. Trump might balk at going toe-to-toe with North Korea because they have the actual capability to strike back and might think they have nothing to lose if they are about to be incinerated, something no bully likes to see, but Iran is certainly in the cross hairs and you best believe they have taken notice and will be preparing. Vladimir Putin too can sit back and wonder how Trump could possibly have gotten everything so ass-backwards when he had so much latitude to get at least some things right. The National Security Strategy will deliver little in the way of security but it will provide an answer to why most of the world has come to hate the United States. ..."
If one takes Trump at his word, the U.S. will use force worldwide to make sure that only
Washington can dominate regionally, a frightening thought as it goes beyond even the wildest
pretensions of George W. Bush and Barack Obama. And equally ridiculous are the potential
consequences of such bullying – the White House clearly believes that it will make other
nations respect us and follow our leadership whereas quite the reverse is likely to be
true.
On the very limited bright side, Trump did have good things to say about the benefits
derived from intelligence sharing with Russia and he also spoke about both Moscow and Beijing
as "rivals" and "adversaries" instead of enemies. That was very refreshing to hear but
unfortunately the printed document did not say the same thing.
The NSS report provided considerably more detail than did the speech but it also was full of
generalizations and all too often relied on Washington group think to frame its options. The
beginning is somewhat terrifying for one of my inclinations on foreign policy:
"An America that is safe, prosperous, and free at home is an America with the strength,
confidence, and will to lead abroad. It is an America that can preserve peace, uphold liberty,
and create enduring advantages for the American people. Putting America first is the duty of
our government and the foundation for U.S. leadership in the world. A strong America is in the
vital interests of not only the American people, but also those around the world who want to
partner with the United States in pursuit of shared interests, values, and aspirations."
One has to ask what this "lead" and "leadership" and "partner" nonsense actually represents,
particularly in light of the fact that damn near the entire world just repudiated Trump's
decision to move the American Embassy in Israel as well as the nearly global rejection of his
response to climate change? And Washington's alleged need to lead has brought nothing but grief
to the American people starting in Korea and continuing with Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq and
numerous lesser stops along the way in places like Somalia, Panama and Syria. The false
narrative of the threat coming from "foreigners" has actually done nothing to make Americans
safer while also diminishing constitutional liberties and doing serious damage to the
economy.
The printed report is much more brutal than was Trump about the dangers facing America and
it is also much more carefree in the "facts" that it chooses to present. It says, with extreme
hyperbole, that "China and Russia challenge American power, influence, and interests,
attempting to erode American security and prosperity. They are determined to make economies
less free and less fair, to grow their militaries, and to control information and data to
repress their societies and expand their influence. At the same time, the dictatorships of the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Islamic Republic of Iran are determined to
destabilize regions, threaten Americans and our allies, and brutalize their own people."
A somewhat more detailed account of what Moscow is up to is also contained in the written
report, stating that "Russia is using subversive measures to weaken the credibility of
America's commitment to Europe, undermine transatlantic unity, and weaken European institutions
and governments. With its invasions of Georgia and Ukraine, Russia demonstrated its willingness
to violate the sovereignty of states in the region. Russia continues to intimidate its
neighbors with threatening behavior, such as nuclear posturing and the forward deployment of
offensive capabilities."
Nearly every detail in the indictment of Russia can be challenged. Most notably, if anyone
is forward deploying offensive capabilities in Eastern Europe or invading other countries it is
the United States, a trend that continues under Donald Trump. Just this past week, Trump
approved the sale of offensive weapons to Ukraine, which has already drawn a warning from
Moscow and will make any dialogue with Russia unlikely.
And, of course, there is the usual softball for Israel claiming that "For generations the
conflict between Israel and the Palestinians has been understood as the prime irritant
preventing peace and prosperity in the region. Today, the threats from jihadist terrorist
organizations and the threat from Iran are creating the realization that Israel is not the
cause of the region's problems." It is a conclusion that must make the unspeakable Benjamin
Netanyahu smile. One might observe that as Israel has attacked all of its neighbors since it
was founded, holding its governments blameless is a formulation that others in the region might
well dispute.
So the Donald Trump National Security Strategy will be more of the same, a combination of
the worst ideas to emerge from his two predecessors with little in the way of mitigation. Trump
might balk at going toe-to-toe with North Korea because they have the actual capability to
strike back and might think they have nothing to lose if they are about to be incinerated,
something no bully likes to see, but Iran is certainly in the cross hairs and you best believe
they have taken notice and will be preparing. Vladimir Putin too can sit back and wonder how
Trump could possibly have gotten everything so ass-backwards when he had so much latitude to
get at least some things right. The National Security Strategy will deliver little in the way
of security but it will provide an answer to why most of the world has come to hate the United
States.
