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ronaldwilsonreagan , Jan 2, 2017 12:09 PMJan 01, 2017 | www.zerohedge.com
The propaganda about Iraq having weapons of mass destruction was one of the most blatant examples of "fake news" in American history.
Now, many of the same idiots who pushed the Iraq war lies are stirring up hysteria about Russia.
For example, the Washington Post's editorial page editor Fred Hiatt cheerleaded for the Iraq war. Now, the Washington Post under Hiatt's leadership has been the main source of the most breathless anti-Russian hysteria .
ABC News political analyst Matthew Dowd – chief strategist for the Bush-Cheney '04 presidential campaign – was a big booster for the Iraq war. Now, Dowd Tweets that you're only a patriot if you blindly accept what President Obama and the intelligence services claim without any proof.
George W. Bush's speechwriter David Frum – who pushed many of the biggest lies about the Iraq war – is now trying to ridicule anyone who doesn't accept the evidence-less claims that Russia hacked the Democratic party as a Kremlin stooge.
Similarly, Jonathan Chait championed the Iraq war. And now he's ridiculing those asking for evidence before jumping headlong into anti-Russia hysteria.
These guys all have a track record of pushing false stories which get us into disastrous wars why should we listen to them now?
CRM114 •Jan 2, 2017 12:27 PM
I was at the sharp end of the Cold War, defending against a REAL Soviet threat. I am well acquainted with psyops and insidious means of destabilizing a state.
The idea that Russia is behind this is just total BS.
Any attack on this supposed scale produces evidence, and whilst much of it cannot be directly revealed (to protect sources), there would be quite sufficient to be presented, if it existed. It doesn't.
And whilst we are at it, the arguments for the Invasion of Iraq were BS also, and that was clear to many in the military despite being cheerled by the MSM.
There is much at stake for the Neo-cons, they will not give up easy. I would consider them armed and dangerous.scraping_by ronaldwilsonreagan , Jan 2, 2017 12:58 PM
There's no cost involved. They are advisors and propagandists nputting ideas into the heads of people with real authority. If they had to repay the price others paid for their slogans, or even more, had to put on BDUs and go put them into action, we'd hear a lot less of them.Xena fobe , Jan 2, 2017 11:37 AM
Almost all comments on MSM are anti Russia. These comments are at a higher level of writing and intellect than the typical SJW post. Someone is financing this social media campaign. People aren't stupid but we do have a herd mentality. If everyone around me believes X, they must be correct, right. Thank God for ZH.Northern Flicker , Jan 2, 2017 11:15 AM
The ziocons are pissed, they had Russia all wrapped for the NWO 10 years ago and blew it. Now they want it back to finish their plans and are willing to sacrifice the rest of us for it.iAmerican3 Northern Flicker , Jan 2, 2017 11:18 AM
Ziocons are just fronting the Roman Anti-Christ, just as their Khazar ancestors were doing the actual hammering of the impalement stake up through the Body of Our Lord on Golgotha.pine_marten , Jan 2, 2017 10:39 AMThe "good cop/bad cop" satanic psychopathy's got it going on for thousands of years: the Seventh Head of the Beast.
Time for the Beast to be cast down as the Apocalypse is already upon True Israel, America, but to Satan's liars and pedophile homosexuals. #Pizzagate
Let's compile a list of Hillary supporting, MIC shill, G.O.P. turncoats:scraping_by , Jan 2, 2017 10:33 AMPaul Ryan
John McCain
Lindsey Graham
Ah, yes. Stupid, crazy, or evil.YHC-FTSE , Jan 2, 2017 9:57 AMStupid is the usual fallback position, as in How Could We Have Been So Wrong? Good-hearted by soft-headed. We all make mistakes, don't we?
Crazy is out there, even after all these years, seeing Commies under every bed. Spy movies tell the honest truth.
Evil is pretty much everything else. Simply taking it as a position to be promoted is, in the end, the same thing as thinking up the lies. Thinking of it as just a move in a game. Enjoying chaos for its own sake.
Stupid, crazy, or evil.
There's a website called "Right Web" that purports to track militarists' efforts to influence US foreign policy and it's another resource to do research on individuals ( http://rightweb.irc-online.org )Reaper , Jan 2, 2017 9:14 AMThe Council on Foreign Relations, with notable exceptions, is a who's who of neocon zionist warmongers, a list of movers and shakers of every war and crime against humanity. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Members_of_the_Council_on_Foreign_Relations )
So, let's see who these liars, psychopaths and criminals mentioned are:
Fred Hiatt - Ashkenazi Jew - Member of the Council on Foreign Relations Matthew Dowd - divorced Catholic - Useful minion of both neocons, neolibs, anyone in power. CFR guest speaker. Pundit on supporting Israel. David Frum - Jewish - Editor of Atlantic, contributor to CFR, Board member of Republican Jewish Coalition, coined the term "Axis of Evil" for G.W.Bush Jonathan Chait - Jewish - Writer for New York Magazine, on CFR website "Must read list", recently called for the assassination of Donald Trump.
~ DC v4.0MrBoompi DuneCreature , Jan 2, 2017 11:43 AMThey use the same old lies because they work.====
They do work. Most of the population ignores all of this. Many who attempt to pay attention believe the government lies. That leaves the rest of us who believe the government and their media mouthpieces are full of shit. The lies work on us too, in the sense that even if they know we know they're full of shit, what the fuck can we do about it? They are at the point where they truly believe they can get away with anything.
The Russian hacking is a fallacious argument appealing to an authority. http://www.logicalfallacies.info/relevance/appeals/appeal-to-authority/ Worse, the specific person of the authority is not identified. Worse, the authority is known as a purveyor of lies.SmallerGovNow2 , Jan 2, 2017 8:33 AMThe Exceptionals believe an exceptionally fallacious argument?
Why indeed? Like John McStain and Lefty Lindsey who were out this weekend calling for even tougher sanctions on Russia. War mongering neocons...HowdyDoody SmallerGovNow2 , Jan 2, 2017 9:41 AM
Dont forget (((Adam Schiff))). He's up for more sanctions as well.overmedicatedun... , Jan 2, 2017 8:28 AM
thanks GW..these idiots (clever and smart as they are)..see a NWO bankster run one world .gov..and Trump USA with Russia..is a big threat to that..Putin and Trump can see this as well as anyone of us..what they do about it? in the old days hang em high..traitors to the constitution deserve harsh ends. Justice has been denied far far too long..VideoEng_NC , Jan 2, 2017 7:52 AM
Let me see if I have this visual correct, A bunch of former W staff folks are promoting fake news so that 0bama can maintain his "...it's the Russians!" narrative. All I need to see now is 0bama pointing at their propaganda for one more, "...see?!...but Bush!" to close out his "legacy" as president.Taint Boil , Jan 2, 2017 7:48 AM
SmallerGovNow2 Taint Boil , Jan 2, 2017 8:41 AMI'm perplexed about all the focus on the hacked / leaked emails by the "Russians" but not a peep about what's in the emails. Not one word (that I know of) about how the information is not true, faked or doctored. So, the only thing the email leak did was expose the truth about a group.
Just can't make this shit up. That is like being outraged because a pedophile has been exposed by some email leak. What is wrong with exposing the truth? This isn't a group that that is entitled to privacy and no scrutiny like a regular citizen if anything they should be subject to scrutiny with all their public affairs; what they do in private is a different story.
Ask yourself why are they so upset – for exposing their real colors and the truth? Too funny.
Blatant cover up of the democratic parties manipulation of the primary process...jeff montanye Taint Boil , Jan 2, 2017 8:08 AM
well one reason the legacy media is outraged is it makes even more apparent how little investigative journalism is being done by them on their slowly clocking out watch.scraping_by jeff montanye , Jan 2, 2017 12:11 PMthey are just better at stenography done in really nice restaurants and at taking sides: it pays better and it's more fun.
And don't forget covering up real stories. Their silence is golden.Bay Area Guy nah , Jan 2, 2017 9:50 AM
I can't quite recall. Was it Russia that overthrew the democratically elected government of Ukraine and replaced it with a government led, in large part, by NAZIS?InTylerWeTrust , Jan 1, 2017 8:39 PMOh, now I remember. No. No, it wasn't Russia that did that. That was the good old USA.
Let's not forget John "Bombs Away" Bolton. That bimbo eruption and his moustache can't wait to start the next war for the glory of Pax Americana.Mandel Bot InTylerWeTrust , Jan 2, 2017 8:22 AM
Calling these people 'idiots' is being too kind.xavi1951 Mandel Bot , Jan 2, 2017 10:35 AMThey are traitorous warmongers.
You left out the CIA It was the CIA that started both lies.jeff montanye InTylerWeTrust , Jan 2, 2017 8:01 AM
it is not for pax americana it is for Eretz Yisrael Hashlemah, greater or entire israel.
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Jan 02, 2017 | economistsview.typepad.com
Now everybody can study them and learn from the masters of Cyberwarfaresanjait -> Dan Kervick...
The US isn't going to release intelligence sources but it's really really easy to see who Russia favored in the election and evidence of their efforts to influence it.DeDude -> sanjait... , January 02, 2017 at 02:02 PM
Exactly - even a moron (without a political agenda) will look at the publicly available information and concluded that we are already past any "reasonable doubt".sanjait -> DeDude... , January 02, 2017 at 02:37 PMhttp://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/13/us/politics/russia-hack-election-dnc.html?_r=0
Then there is all the additional material that simply cannot be released because it would help the adversaries plug certain channels of counter intelligence.
It is a fact that the hackers were Russian. It is a fact that the only viable motive to release that material the way it was (timed to inflict maximum damage on HRC) would be to lower the chances of Hilary being elected. It is a fact that nobody in Russia would dare to challenge Putin's authority and release this material without his knowledge.
However, tomorrow the great Orange will be informed about the facts and it will not make him change his conclusion that the facts are wrong and he the great Trump and his great inside (from Kremlin) sources have proven that it was not Russia. The Trump bobbleheads and associated clowns will agree not because Trump had any evidence but because he told them what they wanted to hear.
True.Dan Kervick said in reply to sanjait... , January 02, 2017 at 03:52 PMThough for me the most compelling evidence was the simple observation that paid commenters (with only moderate English speaking capability and no comment history, often from brand new Facebook accounts) appeared with such frequency in comment sections of sites like WAPO and other major news organizations, and the associated reporting with first person non-anonymous accounts of how Russia ran farms for such paid comments.
The strangest part of this is how many useful idiots (in the classic sense) like Kervick exist out there with various forms of apologetics for these actions.
This kind of stuff has been going on for YEARS. Multiple countries, multiple blogs, news sites, Facebook and Twitter accounts. The US does it too. Corporations do it; political parties do it; David Brock does it; and people in other countries do it. It may or may not be state coordinated, in any given case. And it's probably not actually illegal in most of these cases. Yes, of course people in other countries have preferences about who wins our elections. We live in a big new internet-connected world, where all kinds of folks are constantly trying to influence outcomes of various kinds in other countries. Grow up.cal -> Dan Kervick... , January 02, 2017 at 06:55 PM"Grow up."ilsm -> DeDude... , January 02, 2017 at 04:52 PMNot that one is short and just needs to plow into those Cheerios, but this is a parent speaking to their child(ren), yes?
Deplorable(s).
This too, is part of the same exchange: not merely commander to commanded, but deaf to any other view that might be characterized as a dialog between adults who are interested in the best path.
As if any dialog could take place between one person with a microphone and public relations team on the command side and a flock of fans on the other, but I digress.
My favorite is "Suck it up Buttercup" at the sign of any resistance, or reluctance, or indifference that might indicate you are nothin but a fading flower...sorta blows air in your face twice.
So Dan, I hear you and read most of your posts. And Sanjait's too. And both worth reading among still others...my standards aren't terribly high.
Your note that the US does it too, might be the understatement of the year. And Sanjait's suggestion that just as there is an adult-age limit there should be a senility limit too. As close as this election was, the less capable adults (MCI is easily more than the 3M difference.) explains the poor polls and the worse outcome.
Aside from how crooked the DNC and Clinton are what did the CIA WMD screamers say the Russians released?likbez -> DeDude... , January 02, 2017 at 08:05 PMYou all should stop whining!
It is getting unseemly.
like poor pk.
You are funny.Dan Kervick said in reply to sanjait... , January 02, 2017 at 03:46 PMAfter releasing to the surprised world Flame ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flame_%28malware%29 ) and Stuxnet ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuxnet ) not much was left to disclose.
Now everybody can study them and learn from the masters of Cyberwarfare ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberwarfare )
Add to this Snowden revelations and you have the situation when you can be almost completely open about methods you use (the most interesting part is how multiple levels of indirection are traced -- Snowden used this NSA program against Chinese hackers -- so it's existence is no longer secret staff. Simplifying you need something like traceroute via VPN channels ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traceroute ). But there can be proxies in the middle so the whole thing is very complex.
So when they suggest that certain IPs signify Russian hacking they are insulting average computer literate person intelligence.
There are some posters in this group who really understand this staff. I don't.
They can probably comment further.
Yeah, sounds a whole lot like that Nigerian uranium and Saddam's weapons. I was told back then also that the intelligence was just too sensitive to reveal. Sources and methods and all that.anne -> Dan Kervick... , January 02, 2017 at 03:59 PMAnd at the end of the day, the only credible charge is not that Russia hacked "the election", but that they hacked John Podesta's email.
Anyway, it's water under the bridge. Meanwhile, Donald Trump and the radical Republican Congress have a reactionary legislative agenda all lined up, and Democrats have done close to squat to build and articulate a clear, unified and compelling counter-agenda. They are off on a crazy Russian goose chase. So the Republicans are probably going to pass a lot of their agenda, because Democrats are putting nothing on the table.