"... In this case, what Flynn and Kushner were doing was going directly against US foreign policy, because Obama wanted the resolution to pass; He just didn't want to vote for it because that would cross the Israel lobby in the United States. The US finally ended up abstaining on the resolution and it passed 14-0. ..."
"... But before that happened, Flynn went to the Russians and to Egypt, both members of the Security Council, and tried to get the resolution delayed. But all of Israel's machinations to derail this resolution failed and that is what Mueller was investigating, the intervention and disruption of American foreign policy by private citizens who had no official role. ..."
"... While I think Bibi is an idiot, I also think the Logan Act is overinvoked, overstated, probably of dubious legal value and also of dubious constitutional value. ..."
"... In short, especially because Trump had been elected, though not yet inaugurated, I think he is not at all guilty of a Logan Act violation. This is nothing close to Spiro Agnew calling Anna Chenault from the airplane in August 1968. ..."
"... Probably true, although evidence of extreme collusion with Israel eliminates any case against Russia, with whom we have far more reasons for amity. Bringing out the Israel collusion greatly improves public understanding of political corruption. Perhaps it will awaken some to the Agnew-Chennault betrayal of the people of the US. ..."
"... It's ironic that Russia-gate is turning out to be Israel's effort to distract attention from its complete control over the Democratic party in 2016. From Israeli billionaires behind the scenes to Debbie Wasserman-Schultz at the helm. ..."
"... "Whether we like it or not, the former and current administration view Russia is as an enemy state." So that is how it works, the White House says it is an enemy state and therefore it is. The so called declaration is the hammer used for trying to make contact with Russia a criminal offense. We are not at war with Russia although we see our leaders doing their best to provoke Russia into one. ..."
"... The Israel connection disclosed by the malpracticer hack Mueller in the recent Flynn-flam just made Trump bullet-proof (so to speak). ..."
"... So Mueller caught Kushner and Flynn red-handed, sabotaging the Obama administration? What of it? He can't use that evidence, because it would inculpate the Zionist neocons that are orchestrating his farcical, Stalinist witchhunt. And Mueller, being an efficient terminator bot, knows that his target is Russia, not Israel. ..."
"... So Mueller will just have to continue swamp-fishing for potential perjurers ahem witnesses, for the upcoming show trials (to further inflame public opinion against Russia and Russia sympathizers). And continue he will, because (as we all know from Schwarzenegger's flicks), the only way to stop the terminator is to terminate him/it first. ..."
"... Trump and Kushner have nothing to worry about, even if a smoking gun is found that proves their collusion with Israel. That's because the entire political and media establishment will simply ignore the Israeli connection. ..."
"... Journalists and politicians will even continue to present Mike Flynn's contacts as evidence of collusion with Russia. They'll keep on repeating that "Flynn lied about his phone call to the Russian ambassador". But there will be no mention of the fact that the purpose of this contact was to support Israel and not any alleged Russian interference. ..."
"... I think you have it right Brendan. The MSM, Intelligence Community, and Mueller would never go down any path that popularized undue Israeli influence on US foreign policy. "Nothing to see here folks, move along." ..."
"... The Nice Zionists responsible for the thefts and murders for the past 69 years along with the "Jewish Community" in the rest of the world will resolve the matter so as to be fair to both parties. This is mind-boggling fantasy. ..."
"... FFS, Netanyahu aired a political commercial in Florida for Romney saying vote for this guy (against Obama)! I mean, it doesn't get any more overtly manipulative than that. Period. End of story. ..."
"... God, I hate to go all "Israel controls the media" but there it is. Not even a discussion. Just a fact. ..."
"... I also have to point out that he "fist pumped" Hillary Clinton at Mohammed Ali's eulogy. If he's as astute as he purports to be, he has to know that Hillary would have invaded Syria and killed a few hundred thousand more Syrians for the simple act of defiantly preserving their country. By almost any read of Ali's history, he would have been adamantly ("killing brown people") against that. But there was Silverstein using the platform to promote, arguably, perpetual war. ..."
"... Yeah I found a couple of Silverstein's statements to be closer to neocon propaganda than reality: "Because this is Israel and because we have a conflicted relationship with the Israel lobby . . ." "Instead of going directly to the Obama administration, with which they had terrible relations, they went to Trump instead." My impression was that the whole "terrible relationship between Obama and Netanyahu" was manufactured by the Israel lobby to bully Obama. However these are small blips within an otherwise solid critique of the Israel lobby's influence. ..."