Good to see Matt Bruenig, Noah Smith and few others keeping their heads on their shoulders and trying to put the focus on policy.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/06/opinion/06WILS.htmllikbez -> sanjait... , January 02, 2017 at 07:01 PMJuly 6, 2003
What I Didn't Find in Africa
By JOSEPH C. WILSON 4thWASHINGTON -- Did the Bush administration manipulate intelligence about Saddam Hussein's weapons programs to justify an invasion of Iraq?
Based on my experience with the administration in the months leading up to the war, I have little choice but to conclude that some of the intelligence related to Iraq's nuclear weapons program was twisted to exaggerate the Iraqi threat.
For 23 years, from 1976 to 1998, I was a career foreign service officer and ambassador. In 1990, as chargé d'affaires in Baghdad, I was the last American diplomat to meet with Saddam Hussein. (I was also a forceful advocate for his removal from Kuwait.) After Iraq, I was President George H. W. Bush's ambassador to Gabon and São Tomé and Príncipe; under President Bill Clinton, I helped direct Africa policy for the National Security Council.
It was my experience in Africa that led me to play a small role in the effort to verify information about Africa's suspected link to Iraq's nonconventional weapons programs. Those news stories about that unnamed former envoy who went to Niger? That's me.
In February 2002, I was informed by officials at the Central Intelligence Agency that Vice President Dick Cheney's office had questions about a particular intelligence report. While I never saw the report, I was told that it referred to a memorandum of agreement that documented the sale of uranium yellowcake - a form of lightly processed ore - by Niger to Iraq in the late 1990's. The agency officials asked if I would travel to Niger to check out the story so they could provide a response to the vice president's office.
After consulting with the State Department's African Affairs Bureau (and through it with Barbro Owens-Kirkpatrick, the United States ambassador to Niger), I agreed to make the trip. The mission I undertook was discreet but by no means secret. While the CIA paid my expenses (my time was offered pro bono), I made it abundantly clear to everyone I met that I was acting on behalf of the United States government.
In late February 2002, I arrived in Niger's capital, Niamey, where I had been a diplomat in the mid-70's and visited as a National Security Council official in the late 90's. The city was much as I remembered it. Seasonal winds had clogged the air with dust and sand. Through the haze, I could see camel caravans crossing the Niger River (over the John F. Kennedy bridge), the setting sun behind them. Most people had wrapped scarves around their faces to protect against the grit, leaving only their eyes visible.
The next morning, I met with Ambassador Owens-Kirkpatrick at the embassy. For reasons that are understandable, the embassy staff has always kept a close eye on Niger's uranium business. I was not surprised, then, when the ambassador told me that she knew about the allegations of uranium sales to Iraq - and that she felt she had already debunked them in her reports to Washington. Nevertheless, she and I agreed that my time would be best spent interviewing people who had been in government when the deal supposedly took place, which was before her arrival.
I spent the next eight days drinking sweet mint tea and meeting with dozens of people: current government officials, former government officials, people associated with the country's uranium business. It did not take long to conclude that it was highly doubtful that any such transaction had ever taken place.
Given the structure of the consortiums that operated the mines, it would be exceedingly difficult for Niger to transfer uranium to Iraq. Niger's uranium business consists of two mines, Somair and Cominak, which are run by French, Spanish, Japanese, German and Nigerian interests. If the government wanted to remove uranium from a mine, it would have to notify the consortium, which in turn is strictly monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Moreover, because the two mines are closely regulated, quasi-governmental entities, selling uranium would require the approval of the minister of mines, the prime minister and probably the president. In short, there's simply too much oversight over too small an industry for a sale to have transpired....
Joseph C. Wilson 4th, United States ambassador to Gabon from 1992 to 1995.
If you have Ph.D you should really be ashamed writing such nonsense.Do you really assume that the amount of "compromat" that Russia has on Clintons (and especially Clinton Foundation, which is a real ticking bomb) is less valuable that Trump fuzzy desire to normalize relations, which can change any time (and may be dictated by the desire to drive a wedge in Russia relations with China).
Clinton is "the devil that we know" for Russia. Trump is "the devil that we don't".
It is also unclear to what extent Presidents, being now to a certain extent just ceremonial figureheads legitimizing the existence of "deep state" can change the foreign policy course, which remains remarkably consistent for the last six US administrations (Clinton+Bush+Obama x 2 ).
Or do you really think that Bolton in State Department is different from Victoria Nuland?
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Jan 01, 2017 | consortiumnews.com
The U.S. government is creating a new $160 million bureaucracy to shut down information that doesn't conform to U.S. propaganda narratives, building on the strategy that sold the bloody Syrian "regime change" war, writes Rick Sterling.The U.S. establishment is not content simply to have domination over the media narratives on critical foreign policy issues, such as Syria, Ukraine and Russia. It wants total domination. Thus we now have the " Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act " that President Obama signed into law on Dec. 23 as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for 2017 , setting aside $160 million to combat any "propaganda" that challenges Official Washington's version of reality.
... ... ...
The new law mandates the U.S. Secretary of State to collaborate with the Secretary of Defense, Director of National Intelligence and other federal agencies to create a Global Engagement Center "to lead, synchronize, and coordinate efforts of the Federal Government to recognize, understand, expose, and counter foreign state and non-state propaganda and disinformation efforts aimed at undermining United States national security interests." The law directs the Center to be formed in 180 days and to share expertise among agencies and to "coordinate with allied nations."
The legislation was initiated in March 2016, as the demonization of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia was already underway and was enacted amid the allegations of "Russian hacking" around the U.S. presidential election and the mainstream media's furor over supposedly "fake news." Defeated Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton voiced strong support for the bill: "It's imperative that leaders in both the private sector and the public sector step up to protect our democracy, and innocent lives."
The new law is remarkable for a number of reasons, not the least because it merges a new McCarthyism about purported dissemination of Russian "propaganda" on the Internet with a new Orwellianism by creating a kind of Ministry of Truth – or Global Engagement Center – to protect the American people from "foreign propaganda and disinformation."
As part of the effort to detect and defeat these unwanted narratives, the law authorizes the Center to: "Facilitate the use of a wide range of technologies and techniques by sharing expertise among Federal departments and agencies, seeking expertise from external sources, and implementing best practices." (This section is an apparent reference to proposals that Google, Facebook and other technology companies find ways to block or brand certain Internet sites as purveyors of "Russian propaganda" or "fake news." )
Justifying this new bureaucracy, the bill's sponsors argued that the existing agencies for " strategic communications " and " public diplomacy " were not enough, that the information threat required "a whole-of-government approach leveraging all elements of national power."
The law also is rife with irony since the U.S. government and related agencies are among the world's biggest purveyors of propaganda and disinformation – or what you might call evidence-free claims, such as the recent accusations of Russia hacking into Democratic emails to "influence" the U.S. election.
Despite these accusations - leaked by the Obama administration and embraced as true by the mainstream U.S. news media - there is little or no public evidence to support the charges. There is also a contradictory analysis by veteran U.S. intelligence professionals as well as statements by Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and an associate, former British Ambassador Craig Murray , that the Russians were not the source of the leaks. Yet, the mainstream U.S. media has virtually ignored this counter-evidence, appearing eager to collaborate with the new "Global Engagement Center" even before it is officially formed.
Of course, there is a long history of U.S. disinformation and propaganda. Former CIA agents Philip Agee and John Stockwell documented how it was done decades ago, secretly planting "black propaganda" and covertly funding media outlets to influence events around the world, with much of the fake news blowing back into the American media.
In more recent decades, the U.S. government has adopted an Internet-era version of that formula with an emphasis on having the State Department or the U.S.-funded National Endowment for Democracy supply, train and pay "activists" and "citizen journalists" to create and distribute propaganda and false stories via "social media" and via contacts with the mainstream media. The U.S. government's strategy also seeks to undermine and discredit journalists who challenge this orthodoxy. The new legislation escalates this information war by tossing another $160 million into the pot.
... ... ...
Rick Sterling is an independent investigative journalist. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and can be reached at [email protected]
Skip Scott , January 1, 2017 at 12:55 pm
Abe , January 1, 2017 at 10:21 pmHere comes the Ministry of truth.
War is Peace
Freedom is Slavery
Ignorance is StrengthBig Brother is watching us.
Peter Loeb , January 2, 2017 at 6:44 amThe information war against reputable independent investigative journalism has been in full swing for years. $160 million is just the latest shake of piddle.
In addition to the army of paid journalists in mainstream media, "pro-democracy" and "human rights" NGOs, and assorted limited hangouts we are all too familiar with, there is the new Propaganda 3.0 species of "open source intelligence" scammers, bogus "independent researchers", and corporate-funded fake "citizen investigative journalists" like Eliot Higgins and Bellingcat, all busily churning out fake news.
Uncritical journalists have ignored the deeper layer of deception underlying the Washington Post / PropOrNot imbroglio.
Some "useful idiots" have gone so far as to actively promote the illusion that Bellingcat and other PropOrNot "Related Projects" are "professional" information sources.
In reality, Google-funded Bellingcat is directly allied with the Washington Post and New York Times, the two principal mainstream media organs for "regime change" propaganda, via the Google's new Ministry of Truth: The First Draft Coalition "partner network".
Note that it was the Washington Post that catapulted PropOrNot to prominence.
True independent investigative journalism is the declared enemy of Google's new Minitrue.
In a triumph of Orwellian Newspeak, this Propaganda 3.0 coalition has already demonstrated its ability to "work together to tackle common issues, including ways to streamline the verification process" of Western propaganda narratives.
The devil's hands are very busy.
Linda Doucett , January 1, 2017 at 11:28 pmMUST READ .
Tom Anderson: THE DIRTY WAR ON SYRIA
(Global Research, 2016)
(Available at Amazon and probably elsewhere.)
This well documented book explores the arguments presented in
Rick Sterling's excellent article above in detail. The book is in defense
of Syria.It includes many references (in English), most available on line.---------
NOTE: See requests elsewhere in the Defense Appropriation Act of 2017.
As always, an APPROPRIATION of amounts is required.-------
A basic issue can be raised involving any commitment of the
next President of the United States to policies of this
Administration and Congress. It is well-known that Donald
Trump has not previously shared many of the views on which this
legislation is based.Senator John McCain, primary sponsor, D-Ariz, does share
these views. It needs reminding that that being said, much
of this GOP interest was under the assumption that
Hillary Clinton's election was a foregone conclusion.Though Senator McCain is the sole sponsor of the entire
bill in his role as Chairman of the Armed Services
Committee of the Senate, many Democrats joined in the
many amendments. were co-sponsored by Democratic
Senators.Regarding Syria, many of the issues are dealt with
in Tom Anderson's book noted above.exiled off mainstreet , January 2, 2017 at 2:13 pmBill Cash , January 1, 2017 at 12:56 pmThat is it exactly. The yankee regime has gone over into fascist control of the narrative. Erstwhile "leftists" like Amy Goodman have jumped the shark and joined the imperialist propaganda push. Even the ACLU is sponsoring islamofascists like Khisr Khan, who is an apologist for el qaeda spouting that the Iraq war, a war crime by any objective definition, was 'in defense of constitutional values. Since courts no longer hold the regime accountable, the fact this is blatantly unconstitutional and contrary to the rule of law does not seem to mean much. Hopefully, the new administration, despite the reputation of its leadership, will be less autocratic in practice. As far as I'm concerned, they all have jumped the shark and the last shreds of legitimacy have disappeared. The entire existing regime and its acolytes are war criminals and traitors to the rule of law.
David Ecklein , January 1, 2017 at 1:43 pmYou don't watch Democracy Now much. I've seen all points of view presented there. Perhaps you should examine with a more open mind.
I never supported getting involved in Syria but there was a lot of pressure to do so. It was a big mistake. The history I know says that climate change had much to do with what happened there. A severe drought made conditions untenable for the farmers and they started to revolt. Assad handled what was happening very badly. It was a terrible situation. Assad wan't going to help them but he generally had the support of the rest of the people. Getting involved there was stupid. There was no way for intervention to be successful unless it was humanitarian like helping them to help the farmers Of course intervention is seldom humanitarian and when it is, it's seen as weak an ineffective by the powerful forces that oppose it.There's a real love fest for Trump on this site and I believe you are all going to be bitterly disappointed in the end. Putin obviously has something on Trump and you should be shouting for his tax returns so we can understand that relationship. We know he's received a lot of money from Russia.
Everyone, including you discount David Corn's research about that relationship. No one wants to hear it.Bill Cash , January 1, 2017 at 2:10 pmBill Cash- "We know he's [Trump} received a lot of money from Russia."
There is possibly a malicious insinuation here. Was that to support Trump's political campaign, or was that from business deals – which Trump has in any number of countries?
Bill Cash- "Everyone, including you discount David Corn's research about that relationship [Trump/Russia]."
Include me in your "everyone". If you mean Corn's article in Mother Jones, it is not "research" but forwarded innuendos.
As to whether anyone will be "bitterly disappointed" with Trump, that is beside the point – many of us are deeply concerned with other possible aspects of the coming administration. I am just glad to see Trump or any prominent US political commentator buck the knee-jerk attempt to blame Russia for our own troubles. Jerks like that can be hazardous to our health and possibly our continued existence.
Skip Scott , January 1, 2017 at 2:44 pmYou think climate change is a problem? Trump thinks it's a hoax. Will climate change provoke many Syria's around the world?
Is Trump building a government of, by and for the very rich?
Putin obviously has something on Trump which all of you are ignoring. Now Trump is saying he knows more about hacking than everyone else. There's too much in that relationship to be ignored but you are ignoring it and it will come back to bite us.
Trump wants to dismantle the epa, medicare and social security. That should really help the country.
Enjoy Trump while you can. Keep protecting him.Bill Cash , January 1, 2017 at 3:15 pmWhat proof do you have that Putin has "something" on Trump? It could be that Trump sees opportunities for business with Russia if there are improved relations. Russia has a lot of natural resources waiting to be exploited. The military/security/industrial complex is at odds with that idea because they need their boogeyman.
And why does it always have to be one or the other between Hillary and the Donald? I think they both suck. My only hope is that he disrupts the power of the deep state warmongers and cleans house at the CIA And even there, it is only a hope. I am not blindly optimistic.
I doubt there are many of us here at Consortium news that are enjoying or protecting Trump, but Hillary would have been a disaster as well. Bill Cash is blind not to see that. There was no lesser of two evils in this election, just two different evils.
Blahblahblah , January 1, 2017 at 9:41 pmGet Trump to release his tax returns. Why is he afraid to do that? There is something there h doesn't want us to see.
We know he's received a lot of money from Russia, That's well documented and Putin doesn't allow that without strings. We know he's had dealings with both the mafia and the Russian mob.
You should be screaming for his tax returns but instead you assume his innocence.
You know nothing about me. I do believe Hillary would be better because she believes in global warming but I was a Bernie supporter.
If you know anything about Trump, you know he only acts to help himself, for his own enrichment. If you don't know that, I can't talk to you. You'd have to give me examples of him ever thinking outside himself. There has to be something in the Putin relationship that's good for Trump.
Get his tax returns!!!!!Jessejean , January 2, 2017 at 12:56 amHeh, I'm Russian from Russia. 1. Russia is not building any ministry of truth, many western channels like France 24, BBC, EuroNews and Fox News are part of standard cable TV package here (at least in Moscow and other major cities). 2. Not sure what image you have of our president, but blackmailing leaders of other states is America's thing, that's not what Russians do (we send tanks, threaten or negotiate) – you should stop thinking the whole world acts the same way America does. 3. I doubt Trump got money from Russia, at least not more than Clinton got from Saudi Arabia and others, including Ukraine (the latter donated about US$30 million, the former could have donated up to US$500 million // could you name the amount given by Russia to Trump, which you speak about?). Anyway, is it really okay that future American president are for sale internationally, regardless if it's Trump or Clinton? 4. I doubt Russians hacked you since there's still no single proof (What CIA says and "everyone knows" is not a proof. If you like this type of justice, I suggest you abolish your whole legal system and replace it with Lynch courts). 5. Lastly, you suggest that the U.S. s almost uninvolve din Syria. Is it really so? Who are you supplying weapons to then? Turkish president (Turkey is still NATO member, ally of the U.S.) said he has proof U.S. is supporting terrorists, mainly ISIL and Al Quaida. Al Quaida were the guys who organized 9/11. I hope you're proud to be American and of Obama and Clinton.
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Zachary Smith , January 1, 2017 at 11:57 pmBlah x3: that was beautiful. It makes me so sick to my stomach that these things can be said about my country and that I know they are true. For years I blamed the FBI. Or Nixon. Or Ronnie, or Col. North and Iran Countra, or the Rethugs. Or the CIA Or DIck and Bush. But when Hillary tried to force herself down our throats in a kind of female felacio (sorry, don't know how to spell that) and Thomas Frank went after Slick Willy with a cleaver and Matt Taibbi exposed Obama's financial machinations and Little Debbie Shitz kneecapped the progressives, I finally saw what the world has been seeing for decades. I love my country, and all I was taught she stood for, and I know you love your country and her amazing history. I don't like Trump, but if he's the poison it takes to heal my country so we can get along with yours, here's to poison. Dos vee donya. ( terrible speller. Sorry)
exiled off mainstreet , January 2, 2017 at 2:19 pmTrump and climate change = Trump an ignoramus.
Hillary and Obama on climate change equaled lots of grand speech-making, no effective actions.
I don't see a significant difference here. And at least in theory, ignorance can be corrected more easily than cynical indifference chasing the easy money..Trump building a government of, by and for the very rich? That's right.
Hillary and the TPP meant government would be handed to corporations.Trump wants to dismantle the epa, medicare and social security. Probably.
Obama was itching for 8 years to strike a Grand Bargain with the Republicans to dismantle Social Security. If I was to waste time looking at Hillary and Social Security, I'd expect to find weasel lawyer talk giving her the same leeway.Putin obviously had something on Trump. Is this in the same class of "reality" as the Russians obviously stealing the 2016 election and preparing to destroy the electrical systems in Vermont?
David Corn: I looked at his archives at Mother Jones. He was always frothing at the mouth against whoever it was who was in the lead in the Republican primary. Mention of Hillary was always a side factor except in one piece which had this title.
You Go to War With the Hillary Clinton You Have
I examined the piece, and found it summarizes as 'the woman isn't worth a crap, but she's all we've got.' Corn was a little more explicit about Hillary's faults in 2008. From one of his pieces then:
I, too, have huffed about Obama's staffing decisions. It remains a mystery to me why Obama would want to bring into his Big Tent the Clinton circus, which frequently features excessive spin, backstabbing, leaking and messy melodrama. Sen. Clinton is a smart woman who has stature and globetrotting experience. But as health-care czar in her husband's administration, she set back that cause, which is near and dear to the hearts of progressives, by nearly two decades.
That's right – Hillary wasn't worth a crap back in 2008 either, only back then Corn was a bit more truthful. I've seen that with others – in their 2008 blog posts they were doing to Hillary what they're doing to Trump now – making an all-out assault. How those people convinced themselves that 2008 totally evil Hillary was transformed into 2016 Saint Hillary still confounds me.
Lin Cleveland , January 1, 2017 at 2:21 pmTrump, if he proves as bad on climate change as feared, can be reversed. If the harpy had gotten in, she would have said the right words on climate change, but put policies via the "trade pacts" under extra-legal corrupt corporate arbitration courts who would have been able to sideline the rule of law in this area and would have established an irreversible corporate regime on climate change. Since courts long ago ceased to hold to rule of law standards basing their decisions on extra-legal state secrets and anti-free-speech considerations, and since such extra-legal "trade pacts" have not even been questioned in US courts, the reality is that this would have meant the end of serious climate change work. This seems to me to be much more concerning than Trump's rhetoric on climate change issues, since, whatever the talk, the factual result of the policy would have been far more odious.
D5-5 , January 1, 2017 at 3:07 pm" There's a real love fest for Trump on this site "
Gregory Kruse , January 2, 2017 at 11:02 amI watched Democracy Now for over a decade–until recently. I tried to tolerate its bias on Syria and wrote to the site several times to no avail. Coverage of Syria was consistently a fairy tale of Assad the evil Hitler versus the good rebels–essentially a Washington Post view. This program has declined. I'm sorry to say it. It is now so unreliable I can no longer watch it. I believe the writer here is accurate and fair on this evaluation.
JohnMMorgan , January 2, 2017 at 12:28 pmThat's what happens when a site has "Democracy" in its name. The term no longer has any coherent meaning.
Bill Bodden , January 1, 2017 at 3:32 pmI agree, the role Democracy Now played in paving the way for the destruction of Libya and now Syria is shameful. Given how divided the left is on Syria, the least DN could and should have done is have weekly debates between top advocates of the different narratives to expose their listeners to both sides. Instead they gave constant repetition of the official propaganda line with only very rarely a little of the other side.
On U.S., Russia and Ukraine it has been more like DN has been MIA.
I think it is entirely appropriate for Rick Sterling to challenge DN in this excellent article.
Gregory Herr , January 1, 2017 at 4:08 pmThere's a real love fest for Trump on this site and I believe you are all going to be bitterly disappointed in the end.
I read Consortium News practically every day, but somehow I missed the "love fest" comments. Can you share an example or two. There were several articles clearly exposing Hillary Clinton's defects, but it would take lots of stretching of points to interpret them as pro-Trump. I and others have made comments along the lines of "when it comes to Clinton and Trump there is no lesser evil." I don't recall anyone challenging comments like that.
Similarly, I and others have made the point that we might escape Hillary Clinton's frying pan but we will land in Donald Trump's fire. Or, another version, we might have dodged Hillary Clinton's bullet but Donald Trump will be the price we will have to pay.
Putin obviously has something on Trump
In this bizarre era of world politics that may or may not be true. It is, however, unlikely to be obvious either way to many visitors to this site. Can you share what causes you to believe it is obvious?
John P , January 1, 2017 at 6:54 pmSevere drought and sanctions that go back to the Bush Administration certainly created some economic hardships. But the conflict in Syria is hardly the outgrowth of a farmers' revolt. The people of Syria are generally educated and politically astute. Naturally occurring political activity not unlike what we sometimes see here in the States (with "movements" such as Occupy) did not have an insurrectionist flavor and few Syrian citizens had armed revolt in mind. Many were simply keen for Assad to step up the pace of the political reform he was a part of. The armed "revolt" that you somehow think Assad handled badly was managed by foreign provocateurs. Assad and the Syrian Arab Army and the Russian Air Force have been protecting the citizens of Syria from vile terrorist mercenaries.
John P , January 1, 2017 at 7:04 pmIn support of some your comments Bill Cash, see – Putin's friendly response to the expulsion of his US diplomats – shown on the British Independent newspaper site. In it they state:
"The President-elect's nomination of Rex Tillerson, chief of ExxonMobil, as Secretary of State, will if confirmed mean that Putin has someone whom he knows well, and has personally awarded the Russian Order of Friendship, in charge of US foreign policy. As for his own business interests, he signed an agreement last summer (just one, it should be said, of several attempts to do so) to build a Trump Tower in Moscow."Also interesting to read is Mondoweiss: "Why Obama waited 8 years to take on Netanyahu"
Happy New year everybody and lets hope we don't get Trumped --
Adrian Engler , January 1, 2017 at 9:19 pmThe web address for the first article above is :
I'm with you Bill Cash
Vera , January 1, 2017 at 1:08 pmI find this idea that better relationships between the US and Russia would be bad for Central and Western Europe very strange. Of course, there are a few neocon hawks in Europe, as well, but mostly, Europeans are very sceptical about strongly anti-Russian US policies in recent years (in many European countries US power and influence is seen as a similar or bigger threat than Russia, see http://www.pewglobal.org/2016/06/13/europeans-see-isis-climate-change-as-most-serious-threats/epw-russia-china-u-s-threats-web-version/ ). US pressure was needed for the EU to pass sanctions against Russia (of course, Poland and Angela Merkel were in favor, but since there is little popular support for these sanctions outside Poland and the Baltic states, that would hardly have sufficed without US pressure). In Europe, the simplified, dumbed-down presentations of conflicts like the one in Ukraine that are meant to use such complex situations for a one-sided demonization of Russia are less widely accepted. I think there are far more Europeans who saw the constant US pressure for worsening relationships with Russia as a significant threat than people who think that a rapprochement of the US and Russia would be dangerous.
Of course, there are a few very vocal European journalists who belong to "Atlantic" neocon associations who will scream when someone threatens to ease tensions with Russia, but they only represent a very small part of Europeans.Zachary Smith , January 1, 2017 at 1:18 pmdoray , January 1, 2017 at 1:43 pmAs part of the effort to detect and defeat these unwanted narratives, the law authorizes the Center to: "Facilitate the use of a wide range of technologies and techniques by sharing expertise among Federal departments and agencies, seeking expertise from external sources, and implementing best practices ." (This section is an apparent reference to proposals that Google, Facebook and other technology companies find ways to block or brand certain Internet sites as purveyors of "Russian propaganda" or "fake news.")
I suspect "best practices" will include more than simply blocking the alternative information sites like this and Naked Capitalism and the others on the BS PROPORNOT list. Expect other schemes to be tried, each one with effectively unlimited funding.
They're going to do what the murderous twit George "dumbya" Bush spoke of:
"See in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda."
I and many others voted for Obama in 2008 because of our utter disgust with the Texas Torturer. The master psychologists who selected Obama knew that would happen, and his fancy talking along with his black skin caused some people I KNEW were racists to vote for him too – just to prove to themselves they weren't. ( a task eased by the alternative of McCain and Palin)
Obama has his fingerprints all over the endless crap discussed in this splendid essay, and the sooner people recognize he is a Bush-Level President the better.
Here is a good introduction to that theme.
http://www strategic-culture.org/news/2016/12/31/obama-failed-presidency.html
My main complaint about the essay at the link is that at the end of it author Eric Zuesse was still in a "defense" mode for the disaster which has been the Obama years.
J'hon Doe II , January 1, 2017 at 1:53 pmThe cartoon that should result from this action would be to show Obama and every member of Congress who voted for this insanity taking a giant steaming dump on the First Amendment. We have arrived at the Fourth Reich.
Will they just block the alternative news, or criminalize those who try and post it?stan , January 1, 2017 at 2:16 pmAlt-Info vs. this Letter to America.
http://www.terrain.org/2016/guest-editorial/letter-to-america-golden/
::
wherefore does your sincerity
lie?
sincerity in heart is truth.backwardsevolution , January 1, 2017 at 5:46 pmYou can read chapter 6 of Mein Kampf to learn the power and techniques of war propaganda. I started watching the propaganda in 1989 when George Bush Sr. invaded panama to capture his buddy Noriega. There was a story about how the U.S. military had found womens panties and cocaine in Noriegas hideout. After he was captured and reporters asked for proof of this, the U.S. military said they could not find the underwear in question and the cocaine turned out to be baking soda. Of course it was all fabrication.
During the leadup to the bombing of Iraq in 1991, the story was that the Iraqi soldiers had gone in a hospital and thrown babies out of their incubators "onto the cold hard floor". Of course, this was a total lie also. Even our president kept repeating it, so he was either stupid or lying. Guess which.
But these are the stories to incite the murderous rage of a people, and prevent people from questioning the attack. When you hear of the smear – someone hiding in a "spider-hole", or someone caught trying to sneak away wearing women's clothing, then you know it is part of the smear campaign and a total lie. It is just a smear, which psychologically makes you not protest the attack, because, well, it could be true, and who wants to stand up in public to protect a sex pervert or a coward.