The Israel-gate Side of Russia-gate December 23, 2017
While unproven claims of Russian meddling in U.S. politics have whipped Official Washington
into a frenzy, much less attention has been paid to real evidence of Israeli interference in
U.S. politics, as Dennis J Bernstein describes.
By Dennis J Bernstein
In investigating Russia's alleged meddling in U.S. politics, special prosecutor Robert
Mueller uncovered evidence that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pressured the Trump
transition team to undermine President Obama's plans to permit the United Nations to censure
Israel over its illegal settlement building on the Palestinian West Bank, a discovery
referenced in the plea deal with President Trump's first National Security Adviser Michael
Flynn.
President Donald J. Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel at the United
Nations General Assembly (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)
At Netanyahu's behest, Flynn and President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner reportedly took
the lead in the lobbying to derail the U.N. resolution, which Flynn discussed in a phone call
with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak (in which the Russian diplomat rebuffed Flynn's appeal
to block the resolution).
I spoke on Dec, 18 with independent journalist and blogger Richard Silverstein, who writes
on national security and other issues for a number of blogs at Tikun Olam .
Dennis Bernstein: A part of Michael Flynn's plea had to do with some actions he took before
coming to power regarding Israel and the United Nations. Please explain.
Richard Silverstein:
The Obama administration was negotiating in the [UN] Security Council
just before he left office about a resolution that would condemn Israeli settlements.
Obviously, the Israeli government did not want this resolution to be passed. Instead of going
directly to the Obama administration, with which they had terrible relations, they went to
Trump instead. They approached Michael Flynn and Jared Kushner became involved in this. While
they were in the transition and before having any official capacity, they negotiated with
various members of the Security Council to try to quash the settlement resolution.
One of the issues here which is little known is the Logan Act, which was passed at the
foundation of our republic and was designed to prevent private citizens from usurping the
foreign policy prerogatives of the executive. It criminalized any private citizen who attempted
to negotiate with an enemy country over any foreign policy issue.
In this case, what Flynn and Kushner were doing was going directly against US foreign
policy, because Obama wanted the resolution to pass; He just didn't want to vote for it because
that would cross the Israel lobby in the United States. The US finally ended up abstaining on
the resolution and it passed 14-0.
But before that happened, Flynn went to the Russians and to Egypt, both members of the
Security Council, and tried to get the resolution delayed. But all of Israel's machinations to
derail this resolution failed and that is what Mueller was investigating, the intervention and
disruption of American foreign policy by private citizens who had no official role.
This speaks to the power of the Israel lobby and of Israel itself to disrupt our foreign
policy. Very few people have ever been charged with committing an illegal act by advocating on
behalf of Israel. That is one of the reasons why this is such an important development. Until
now, the lobby has really ruled supreme on the issue of Israel and Palestine in US foreign
policy. Now it is possible that a private citizen will actually be made to pay a price for
that.
This is an important development because the lobby till now has run roughshod over our
foreign policy in this area and this may act as a restraining order against blatant disruption
of US foreign policy by people like this.
Bernstein: So this information is a part of Michael Flynn's plea. Anyone studying this would
learn something about Michael Flynn and it would be part of the prosecution's
investigation.
Silverstein:
That's absolutely right. One thing to note here is that it is reporters who
have raised the issue of the Logan Act, not Mueller or Flynn's people or anyone in the Trump
administration. But I do think that Logan is a very important part of this plea deal, even if
it is not mentioned explicitly.
Bernstein: If the special prosecutor had smoking-gun information that the Trump
administration colluded with Russia, in the way they colluded with Israel before coming to
power, this would be a huge revelation. But it is definitely collusion when it comes to
Israel.
Silverstein: Absolutely. If this were Russia, it would be on the front page of every major
newspaper in the United States and the leading story on the TV news. Because this is Israel and
because we have a conflicted relationship with the Israel lobby and they have so much influence
on US policy concerning Israel, it has managed to stay on the back burner. Only two or three
media outlets besides mine have raised this issue of Logan and collusion. Kushner and Flynn may
be the first American citizens charged under the Logan Act for interfering on behalf of Israel
in our foreign policy. This is a huge issue and it has hardly been raised at all.
Bernstein: As you know, Rachel Maddow of MSNBC has made a career out of investigating the
Russia-gate charges. She says that she has read all this material carefully, so she must have
read about Flynn and Israel, but I haven't heard her on this issue at all.
Silverstein:
Even progressive journalists, who you'd think would be going after this with a
vengeance, are