But the real power of propaganda is in controlling the narrative. Here is the true narrative of our murderous rampage in the middle east.
The wars of the U.S. are the empires fighting over control of territory, with all of the benefits and privileges thereof – take the resources, collect taxes, and control terms of commerce and trade to benefit yourself. Big wars begin when empires fall. This also happens when an elephant falls in the jungle. The lions, hyenas, vultures, etc. all try to grab a piece. Governments do this too, as do crime syndicates and mobsters. Mobsters are always trying to muscle in on the territory of other gangs, and police know that when a powerful mobster falls, there will be wars between the gangs fighting for turf and control of territory and markets.
The U.S. began the destruction of Iraq with the murderous bombing of that country as soon as the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. This attack was planned and prepared for during the Regan military buildup of the 1980s. The U.S. knew the soviet union was going to fall, and they prepared for it. It was decided to "pivot" from the U.S. military defeat in southeast asia to begin an invasion of southwest asia. Zbigniew Brezinsky was the architect of the plan to destablize Afghanistan. The U.S. military would not have done that without a follow up plan, and it takes years to plan and prepare an armada for an invasion. In the time since, we have basically invaded and militarily conquered the middle east, africa, southwestern asia and parts of the old soviet union in eastern europe. It is a war between empires (very large business syndicates). All the day-to-day happenings are trivial irrelavancies in terms of reasons for U.S. foreign policy and military actions. Our future foreign policy to again invade asia was decided before 1980. Think of the president as the CEO, and the board of directors tells him what to do. The board of directors has not changed.
Dwight , January 1, 2017 at 9:32 pmFritz , January 1, 2017 at 11:17 pmAmnesty International lent its name to the incubator baby propaganda, playing an important role in helping Bush Sr. get Senate approval for the 1991 Gulf War. Amnesty International along with Human Rights Watch also played an important role in legitimizing the 1999 Kosovo war by timely, uncritical, and grossly irresponsible parroting of claims about killings at the village of Racak.
Lin Cleveland , January 1, 2017 at 2:19 pmI hate to say: 'well said', generally, because it implies that I am in a position to give you a grade, like a teacher would.
Bart in Virginia , January 2, 2017 at 9:30 am"the Ministry of Truth!" Yes indeed, Mr. Sterling, that's what we're seeing here. The stench of hypocrisy wafting from the East is overwhelming, isn't it? To boot Obama signed this bit of government overreach on my birthday claiming this legislation is to protect "national security interests" and "to protect the American people from 'foreign propaganda' and disinformation." Most U.S. citizens know that politicians tell whoppers on the campaign trail. Remember in 2008 when heroic Hillary told about arriving in Bosnia "under a hail of bullets"? That never happened!
No surprise she supports the bill. "Hillary Clinton voiced strong support for the bill: "It's imperative that leaders in both the private sector and the public sector step up to protect our democracy, and innocent lives." Let's understand what the lady means by "our democracy." She refers to the democracy of the few, the political elites in cahoots with Wall Street who meet behind a curtain to decide U.S. policy. Anyway, as long as we look to "leaders" we'll continue to live in a hierarchy based in money and power–and that is not a democracy! Innocent lives? No, this bill protects the guilty from public scrutiny.
The law also is rife with irony since the U.S. government and related agencies are among the world's biggest purveyors of propaganda and disinformation – or what you might call evidence-free claims, such as the recent accusations of Russia hacking into Democratic emails to "influence" the U.S. election.
O yea! the irony is palpable. One section of the bill stipulates that information "experts" appointed by the government will train prospective journalists. Gee, you mean we don't already have that with ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC? The term "The Fourth Estate" for a free and open press dates back to Edmond Burke in 1875. Of course all along those in power have worked overtime to propagate our own citizens, but the idea of government-trained journalists is a slap in the face to "freedom of the press." All of us who post our fact-based opinions qualify as press. From now on, however, a journalist must have a stamp of approval from the government!
On another not-so "fake news" site I found an article by a retired professor well versed in computer language. Dr. Spring challenges the Russian hacking story, but I don't know enough to understand it all Some of you might.
Was Claim by Department of Homeland Security and FBI About Russian Hacking Fake News? by David SpringKent , January 1, 2017 at 2:36 pm"One section of the bill stipulates that information "experts" appointed by the government will train prospective journalists."
backwardsevolution , January 1, 2017 at 9:45 pmFunny how they never mention the plans for competing pipelines, re: Syria.
Joe Tedesky , January 1, 2017 at 10:50 pmKent – re competing pipelines. I used to think that was the main reason for the war in Syria. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote an article entitled "Syria: Another Pipeline War". I'm sure the pipeline from Qatar up through Syria is part of the reason, but another poster commented that he didn't buy this, mainly because the pipeline could have gone up through Iraq and then across Turkey. I looked at a map and, yes, he was correct. It would cost more money, but could easily have been done. No, he contended that there was a much greater reason for the war: Israel.
Kent , January 2, 2017 at 10:42 amI'm leaving you something to read see link below, where the author talks about an energy alliance between Turkey, Israel, and Russia is being discussed between these three countries. The U.S. is not included in these discussions.
Personally I have thought for quite awhile now that this Middle East American NATO driven war has been more about destabilizing Israel's neighbors (Yinon Plan, Clean Break), as opposed to routing energy pipelines.
Read this .
http://journal-neo.org/2016/10/25/russia-turkey-israel-and-a-new-balance-of-power/
Joe Tedesky , January 2, 2017 at 12:41 pmExcellent info there,Joe. Demonstrating once again that Putin is a far better, more creative, and less deluded strategic thinker than our best and brightest. I suspect that Turkey's turn toward a Russian alliance on the energy front is sparked the CIA's (failed) Gulenist coup attempt last summer.
And of course Israel is always Israel.
The recent bizarre assassination of the Russian ambassador in Turkey by the 'security' guy yelling 'this is for Aleppo' was also a tell regarding the US's support, arming, and funding of the proxy mercenaries Daesh/Isis/al Nusra/al Quaeda.
Losing's a bitch, especially when it requires treason and you STILL lose. The Masters of the Universe take a hit and I actually see a small glimmer of hope in that.
Kent , January 2, 2017 at 10:51 amYes the deception and intrigue makes one get dizzy trying to figure out who is really behind all of it. The U.S. needs a new strategy, but it fails to acknowledge it, and with that nothing will change for the good.
CitizenOne , January 1, 2017 at 2:39 pmBWE- True enough about the alternate route, through the new and improved 'Kurdistan' but that would have still left the Syrian/Russian legal alliance in place as a competitor for EU business.
I also think that since Syria was 'on the list' from the get/go, our 'thinkers' in the MI$S complex Mafia weren't creative enough to pivot and adapt. Plus, it would have still left competition noted above.
backwardsevolution , January 1, 2017 at 9:53 pmI was watching the news. It is all about the Russians. The Expulsions, the sanctions, the democrats and the republicans are united against their common enemy the Russians. More sanctions are on the way. If a family member recently passed away you can be assured the Russians murdered them! Why don't they just declare war with Russia and get all the niceties over and done so we can get right down to the war?
Nowhere in this uni-polar single topic narrative of how Russia and Russia alone rigged the election is there a mention of any possible other source of influence on the election. What about the glacially paced multi year investigation into Benghazi? What about Comey's October Surprise with Anthony Wiener's Laptop? What about any other foreign power? What about voter ID laws? What about gerrymandering? What about black box voting? What about Citizens United vs. FEC and McCutcheon vs. FEC and dark money in politics?
These are just some of the things that have dominated all the previous narratives before now on how elections might be rigged minus the foreign hacks by the Russians which was never a concern. Now, all those things are forgotten. Never happened, not a problem. All washed away in an instant with an entirely new theory out of a clear blue sky. The one single question posed by the politicians and the media might just as well be why are we not loading weapons on boats and planes, dropping them off all along Russia's borders and reinstating the draft right now?
There is a word for this. This is Propaganda. The law is a perversion of its alleged purpose of defense of the truth by claiming it will weed out lies. It actually seeks to preserve complete control of the narrative a.k.a., propaganda by shutting out anyone else with a different opinion. They need to go after foreign sources because obviously, there is no need for worry or concern that our domestic media might actually do its job. It is clearly already deep inside the belly of the beast.
Mr. Obama has 20 days left and they cannot possibly go by fast enough as he salts the political landscape in order to tie the incoming administrations hands.
This has to be one of the scariest and damnable things Obama signed into law. Hopefully, it will shortly be rescinded but it seems even the republicans like Mitch McConnell are all on board with preserving the military industrial complex at all costs. War is their stock and trade and there are trillions of dollars at stake here. The Defense Industry needs enemies not friends.
What we are seeing is the Neo-Con Cabal wringing their hands with anxiety that the next war with Russia might be on hold and doing everything they can to make that happen. This is what Eisenhower warned us about. But it is an old problem.
Here are some quotes:
I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. As a result of the war, corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands, and the Republic is destroyed. I feel at this moment more anxiety for the safety of my country than ever before, even in the midst of war.
Abraham Lincoln – In a letter written to William Elkin less than five months before he was assassinated.
The money power preys on the nation in times of peace, and conspires against it in times of adversity. It is more despotic than monarchy, more insolent than autocracy, more selfish than bureaucracy. It denounces, as public enemies, all who question its methods or throw light upon its crimes.
Abraham Lincoln
A great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit. Our system of credit is concentrated. The growth of the Nation and all our activities are in the hands of a few men. We have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of the most completely controlled and dominated Governments in the world – no longer a Government of free opinion no longer a Government by conviction and vote of the majority, but a Government by the opinion and duress of small groups of dominant men .
Since I entered politics, I have chiefly had men's views confided to me privately. Some of the biggest men in the U.S., in the field of commerce and manufacturing, are afraid of somebody, are afraid of something. They know that there is a power somewhere so organized, so subtle, so watchful, so interlocked, so complete, so pervasive, that they had better not speak above their breath when they speak in condemnation of it.
Woodrow Wilson – In The New Freedom (1913)
The fact is that there is a serious danger of this country becoming a pluto-democracy; that is, a sham republic with the real government in the hands of a small clique of enormously wealth men, who speak through their money, and whose influence, even today, radiates to every corner of the United States.
William McAdoo – President Wilson's national campaign vice-chairman, wrote in Crowded Years (1974)
When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living together in society, they create for themselves in the course of time, a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it.
Frederic Bastiat – (1801-1850) in Economic Sophisms
The powers of financial capitalism had (a) far-reaching aim, nothing less than to create a world system of financial control in private hands able to dominate the political system of each country and the economy of the world as a whole. This system was to be controlled in a feudalist fashion by the central banks of the world acting in concert, by secret agreements arrived at in frequent meetings and conferences. The apex of the systems was to be the Bank for International Settlements in Basel, Switzerland, a private bank owned and controlled by the world's central banks which were themselves private corporations. Each central bank sought to dominate its government by its ability to control Treasury loans, to manipulate foreign exchanges, to influence the level of economic activity in the country, and to influence cooperative politicians by subsequent economic rewards in the business world.
Prof. Carroll Quigley in Tragedy and Hope
In a small Swiss city sits an international organization so obscure and secretive .Control of the institution, the Bank for International Settlements, lies with some of the world's most powerful and least visible men: the heads of 32 central banks, officials able to shift billions of dollars and alter the course of economies at the stroke of a pen.
Keith Bradsher of the New York Times, August 5, 1995
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York is eager to enter into close relationship with the Bank for International Settlements .The conclusion is impossible to escape that the State and Treasury Departments are willing to pool the banking system of Europe and America, setting up a world financial power independent of and above the Government of the United States .The United States under present conditions will be transformed from the most active of manufacturing nations into a consuming and importing nation with a balance of trade against it.
Rep. Louis McFadden – Chairman of the House Committee on Banking and Currency quoted in the New York Times (June 1930)
D5-5 , January 1, 2017 at 3:18 pmjunius , January 2, 2017 at 12:38 pmThank you for this excellent analysis. Particularly disturbing to me is the success of the propaganda in places I wouldn't expect it, as with Democracy Now, and my neighbors, who seem decent, intelligent people, but entirely done in by the false impressions. I have the feeling the critical views expressed here and in this excellent Consortium site, plus similar sites, represent a small minority of the American public? Or is an awakening in progress causing this newest repressive move, a growing skepticism threatening "national security"? I did read a comment somewhere that fifty percent of the American public is not taken in by the current Russia blaming, but I don't know if this is true.
Bill Cash , January 1, 2017 at 3:20 pmHow about Rolling Stone's October article praising Hillary Clinton as a champion of feminism? I just cancelled my subscription to the New Yorker because the quality of its great cartoons no longer outweighs the ugly rightward shift in its editorial policy.
We seem to be witnessing the completion of the project begun a century ago this year, in 1917, with the establishment of the Committee on Public Information. Also known as the Creel Commission, it was the government agency tasked with convincing the American people that it was a good idea to support one faction in Europe's Great War and to take arms against the other. As laughably naive as that propaganda effort seems now, it was the beginning of the end of independent journalism, which in truth had always been on shaky ground in this country. The Founders were among the most cynical of men. It's not hard to picture them laughing in their sleeves over the farcical First Amendment for well they knew from colonial experience that the "freedom" to publish belongs only to those who can afford the price of a printing press, ink, and paper, and who, most importantly, curry favor from government and business. It remains to be seen what effect the internet will have – and how easily it can be silenced
Bill Bodden , January 1, 2017 at 3:49 pmI'm well aware of the propaganda from our government but if you believe it will be better under Trump, you are living in a fairy tale. As Bernie said, he's a pathological liar.
Whatever benefits Trump determines what he will say. Look under the covers and you find Steve Bannon who runs the trump campaign. If you think the propaganda is bad now, wait until he's in control.
Trump isn't the answer and we need his tax returns. I can see him creating an alliance with Putin and undermining Western Europe.
Skip Scott , January 1, 2017 at 4:23 pmI'm well aware of the propaganda from our government but if you believe it will be better under Trump, you are living in a fairy tale.
Bill Cash: I'm with you on this point, but your reasoning above in other posts was very sloppy making facts out of speculation. Speculation, even if it is plausible, does not qualify as fact. I also agree with other commentators suggesting Trump will probably make Obama look good despite negative opinions of Obama.
Jessejean , January 2, 2017 at 1:20 amHow would creating an alliance with Putin undermine western Europe? You are right that I don't know much about you, but I am with Bill Bodden that you are guilty of shoddy reasoning. As for Global warming, I am sure that it is a serious problem. But Hillary's foreign policy would have had me concerned about nuclear winter. And Hillary is a pathological liar who thinks only of herself and talks out both sides of her mouth. And she is a slave to the deep state and wall street. I think you are dead right about Trump's character, but I think you may be underestimating much of the horrors of the Clintons. How about foreign alliances via the Clinton Foundation- it's pay to play scenario, and the possible impacts on foreign policy? Look at the utter mayhem in the Middle East and the refugee crisis in Europe. Hillary would have promised us more of the same as president.
I was a Bernie supporter as well, but he lost me when he gave up the fight.
Skip Scott , January 2, 2017 at 9:00 amSkip–Bernie didn't give up the fight. He did what he had promised to do and supported the nominee. In other words, he kept his word, even tho it clearly cost him. You abandoned him when the fight became tough, when it wasn't so glamorous, when it shifted over to the hard slog of grassroots organizing and door to door work for some school board member–you know, the kind of work Stokley Charmicheal did for years to help build the Panthers. Don't blame Bernie for your lacking of true heart. It's you.
Brad Owen , January 2, 2017 at 10:44 amWhen Bernie discovered proof thru wikileaks that the DNC was actively working against him, he should have fought for the nomination at the convention, instead of caving to all the corruption (super delegates, etc etc.) If he had failed there, he could have topped the green party ticket with Jill Stein to run as VP. Then he would have succeeded in blowing up the entirely corrupt two party system, if nothing else. He would have had the 15% to make the national debates. He may have even won. Where was the slog of grassroots organizing after he quit the fight? It's come to naught. I had the true heart to stay with him if he hadn't caved. Bernie even supported some faux democrats against genuine
progressive greens in down ballot races. This is not a game, it's real life. It is time for people to stand strong for the issues they care about.Adrian Engler , January 1, 2017 at 6:59 pmI agree Skip. Bernie was the man of the hour. He had the perfect tool to smash the two-party/Wall Street/deep state Establishment: millions of independent citizen donors. Then he threw it all away to actively campaign for the queen of chaos and the Establishment War Party. I was so disgusted and mad that I went Green and never looked back. I now donate 10$ a month, every month, to the Greens hoping to see recreated the Tool that Bernie threw away (and still trying to lasso to the D-side of the Establishment War Party): millions of independent citizens donating 10$ or 20$ a month to the Green Party to build up a war chest to challenge both wings of the Establishment War Party.
John P , January 1, 2017 at 7:05 pmCertainly Trump should not be trusted, among the two very bad (in my view) candidates, I considered Trump the greated evil for domestic US policy, but probably the lesser evil in foreign policy compared to Hillary Clinton's more aggressive neocon policies.
In what ways should a good collaboration of Trump and Putin undermine Western Europe? According to surveys (e.g. http://www.pewglobal.org/2016/06/13/europeans-see-isis-climate-change-as-most-serious-threats/epw-russia-china-u-s-threats-web-version/ ), apart from Poland, relatively few Europeans see Russia as a big threat, and in many countries, US power and influence is actually seen as a similar or even bigger threat than Russia.
I think the demonization of Russia and the presentation of the Russian government as a big threat also has to do with the goal of keeping a strong US influence in Western Europe – and for supporting the influence of US-linked European interest groups. But I doubt that this is going to work. It might work on the US public, but apart from Poland and the Baltic states, demonizing Russia is much more difficult in Europe, and the percentage of people who know more about the conflicts in which Russia is involved than the simplified depictions that are popular in the US is probably much bigger.
James lake , January 1, 2017 at 10:31 pmIn support Bill, see:
Kalen , January 1, 2017 at 3:23 pmYou do realise who owns that news paper you are quoting. It's owned by the Ledbedev family who are oligarchs in the fine tradition. Stole money ran to the west claiming persecution by Putin. It's an anti Putin paper. They are purely online now as the print version of the paper ceased to make a profit.
The only writers worth reading are Robert Fisk and Patrick Cockburn
ger , January 1, 2017 at 3:24 pmJust a note for DN lovers. Since before 2008 the Pacifica Fundation running DN was taken over by Goldman Sachs. Many local stations rebelled and were cut off from money, forcing them into turmoil and like KPFA and KPFK throwed the management off, cut the fat and went fully listener funded. All that while GS bought Amy Goodman a new TV studio with audience who after the show for $2000 had a chance to go to dinner with Amy.
All in the midst of 2008 ensuing collapse. When DN subsequently ignored Puerto Rico general strike and a quarter million street demonstration. I stopped watching and listening DN on radio after 15 years.
Tristan , January 1, 2017 at 3:27 pmThe Police State requires each person to believe their lies. Paraphrasing a comment attributed to a former CIA operative: "When the only narrative available is ours, we will have done our job". The problem for the Police State is even if there is only one person left to speak truth to their lies. that truth will need to be snuffed out. It will take a lot more than $160,000,000.
Brian , January 1, 2017 at 3:46 pmThis article does well to point out the impending doom of our intellectual discourse regarding the nature of the U.S. gov't and its relationship with the citizenry. Already the citizens of the U.S. are more commonly referred to as consumers, thus it follows that the more equal of the equal should control what the consumers are fed.
The dystopian nature of free market globalized capitalism is now finding, or is near to, the apex of what capitalism unfettered can accomplish. Resulting in the frantic "marketing" that this form of capitalism relies on to "sell" itself as the only way to survive this ugly planet. War is the product, propaganda is the marketing, we fools, consumers, are forced to buy the product from afar and those who receive the product pay a price that no human ought to bear.
Since we must recognize the complete corruption of such a condition, those that wish to continue to profit from this are forced to act in ways which protect this profit. If this includes an Orwellian Ministry of Truth, as the CFPDA intends, then that's the remedy that is needed because profit, you know, money, power, ad nauseum. That's it. If there were some greater underpinning to the destruction of whole societies and nations and regions that made some sense in the fabric of improving the well being of the planet's humans, perhaps we could accede to the years of long sacrifice and struggle. But no, this is only about wealth and the accumulation of power that this now provides in our modern world.
The narratives which counter the prevailing religion in the West, the religion of Capitalism unfettered and rapacious, are not given voice. Many don't even understand that there a different ways of organizing a society or a nation that serves the need and well being of its citizens.
This bullshit machine being funded by "our own" government is ensuring just that, that people are not even provided an opportunity to discuss an alternative to the present state of things. Try not to buy the products that this machine produces, as even if we dream of something else, this too is contrary to the designs of the machine. Next is the Ministry of Thought, or perhaps it was first. And the Ministry of Truth is just now only the second to appear manifest.
Bill Bodden , January 1, 2017 at 3:55 pmDec 27, 2016 "Countering Disinformation and Propaganda Act" Signed Into Law! (NDAA 2017)
It is true there is breaking news today but you certainly won't hear it from the mainstream media. While everyone was enjoying the holidays president Obama signed the NDAA for fiscal year 2017 into law which includes the "Countering Disinformation and Propaganda Act" and in this video Dan Dicks of Press For Truth shows how this new law is tantamount to "The Records Department of the Ministry of Truth" in George Orwell's book 1984.
Liam , January 1, 2017 at 4:03 pmJohn McCain has long been recognized as a warmonger eager to attack foreign nations. Many Americans will be surprised to learn he is now waging war on the American people. Many other Americans won't have a clue of what this bill means – or even of its existence.
Bob Van Noy , January 2, 2017 at 3:31 pmRegarding all the major propaganda narrative relating to the Syrian War, I put together a massive compendium of photos, videos and linked evidence related to the White Helmets and other ruses. Links here:
Extensive links to important JPR posts exposing the White Helmet terrorists .
Please bookmark and save this large amount of info related to the US/UK backed White Helmets as it is extensive proof that the officials of the aforementioned countries are supporting a fake group that is directly linked to terrorism. The White Helmets killed the real Syrian Civil Defense in east Aleppo, Syria in 2013. The videos and research throughout these posts, which is primarily conducted by UK investigative reporting outfit 21st Century Wire and Venessa Beeley, exposes one of the greatest war lies over told, a massive propaganda effort meant to deceive and coerce the populations of western countries into believing that al-Qaeda linked terrorists are civil humanitarians that save little children.
- https://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/itv-4-video-shows-white-helmet-embedded-w-al-zinki-terrorists-who-beheaded-boy/#post-257679
- https://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/who-are-syrias-white-helmets-terrorist-linked/
- http://www.jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/the-propaganda-war-against-syria-led-by-avaaz-the-white-helmets/
- https://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/henningsen-the-white-helmets-are-kony-2012-on-steroids/
- https://www.jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/syria-white-helmets-humanitarians-or-executioners/
- https://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/mccain-and-the-syrian-white-helmets-how-a-simple-post-can-connect-the-dots/
- http://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/huge-video-and-data-cache-on-the-fake-ngo-syrian-white-helmet-jihadists/
- http://jackpineradicals.org/showthread.php?10226-The-Syria-White-Helmets-Exposed-as-US-UK-Agents-Embedded-with-Al-Nusra-and-ISIS
- https://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/white-helmets-neutral-heroes-or-pro-war-pr-campaign/
- https://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/avaaz-the-online-pro-war-propagandist-and-color-revolution-ngo/
- https://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/crosstalkrt-who-are-the-white-helmets-guests-vanessa-beeeleyeva-bartlet/
- https://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/syrian-rebel-white-helmets-actually-funded-by-u-s/
- https://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/journalist-eva-bartlett-im-back-from-syria-the-media-is-lying-to-you/
- https://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/how-the-white-helmets-became-international-heroes-while-pushing-u-s-military-in/
- https://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/uk-column-news-on-fake-white-helmets-terrorists-thursday-6-october-2016/
- https://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/white-helmets-facilitate-execution-with-al-nusra-highly-graphic-warning/
- https://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/syrian-girl-explains-how-the-ceasefire-in-syria-broke-down/
- https://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/max-blumenthal-at-alternet-busting-the-fake-syrian-white-helmets-wide-open/
- https://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/ngos-plausible-deniability-and-the-new-age-of-information-warfare/
- https://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/netflix-and-the-white-helmets-hand-in-hand-with-al-qaeda/
- https://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/syrias-white-helmets-war-by-way-of-deception-moderate-executioners/
- https://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/understanding-the-truth-about-the-us-war-parties-the-wars-the-media-and-syria/
- https://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/aleppo-media-centre-funded-by-french-foreign-office-eu-and-us/
- https://jackpineradicals.com/boards/topic/british-government-and-white-helmets-exposed-on-the-bbc/
J'hon Doe II , January 1, 2017 at 4:04 pmMichael Rohde , January 1, 2017 at 4:58 pmdepth of depraved indifference revealed in the below regarding the US hired interrogator of the captured Saddam.
the segment ought to inform you of critical justice. And Truth.
https://www.democracynow.org/2016/12/28/part_2_cia_interrogator_reveals_saddam
Skip Scott , January 1, 2017 at 5:21 pmSo we have our own Pravda now. Way to go obama. I voted for him twice and this is how he leaves us? Not the ending I envisaged.
Joe Tedesky , January 2, 2017 at 2:34 amI voted for Obama twice as well. I believe in both those cases, he was the lesser of two evils. McCain knows of no problem that sufficient bombing can't fix, and Romney thought the entire American public should become vulture capitalists like himself. Who knows what kind of pressure Obama was under from the deep state. They may well have taken him to the woodshed and told him what he needed to do if he loved living, and loved his wife and daughters.
F. G. Sanford , January 1, 2017 at 5:10 pmMichael, Skip, don't beat yourself so up to bad, it wasn't as though our choices of candidates are ever that good. I blame that on a money driven media system, and a public controlled by a constant narravative void of any critical thinking. This past years election was nothing but immature on zingers and never about having an intelligent debate. So, don't be to hard on yourself, you and I never stood a chance with what we had, or rather didn't have to work with. Our candidate never runs nor do they win. Have a great New Years, I mean that.
Regina Schulte , January 1, 2017 at 5:18 pm"Defeated Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton voiced strong support for the bill: "It's imperative that leaders in both the private sector and the public sector step up to protect our democracy, and innocent lives.""
"Facilitate the use of a wide range of technologies and techniques by sharing expertise among Federal departments and agencies, seeking expertise from external sources, and implementing best practices."
" the U.S. government's new "Global Engagement Center" will seek to ensure that the censorship is even more complete with its goal to "counter foreign state and non-state propaganda and disinformation.""
So Hillary supports the bill, but people still think she's a progressive, let alone a Democrat? This should solidify the concept that both parties are beholden to a deeper agenda which has decidedly fascist overtones. When they implement those "best practices", I wonder where book-burning and smashing printing presses will shake out in that "wide range of techniques". I can already imagine where they'll go to get that "external expertise". Probably the same place where they're currently getting "expert training" for our police forces.
These developments contain hallmarks of an empire in decline, clutching at any figment of its imagination to control the narrative and retain its legitimacy. But on the bright side, I'm curious to know how far $160 million could really go to prop up failing entities like the NYT, WaPo, CNN and MSNBC. Wolf Blitzer, Christianne Amanpour, Jill Dogherty, Rachel Maddow, Jake Tapper, Michael Smerconish, Anderson Cooper, Fareed Zakaria, Ben Wedeman, John King, Gloria Borger and Dana Bash are just a few of the faces that can make me instantly change the channel. I used to think Phyllis Bennis, Amy Goodman and Paul Jay were on the level, but they too frequently pull their punches when the truth REALLY needs to be told. Fox news is just totally hopeless. Most of these people are shameless liars, and I don't think I'm the only person who notices. They have "phony" written all over their faces. In the end, free market economics may go a long way to hamper any benefit a mere $160 million transfusion can pump into the dying corpse of mainstream media. And, if they try to shut down Black Agenda Report, I wonder whose side the ACLU will pick? Lots of Ph.D theses and Supreme Court cases are on the horizon from this one! It's still pretty hard to sell a horse with a wooden leg even with skillful marketing.
In the meantime though, the U.S. Government's "Goebbels Engagement Center" is definitely a scary thought. Giddayup, Nellybell, here comes the lynch mob!
Josh Stern , January 1, 2017 at 5:34 pmThe enormity of our government's hypocrisy in all of this defies a sane person's ability to comprehend the current stance we are now placing before the rest of the world. The long list of our spying, regime changes, executions, unwarranted secret operations, destruction of national economies, and the myriad of ongoing other secrecies is a measure of our hubris in thinking that the rest of the world is our oyster. Despite all of our own sins, we dare to accuse other leaders of invading our empirical rights!!!
Gary Hare , January 1, 2017 at 5:45 pmIt would be very interesting to learn more about some of the main mechanisms through which current day US propaganda is scheduled to lead, with nothing bleeding – or even interesting – at mainstream media outlets. Are those decisions coming from the executive editors or from the media owners? I'm not going to hold my breath for the media to report on itself in that capacity, but perhaps some investigative journalists on those staffs will put their anonymously sourced mouths where their sourced mouths usually go and act as informants to allow independent reporters to get the scoop on how this works. Who at NYT, WaPo, CNN, etc. decided to make no true evidence, probably a false story, missing the big picture, no-harm Russian hacking a main story almost every day, giving support fir bloviating idiots in US Congress to declare that Russia must be punished for the things they have previously declared "every nation does".
F. G. Sanford , January 1, 2017 at 6:23 pmIt is quite possible that MSM is sometimes accurate in its reporting, and objective in its analysis. But it has been shown too often to be purveyors of pure propaganda, ignorant of facts that counter such propaganda and cheerleaders for US/NATO aggression, that it has lost all credibility, and so we must question virtually everything it says regarding world affairs. The actions of lawmakers regarding "fake news", and the Obama, Clinton, DMC "we woz robbed" by Putin storyline, is kindergarden stuff, farcical and petulant, and should be treated as such by objective journalists.
Will Trump be any better? I believe there is reason to expect he and his administration to be even worse, but I wait in hope that I am wrong. The world's only "superpower" has become the world's leading laughing stock. Are there any grown-ups in US/NATO politics?Bill Bodden , January 1, 2017 at 6:31 pmI just gotta say something about that "love fest for Trump" comment. Here's how I see it. Trump says stuff, and it may not be true. But he really believes it. Hillary tells lies, but she knows she's lying. She tells them anyway, and insists they're true. I don't have anything but hope. Deep down, I'm relatively optimistic. Hillary's lies could start WWIII. Trump's blustering probably wont. If there's even a shred of a chance he'll listen to reason, he has the coglioni to make some needed changes. Hillary was the puppet. Trump, admittedly, is a bull in a china shop, but with him, I think we still have a future. And, it could be a very bright one if he plays his cards right. It's that simple.
W Hajicek , January 1, 2017 at 6:43 pmThe War Against Alternative Information
In a war there are two sides – the aggressors and their targets.
There are two sides to the targets – those who surrender and collaborate and those who resist to defend their homeland.
Adrian Engler , January 1, 2017 at 7:44 pmSeriously? Defending Mideast dictatorships because things were orderly?
I am dismayed at the prospect of more propaganda coming from the government. However, a more pertinent and enlightening critique of this development would be to inform readers of the history of our government's use of propaganda, and how this new funding, etc., impacts what the government is already doing. That is wholly missing from this article. Instead there is an inexplicable defense of authoritarian regimes, in particular going on for paragraph after paragraph about Syria.
And what was your point? Are you actually just debating recent U.S. focus on regime change, a la Bush? I don't agree with that, but I wouldn't defend Assad or Putin, nor dismiss their use of propaganda.
Sam F , January 1, 2017 at 8:49 pmWho claims that everything was alright in the dictatorships like Iraq and Libya? It is just very likely that there would have been much less violence and suffering if these governments had not been toppled by force. Claiming that there were allegedly good intentions certainly does not justify the suffering and violence that was caused by these interventions.
Likewise, of course, those who arm and finance jihadist militias in Syria can claim that their goal is improving the human rights situation. But is there any credibility of the claim that human rights will improve when the Syrian government is toppled and Islamist extremist groups like the Al Nusra Front (Al Qaeda), Al Zenki and Ashrar Al Sham take power in the parts of Syria that are not already under the control of Daesh? Or should we believe some fairytales like that, after taking power in Syria, Wahhabi militias would step aside and hand over power to some liberal pro-democratic intellectual who had been in exile? The point is that it is certainly not good enough to point out human rights violations of the Assad government to justify policies that would, if they were successful, probably bring to power forces that have even less respect for human rights.
Furthermore, if the fact that the government of a country can be called a dictatorship should be a sufficient reason for overthrowing it (whichever forces come to power afterwards), what should be the criteria? After all, dictatorships are not really rare in many parts of the world, especially the Middle East. Why has the US turned on one secular dictatorship after the other, but never attacked theocratic Sunni regimes like Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states that have an abysmal human rights record? Obviously, the criteria are not based on whether a government is an autocracy or how much it violates human rights, but something else (probably some geostrategic interests).
I think the main points of criticism of the idea that the fact that a government is autocratic gives an outside country like the US the right to topple it are:
1. "Humanitarian" justifications of interventions are worthless when they are likely to lead to more violence and suffering than if the intervention had not been made.
2. Toppling a dictator in a country without a long democratic tradition is not likely to lead to a functioning democracy afterwards. In Western countries, democracy has also taken a long time to develop, it can hardly be brought about by some bombs. In many cases, toppling a dictator either leads to long-term armed fights between competing groups and/or a new dictatorship sooner or later.
3. When we look at autocracies that were toppled and others that were not toppled by the US, it is hardly plausible that the criterion was how autocratic the government was, how much it violated human rights or how low the standard of living was. Since the "humanitarian" arguments are not the real criteria for the decision about which autocracy should be attacked (otherwise, it would be hard to explain why, for instance, Saudi Arabia has not been attacked), it would make more sense to discuss the real reasons for the attacks, whatever they are, than the justifications that are brought forward when the decision to topple a country has been taken.
4. If the idea of the illegality of wars of aggression in international law (except extraordinary circumstances authorized by the UN Security Council) is given up, this could lead to dangerous wars in many regions. Which countries should have the right to attack countries that are determined to be autocracies by the attacker? Would the US tolerate it if India or Russia decided to topple pro-Western autocracies that violate himan rights (e.g. Saudi Arabia)?
Blahblahblah , January 1, 2017 at 9:48 pmYes, the same US propaganda reasoning applied to the US oligarchy, which is a set of autocrats, would require that the US use subversion and military force to remove the Republicans, Democrats, warmongers, AIPAC, imperialist financiers etc..
Starting with drone attacks on mass media, party operatives, bank HQ etc. Then some "shock and awe" and an invasion to subdue its military forces, greeted by the people of the US dancing in the streets. Then denial of employment to all who worked for the US regime, followed by founding a true democracy where money does not buy mass media or elections.
Something tells me that the dark state will not reach that conclusion. So I guess that democracy was never the objective of regime change by the US.
Bill Bodden , January 1, 2017 at 10:56 pmJudging by your name, you have Czech origin. Why are you supporting democracy all over the world from the U.S.? Shouldn' t you be saving the Czech Reublic from bad Zeman? There's no communism there anymore
Oleg , January 1, 2017 at 8:23 pmOne of the problems with regime change whether practices by an outside agency such as the United States and Iraq, Libya, etc. or through an internal revolution is the risk of the cure being worse than the disease.
Blahblahblah , January 1, 2017 at 9:46 pmIt is funny and indeed troubling that the US is busy copycatting the practices of the recent foe that went down exactly because these practices were grossly inefficient. I of course mean the Cold War 1.0 and the former Soviet Union. I remember listening to Voice of America in my youth in search for truth. I never imagined that only a few years later during my lifetime Americans will be looking for truth in Russian news outlets and the US will create "the Global Engagement Center – to protect the American people from "foreign propaganda and disinformation." In fact, resorting to such practices is a huge sign of weakness and decline. It is a pity really that the US are getting that weak that fast. I am not really pro-American but I still remember things that America used to champion around the world (yes, the Freedom of Speech too!), and we all still need these things as much as ever. Too bad they are under threat in the US themselves now. Hopefully Trump will indeed be able to make America great again and stop all this nonsense.
Joe Tedesky , January 1, 2017 at 10:33 pmWhat is most sad is that many American rally for this "the Global Engagement Center". See Bill Cash here.
I see it the same way you do, sinc eI was also born in the USSR.Bill Bodden , January 1, 2017 at 11:05 pmOleg read this link I'm providing, and see if you feel as does the Russian who wrote this magnificent article .
John , January 1, 2017 at 8:36 pmAdrian Engler , January 1, 2017 at 8:46 pmthese are just semi clever diversions leading the average away from the Prime Agenda ..Lol ..ask Merkel she knows
Oleg , January 1, 2017 at 9:24 pmWhat I find scary is how much the dominance of the propaganda discourse has increased. Before the Iraq war, there was widespread dissent, and in most of Europe, support for the war was a minority position. But in the case of Libya and, even more Syria, dissent is tolerated less and almost all media strictly follow the official propaganda line. I find this even more striking because, after all, this is a position that should be rather hard to sell to the public. One should think that it should not be so easy to spread the idea that mostly jihadist militias that were (and mostly still are) allied with Al Qaeda are the good guys that should be supported with money and arms. That even such a difficult position could reach such a dominant position in the Western media discourse shows how effective the propaganda is. I am beginning to think that if the line that Sweden is the biggest threat to world peace was spread, people would sign petitions on change.org for finally occupying Sweden, and there would be talking points about the inaction of the US president because Sweden still has not been occupied by US troops although everyone recognizes that it is an enormous threat to humanity. I am probably exaggerating a bit, but if the relevant interest groups are successful in making many people believe that anyone who does not support jihadist allies of Al Qaeda who behead "traitors" and bombing anti-air defences all over the country is heartless towards Syrians, there are probably many other things that seem absurd and extreme now that could be promoted in a way that soon anyone who does not agree with it is depicted as a bad person.
I find the role of Snopes particularly worrying. Of course, I cannot judge whether everything Eva Bartlett says is true. But her reports are detailed and connected to evidence, while the Snopes texts that dismiss her are written in a sloppy and superficial way. This would not be a problem if Snopes was just one more website where a point of view is expressed (accidentally or not so accidentally one that is very close to the position of the US government). But since it is planned that Snopes should be one of the arbiters with a higher authority that should decide what is true and what is not, this is worrysome. It is not too hard to predict that Snopes would hardly ever flag articles from the Washington Post or the New York Times that are close to the US government as "disputed" even if they are speculative and based on flimsy evidence, but other texts contradicting them will probably regularly be flagged as "disputed". The only question is whether this will be effective or if people will just ignore the "disputed" flags if they are biased in a way that is too obvious (which also means that the flags would be ineffective against real fake news) and, if Facebook starts hiding such "disputed" stories, just move over to other networks.
Stefan , January 1, 2017 at 8:54 pmRegarding Sweden and propaganda: Wag the Dog. 1997 movie. All said then. Sadly, still more true than ever.
Kent , January 2, 2017 at 11:33 amDemocracy Later is more dangerous than the other big propaganda organs.
While the latter ones require very little scrutiny by the observant to recognize as the warmongers that they are
the former (democracy now[sic] ) tries to lure the the careful reader and critic into its well crafted trap of deception – to gather your trust where it matters the least, and couches it's warmongering where it matters the most, most recently in regards to Syria.
Eddie , January 2, 2017 at 2:19 pmStefan,
'Democracy Later' I like that.
Look at DN's funding structure it's not hard to figure out.
http://www.newsofinterest.tv/_sam_noitv/politics/media_issues/bias/left_gatekeepers_smaller.jpg
David F., N.A. , January 1, 2017 at 10:49 pmKent – The link to a supposed 'flow chart' looks suspicious, since there's no links/attributions to sources, and the 'newsofinteterest' website (apparently inactive for ~5 yrs?) didn't appear to be particularly credible in my experience (ie; links to 911 truthers, Laetrile cancer proponents, etc). And to regard Noam Chomsky's political views as somehow significantly influenced by corporate money/government coercion (as the diagram does at the bottom) is laughable - the guy has been a strong, vocal, prolific critic of US imperialism, condemning it since the c1960.
Decades ago he stopped paying a portion of his taxes as a protest against military spending, and subsequently has had his wages garnished by the government. While I don't necessarily agree with all of Chomsky's prescriptions of what to do (e.g.; his judgement that it was best to vote for HC), his descriptions of what HAS happened have been accurate, nuanced, and documented.
Bill Bodden , January 1, 2017 at 11:12 pmThis says it all:
But the U.S. government's near total control of the message doesn't appear to be enough. Apparently even a few voices of dissent are a few voices too many.
The illusions of "freedom" hates us for our First Amendment. Isn't this the true premise behind our
bought-and-paid-for government'smultinational oligarchs' enactment of all these new Patriot Acts (NDAAs and other laws)?For over a year and a half prior to the election several liberal websites started mimicking the msm with their Trump bashing. To me, all these bashings were backhanded endorsements for Clinton. I swear, most, if not all, of the liberal topics, talking points and phrases were exactly identical to the msm's. As apparent as it was this election, this showed that the bluedogs in-charge had been influencing the liberals for quite some time. This is probably why the duopoly issue wasn't strongly addressed back when Nader spoiled Gore's chances in 2000 (hold on, hold on, I have a legitimate excuse: a foundation paid me to say that).
Elizabeth Hanson , January 2, 2017 at 12:14 amObama did promise hope and change, but it is highly unlikely anyone outside the neocon and proto-fascist cabals hoped for this change setting up a Ministry of Truth. What a legacy!!!
Joe Tedesky , January 2, 2017 at 2:16 amWhat a great essay. Thank you to the writer. So many links to explore. I agree wholeheartedly in the analysis. I wrote a very simple essay for my own website which comes to the same conclusions. I include a list of headlines from main stream media regarding the "Russian hacking" and then the headlines from independent media. It was quite stark. Someone is lying.
https://turningpointnews.org/exposing-political-corruption/why-we-need-independent-media
Keep up the great work Consortium news!
Brian , January 2, 2017 at 9:37 amI agree Elizabeth we do need Independent Media. I wish our news was more International Independent, and I think that maybe coming. I see people posting comments on this site from International Countries, so it's already happening. I read some foreign sites myself, but I hope that if allowed to continue that this average person may be able to interact with other peoples of the world, and make some sense of all of this. Maybe I'm a dreamer, but a person can dream can't they?
This 2017 New Years Americans are permitted to blame Vladimir Putin for they're getting obnoxiously drunk while bringing in the New Year with a couple a bottles of Stolichnaya .this maybe void in Vermont, considering.
This Russian hacking scare is scaring some Americans for real, and that ain't good, because with the hysteria comes the loss of more freedoms. Each episode of terror or security related troubled matters comes America's way, means the end of a Right. Our grandchildren of this new century will assume there always was a Homeland Security, because it's always been there as long as they can remember. The most pathetic part of all of this is that it all began to be set in motion over Hillary's loss. I'll end it here, but your essay was spot on and intelligent on top of that.
jo6pac , January 2, 2017 at 11:51 am"Who controls the issuance of money controls the government!" Nathan Meyer Rothschild
June 13, 2016 Which Corporations Control The World?
A surprisingly small number of corporations control massive global market shares. How many of the brands below do you use?
Zachary Smith , January 2, 2017 at 1:09 pmThen there's this.
http://variety.com/2016/film/news/george-clooney-white-helmets-rescuers-syria-1201945608/
Brian , January 2, 2017 at 1:31 pmI just ran into a little essay which suggests to me that The War Against Alternative Information is actually one of many campaigns in a much larger conflict. Regarding the link, the author is somebody I've never heard of, and I hope and pray he doesn't turn out to be a neo-nazi or some similar kind of nut.
Trump sensing Obama's resort to violent retaliation against Russia, and the likelihood he would turn the gun to 'Putin's accomplice', the President-elect decided to take precautionary measures, he replaced Obama's secret service by his private security guards.
... ... ...
There is little doubt that the murder of the Russian Ambassador will be the beginning of a cycle of violent assassinations. It is certain that Putin and Trump will take the appropriate defensive measures.I don't follow Roman Catholic affairs, but last I heard the current Pope hadn't moved into the Vatican. It's my opinion that's the only reason the man is still alive. Still an opinion, but his hyper-caution is something other people ought to imitate.
http://www ..unz.com/jpetras/portrait-of-an-assassin-obamas-revenge/
Stephen , January 2, 2017 at 2:57 pmJan 1, 2017 2017: TRUTH RISING - Melissa & Aaron Dykes
Aaron and Melissa Dykes are truth researchers, truth journalists and truth filmmakers. Their excellent website Truthstreammedia com and You Tube channel by the same name are two must visit destination for anyone who wants to be informed about the REAL issues we face. Truthstreammedia is the antithesis to the "fake news" you'll get from CNN and mainstream media outlets.
I believe the war criminals past and present are terrified that the sleeping masses might finally wake up. Therefore, they are attempting to shut down alternative voices, and continuing their propaganda via their corporate hand maidens.
"There is overwhelming evidence that wars on a number of countries were planned. Yet, this evidence is censored and covered up by many of the so-called "searchers for truth," in the "investigative media." The TV "news" parrots propaganda daily and the "newspapers" do likewise "
[read more at link below]
http://graysinfo.blogspot.ca/2016/12/the-propaganda-peddlers-war-criminals.html
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Jan 02, 2017 | www.zerohedge.com
Submitted by Daniel Greenfield via FrontPageMag.com,It was the end of the big year with three zeroes. The first X-Men movie had broken box office records. You couldn't set foot in a supermarket without listening to Brittney Spears caterwauling, "Oops, I Did It Again." And Republicans and Democrats had total control of both chambers of legislatures in the same amount of states. That was the way it was back in the distant days of the year 2000.
In 2016, Republicans control both legislative chambers in 32 states. That's up from 16 in 2000.
What happened to the big donkey? Among other things, the Democrats decided to sell their base and their soul to a very bad billionaire and they got a very bad deal for both.
... ... ...
Obama's wins concealed the scale and scope of the disaster. Then the party woke up after Obama to realize that it had lost its old bases in the South and the Rust Belt. the neoliberals had hollowed it out and transformed it into a party of coastal urban elites, angry college crybullies and minority coalitions.
Republicans control twice as many state legislative chambers as the Democrats. They boast 25 trifectas , controlling both legislative chambers and the governor's mansion. Trifectas had gone from being something that wasn't seen much outside of a few hard red states like Texas to covering much of the South, the Midwest and the West.
The Democrats have a solid lock on the West Coast and a narrow corridor of the Northeast, and little else. The vast majority of the country's legislatures are in Republican hands. The Democrat Governor's Association has a membership in the teens. In former strongholds like Arkansas, Dems are going extinct. The party has gone from holding national legislative majorities to becoming a marginal movement.
... Much of this disaster had been funded with Soros money. Like many a theatrical villain, the old monster had been undone by his own hubris. Had Soros aided the Democrats without trying to control them, he would have gained a seat at the table in a national party. Instead he spent a fortune destroying the very thing he was trying to control.
George Soros saw America in terms of its centers of economic and political power. He didn't care about the vast stretches of small towns and villages, of the more modest cities that he might fly over in his jet but never visit, and the people who lived in them. Like so many globalists who believe that borders shouldn't exist because the luxury hotels and airports they pass through are interchangeable, the parts of America that mattered to him were in the glittering left-wing bubble inhabited by his fellow elitists.
Trump's victory, like Brexit, came because the neoliberals had left the white working class behind. Its vision of the future as glamorous multicultural city states was overturned in a single night. The idea that Soros had committed so much power and wealth to was of a struggle between populist nationalists and responsible internationalists. But, in a great irony, Bush was hardly the nationalist that Soros believed. Instead Soros spent a great deal of time and wealth to unintentionally elect a populist nationalist.
... ... ...
Soros fed a political polarization while assuming, wrongly, that the centers of power mattered, and their outskirts did not. He was proven wrong in both the United States of America and in the United Kingdom. He had made many gambles that paid off. But his biggest gamble took everything with it.
"I don't believe in standing in the way of an avalanche," Soros complained of the Republican wave in 2010.
But he has been trying to do just that. And failing.
"There should be consequences for the outrageous statements and proposals that we've regularly heard from candidates Trump and Cruz," Soros threatened this time around. He predicted a Hillary landslide.
He was wrong.
... ... ...
The_Juggernaut -> Normalcy Bias , Jan 1, 2017 5:56 PM
They sold their souls for campaign dollars and look what it got them. lmfao.AlaricBalth -> Croesus , Jan 1, 2017 6:31 PMWhere is the outrage concerning Soros' attempted hack of the 2016 election?Perimetr -> AlaricBalth , Jan 1, 2017 6:34 PMI wouldn't give Soros that much credit. Sure, he helped, but face it, mainstream corporate media is now the Ministry of Truth. And both the Democrat and Republican elites have been working overtime in the last 16 years to dismantle the Constitution and Bill of Rights.Paul Kersey -> two hoots , Jan 1, 2017 7:11 PMThe Deplorables at least understand they have been betrayed by BOTH parties.
I'm guessing that even without the billionaire polarizing meddler Soros, the limousine liberal group, made up of the crooked Clintons, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Debbie Washerwoman-Schitz, Chuck 'the fuck' Schumer and the Obamas, was more than enough to sink a very divided, primary election-rigged Democrat Partytazs -> For Ages We Shall Reign , Jan 1, 2017 9:17 PMSoros also financed the entire conflict with Russia.weburke -> tazs , Jan 1, 2017 9:26 PMhttp://biblicisminstitute.wordpress.com/2015/03/17/the-truth-about-the-c...
he is under the control of otherscheka -> weburke , Jan 1, 2017 10:04 PMalso, the clinton group is and has been regular murderers.
a few decades ago the dims were viewed as the party of the working manEirik Magnus Larssen -> cheka , Jan 2, 2017 4:27 AMthey ditched the working man to court the various hate groups - nyc skype, gay, black, illegal, globalist warmers, etc
apparently the hate groups don't have the time to vote their dim masters into office
Paul Kersey -> Eirik Magnus Larssen , Jan 2, 2017 5:37 AM" they ditched the working man to court the various hate groups - nyc skype, gay, black, illegal, globalist warmers, etc "Inclusive politics are not at the root of the crisis which the center-left is now experiencing on both sides of the Atlantic. Neoliberalism is.
Neoliberal lobbyists have successfully co-opted the policies & talking points of the center-left over the last two decades, and in so doing, poisoned progressive politics with a deep affinity for Wall Street, financialization, and free trade. Under neoliberalism, equality for all took a back seat to representational diversity within Western popular culture, redistribution was repurposed to include corporate welfare programs & taxpayer funded bail-outs for banks, and tolerance became increasingly subdued by identity politics.
Today, we witness this phenomenon across all major center-left parties & their associated media pundits. A prominent example would be the vocal support that mainstream neoliberal outlets, such as the Financial Times, Bloomberg, and The Economist, are consistently offering to the Social Democratic parties & candidates. These neoliberal platforms take on a public profile of social radicalism on key social issues, while they relentlessly advocate for unfettered free trade and a form of laissez faire capitalism at the same time.
It was the takeover by neoliberalism that heralded the beginning of the end for Social Democracy. Nothing else. The consequences of this neoliberal-sized myopia, stupidity & hubris include historically low levels of trust in public institutions, and a rapidly rising tide of right-wing populism & ethnic nationalism across the West. Neoliberal policy is responsible for the current state of affairs in our societies; ergo, its advocates & pundits are to be held accountable for such events as Brexit and the election of Donald Trump. This fully includes legally accountable.
Erik, when haven't England and the US been governed by neoliberals? Neoliberals control by divide and conquer tactics. In the US, elections have always been rural vs city, young vs old, white vs non-white. Even when Obama won, he didn't win the white vote, the rural vote or the old vote. Brexit, too, was about young vs old, rural vs city and white vs non-white.Eirik Magnus Larssen -> fleur de lis , Jan 2, 2017 8:09 AMIn the big national elections, it comes down to which sides get out the vote. In the case of the Presidential election, the Democrats, who couldn't have picked a more entitled, crooked and repulsive candidate, just couldn't get out enough of their own vote out her. In the case of the Brexit election, it was the fear of the non-urban whites being over run by immigrants, that made the difference.
How much do your corporate sponsors pay for each attempt at disrupting public criticism of neoliberalism?Eirik Magnus Larssen -> fleur de lis , Jan 2, 2017 9:22 AMI make a salient point about the detrimental influence of neoliberal & corporate lobbying on society, and soon after a troll appears to try divert attention away from the class struggle, and channel it right back to identity politics and the scapegoating of ethnic/religious minorities. It brings to mind the following quote, actually:Eirik Magnus Larssen -> fleur de lis , Jan 2, 2017 9:24 AM" Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacificsts for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country. " - Hermann Goering
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_G%C3%B6ring
It makes one wonder what else neoliberals and the far-right might have in common beyond the mutual adoration for corporate welfare & racial hierarchy.
The irony is thick:Paul Kersey -> Eirik Magnus Larssen , Jan 2, 2017 10:10 AM1) https://www2.stetson.edu/library/green/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/prize_...
2) https://intercontinentalcry.org/colonialism-genocide-and-gender-violence...
Your corporate & neoliberal sponsors are the inheritors & beneficiaries of these " American legacies". And judging by the events of the 2008 financial crisis, they are far from being done with destroying the lives of people they somehow deem inherently "inferior".
Perhaps the legacies of class warfare & racial hierarchy should end.
EML, would it kill you to be a bit more balanced in your comments? You always end up with a rant about the "far-right" and "identity politics". Do you deny that the far left constantly disparages Jews and working class whites, who these leftists refer to as "white trash" and "trailer trash"?Eirik Magnus Larssen -> shovelhead , Jan 2, 2017 9:40 AMAnd, if you were to give any kind of balance to your comments, you'd refer to "leftists" like Brzezinski, Carter, Rubin, Billary Clinton, Summers and Jay Rockefeller as neoliberals. Try not being such a polarizing one-trick pony, or at least save yourself time by using the term, 'ditto' for your posts, since most of your posts appear to be redundant pleas for negative attention.
Hermann Goering, please. Now you are resorting to Godwin's Law. How pathetic.
"I would suggest, rather than a take-over by this shadowy "Neo-Liberals", that the facts are that normal people don't want to be associated with..."American Gorbachev -> cheka , Jan 2, 2017 8:40 AMAre these the "normal people" you are referring to?
https://www.desmogblog.com/2016/09/15/dakota-access-pipeline-fake-twitte...
yep, soros is finishing the job begun by Scoop Jackson and the DLC. "There's not a dime's worth of difference between the Democratic and Republican parties" - G. Wallace 1968. He was right then, even more correct in 2014JungleCat -> tazs , Jan 2, 2017 9:54 AMin 2017 ??? time will tell
"...former Nazi collaborator" ??fx -> For Ages We Shall Reign , Jan 2, 2017 4:02 AMPlease. He was 14 and a half when the Nazis surrendered in Budapest (where he lived). Soros may be pernicious, but drop this "Nazi collaborator" bullshit.
The Dems a party of "radical leftists"?? Are you kidding me? they are a bunch of corrupt liars at every party level that has even a slight real influence on state or national policies, by and large. The same ist true for the republicans.JRobby -> Paul Kersey , Jan 1, 2017 7:31 PMOh, and Soros is no leftist billionaire either. He is a globalist, elitist NWO world government crook who wants to enslave mankind for his own personal enrichment no matter what.
His "open society" and "reflexivity" bullsh!t is just some empty talk and blabbering to fool and deceive people.
He sold out his fellow jews to the Nazis back in the dark times of the 1930s/1940s; he virtually delivered them to the Nazio slaughterhouse and never ever regretted it. He is doing and always will do the same to everybody else.
His only "principle" and "ideology" is "Soros first". he has more money than he can ever spend in his remaining life span, yet he still cannot grab enough $$. Leftist? Not!
Soros did a great job helping Oblivio and Hillary obliterate the Democratic Party.WestVillageIdiot -> JRobby , Jan 1, 2017 7:38 PMOblivio - Obliterate - Oblivion
And nobody seems to discuss how Putin became Public Enemy Number One in the minds of the Dems after Russia put out a warrant on Soros. Coincidence?strannick -> WestVillageIdiot , Jan 1, 2017 7:42 PMPutin showed the world that you could aspire towards Christian nationhood, and take yourselves out from under the debt enslaved thumb of Zoinist Rothchild Bankers. For that he must be stopped.cheka -> strannick , Jan 1, 2017 10:05 PMif Russia would start taking 3rd world 'refugees' they could get back in skype good gracesbuttmint -> cheka , Jan 2, 2017 2:21 AMcheka...good point, you forgot the:strannick -> Paul Kersey , Jan 1, 2017 7:39 PM/sarc
Dear Democrats;OneEyedJack -> Perimetr , Jan 1, 2017 7:01 PMNext time, dont sell your soul to a very bad billionaire. Instead, listen to Putins Christmas speech
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-12-26/vladimir-putin%E2%80%99s-christ...
Soros was only part of the problem for the democrats, Mostly the blame falls on the ones that let it go into ruin. So blinded by the money, couldn't see the obvious.Amun -> Blankone , Jan 1, 2017 8:51 PM"They have financed both sides of every war since Napoleon. They own your news, the media, your oil and your government. Yet most of you don't even know who they are."RiverRoad -> OneEyedJack , Jan 1, 2017 8:44 PMThe Clinton Machine took them all down, riding over anything and anyone who got in their way.Theosebes Goodfellow -> Perimetr , Jan 2, 2017 12:19 AMgreenskeeper carl -> AlaricBalth , Jan 1, 2017 6:57 PM~"I wouldn't give Soros that much credit."~Actually, I find this post to be a very accurate summation of what the 2016 election turned out to be. It is true that it was not Soros alone who created the evil that was done, but he was the money bags behind it.
The corrupt avarice of the Clintons and the Chicago Mafia were all that was needed to complete the complete destruction. What is disturbing is how incapable those whose guilt is writ in this fiasco are of coming to terms with their very own failures. All you see them do is try to blame others for their iniquities.
I can think of no finer display of corrupt pettiness than how they have acted since the election. And to think they almost ended up running this country. It does appear as if the Fortunes shine upon us. Time will tell.
Since it came from Soros, Its "good" influence. Its only bad when such things hurt democrats. Kinda like all the "russian hacking" nonsense. The neoliberals bitches and moans about foreign interference in our election, but their entire national strategy relies upon same.New World Chaos -> greenskeeper carl , Jan 1, 2017 8:14 PMThey import millions of foreigners who overwhelmingly vote democrat. They wouldn't stand a chance in a national election without a shitload of non americans voting. How exactly that isn't defined as 'foreign interference in our elections' is beyond me.
Also funny how the democrat party has allowed itself to become the big money, corporate party. They rely on billionaire money to operate. All that money spend and they still couldn't get killery her crown. I never thought Id say this, but it looks like we all owe old georgie a big thank you for what he did. I doubt the germans would feel the same, but him destroying the neoliberals trying to remake it in his imagine did us a big favor this time around.
Also have to thank Soros for Black Lives Matter. When the revolution comes, there will be a bunch of cops on our side, and most of the angry nutbags who kill random cops will be black, which means there will be even more cops on our side.Amun -> New World Chaos , Jan 1, 2017 9:01 PMWithin a few years maybe we will thank Soros for a fascist Europe and the giant enema which will follow. And the Farce will come full circle for this devil who got his start betraying his own people to the Nazis so he could steal their shit.
"Zionists Sacrificed Jews to the HolocaustSoDamnMad -> Croesus , Jan 2, 2017 3:18 AMThe word "Holocaust" is a Biblical term for "burnt sacrifice." Why refer to genocide as "a sacrifice"? - See more at: https://www.henrymakow.com/2013/11/Zionists-Sacrificed-Jews-in-Holocaust...
"Excerpts from Perfidy are printed below. We begin with Adolf Eichmann's testimonial to Kastner's activities, which Hecht quoted from "Eichmann's Confessions" published in the November 28 and December 5, 1960 editions of LIFE magazine.
In Hungary my basic orders were to ship all the Jews out of Hungary in as short a time as possible. . . . In obedience to Himmler's directive, I now concentrated on negotiations with the Jewish political officials in Budapest . . . among them Dr. Rudolf Kastner, authorized representative of the Zionist Movement. This Dr. Kastner was a young man about my age, an ice-cold lawyer and a fanatical Zionist. He agreed to help keep the Jews from resisting deportation -- and even keep order in the collection camps -- if I would close my eyes and let a few hundred or a few thousand young Jews emigrate illegally to Palestine.
It was a good bargain. For keeping order in the camps, the price . . . was not too high for me ....We trusted each other perfectly. When he was with me, Kastner smoked cigarets as though he were in a coffeehouse. While we talked he would smoke one aromatic cigaret after another, taking them from a silver case and lighting them with a silver lighter. With his great polish and reserve he would have made an ideal Gestapo officer himself.Dr. Kastner's main concern was to make it possible for a select group of Hungarian Jews to emigrate to Israel. . . .
As a matter of fact, there was a very strong similarity between our attitudes in the S.S. and the viewpoint of these immensely idealistic Zionist leaders . . . . I believe that Kastner would have sacrificed a thousand or a hundred thousand of his blood to achieve his political goal. . . . "You can have the others," he would say, "but let me have this group here." And because Kastner rendered us a great service by helping to keep the deportation camps peaceful, I would let his group escape. After all, I was not concerned with small groups of a thousand or so Jews. . . . That was the "gentleman's agreement" I had with the Jews. (p.261) - See more at: https://www.henrymakow.com/2013/11/Zionists-Sacrificed-Jews-in-Holocaust...
I would love for him to get "snatched" and dropped into the land of hackers. I am sure he would find the justice he deserves.Dennisen -> Normalcy Bias , Jan 1, 2017 5:57 PMI wonder why the Simon Weisenthal Center never went after him.
Sadly, everyone has a price. And he has the checkbook.Oldwood -> Dennisen , Jan 1, 2017 6:31 PMAnd he ain't done yet. The question is...how desperate will they become?SWRichmond -> Oldwood , Jan 1, 2017 8:06 PMEveryone, especially politicians. Destroying political parties is the easiest thing on the world, as they are completely populated by greedy sociopaths. As long as they are getting rich they are "winning".Moe Hamhead -> NoWayJose , Jan 1, 2017 7:25 PMI think Obama deserves a share of the credit. And Hillary, yes, of course Hillary deserves to take a bow as well.insanelysane -> dogfish , Jan 1, 2017 6:51 PMAnd...., well Soros certainly was Executive Producer though.
The Koch brothers stayed out of the fray as they do not like Trump. The neoliberals tried to make the Kochs a demon but no one was buying the bullshit. The neoliberals needs demons as they don't have an actual platform that is economically feasible. Unfettered immigrants coming in coupled with jobs leaving isn't sustainable. The old saying "we make it up in volume" applies.dexter_morgan -> VWAndy , Jan 1, 2017 8:05 PMNot this year really. They were not behind Trump, supported HRC if I am not mistaken, after Trump won the nomination.WestVillageIdiot -> uncle_disgusting , Jan 1, 2017 7:40 PMThing about the Krotch brothers that is different from Soros is they try to influence thing to benefit themselves financially, not necessarily to destroy the country, where Soros is flat out anti traditional American values and US constitution. The constitution is the only thing that has kept us from being a full blown totalitarian state run by global government so far, so it has to be destroyed in his mind.
I could be wrong, but don't think the Krotch brothers are out to destroy the constitution, just obscenely enrich themselves bordering on illegally.
The Washington Post is now referred to as Bezos' Blog. Get with the program, man.Yog Soggoth -> Midas , Jan 1, 2017 6:49 PMRussians put the weeds in your lawn ... at night. Soros has always been a major problem for the entire world, and that is why the news will be very interesting this year, because everyone knows. Happy new year.stant , Jan 1, 2017 5:58 PMAnd now the Dems big donors want a audit of the 1.5 bill lost on the election. Looking at the carnage they won't be so generous in the futureJacksons Ghost , Jan 1, 2017 6:00 PMHell has a special spot for this vermin, may he go there soon.chosen , Jan 1, 2017 6:01 PMGoodbye, Democratic Party. See you maybe in 16 years, but I doubt it. My guess is a different party will be formed to challenge the Republicans in 2032, and the Democrats will go the way of the Bull Moose Party, as in extinction.dexter_morgan -> chosen , Jan 1, 2017 7:58 PMThe status of the national part of the Republican party seems a little up in the air to me. If Trump is moderately successful in draining the swamp I think that bodes poorly for the neocon warmongering old guard wing of the party. And that is a good thing if it happens.chosen -> dexter_morgan , Jan 1, 2017 9:13 PMThe neocons can easily move over to the Democratic Party. Some of them already are. The Democrats would welcome them.dexter_morgan -> chosen , Jan 1, 2017 11:17 PMActually, that is where they came from. Bill Kristol sr., Perle, etc. were democrats until democrats became the anti war party in the 60's of George McGovern, they couldn't abide with that so they moved to the republican party which was historically more isolationist and anti war, because war was bad for business.red1chief -> ILIKEMITTENS , Jan 1, 2017 7:02 PMThen the self perpetuating MIC that Eisenhower warned of became ascendant and then war was even more of a racket than it always was. Their influence came to the fore with Bush Sr.
Reagan had some in his administration, but he fired many or moved them out of positions of power when it came to his attention they were following their own agenda. And yet, he had enough to convince him of the Iran contra stuff.
Funny how you forgot the military-industrial complex, wall street, healthcare scam etc. That's where most of it goes, but they keep the sheeple blaming the poor.
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www.nytimes.com
Since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, Ms. Merkel has been the most consequential voice for punishing Russia. The next year, she welcomed a million refugees into Germany, and pushed the rest of Europe to do the same - thus, in the view of Russian ethno-nationalists, diluting European culture. And she still believes in a united, integrated European Union, a bastion of liberal values and, at least implicitly, a political and economic bulwark against Russia.
... ... ...
Here, we can draw valuable lessons from the Cold War. What Russia does today is very much the digital version of what we Germans, before 1989, termed "Zersetzung." The term is hard to translate, but it's best described as the political equivalent of what happens when you pour acid on organic material: dissolution and disintegration.
The methods of Zersetzung are to cast doubt on the basic norms of the Western liberal order and its institutions; to distort and thereby discredit the purposes of the European Union, NATO and the free-market economy; to erode the credibility of the free press and free elections. The means of Zersetzung include character assassination and, through the spreading of lies and fake news, the creation of a gray zone of doubt in which facts struggle to survive.
... ... ...
Jochen Bittner is a political editor for the weekly newspaper Die Zeit and a contributing opinion writer.
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Jan 01, 2017 | www.zerohedge.com
Submitted by David Spring via TurningPointNews.org,On December 29, 2016, the Hill posted an article discussing a 13 page report by the FBI and DHS claiming that their 13 page report was "evidence" of Russian hacking in US elections.
http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/312132-fbi-dhs-release-report-on-russia-hackingWikileaks has repeatedly stated that the source of its leaks was a disgruntled Democratic Party insider.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4034038/Ex-British-ambassador-WikiLeaks-operative-claims-Russia-did-NOT-provide-Clinton-emails-handed-D-C-park-intermediary-disgusted-Democratic-insiders.htmlHowever, President Obama issued a press release on December 29 2016 using the DHS-FBI report to justify increasing sanctions against Russia.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/12/29/statement-president-actions-response-russian-malicious-cyber-activityI therefore decided to see what the evidence was of Russian involvement in US Elections. The Hill article linked to this 13 page government press release as its proof of Russian hacking.
https://www.us-cert.gov/sites/default/files/publications/JAR_16-20296.pdfThe government press release written by DHS-FBI did not mention Wikileaks in its report. Nor did the report provide any evidence of Russian hacking in the US elections. Instead, the press release stated that "technical indicators" of Russian hacking were in the "CSV file and XML file attached with the PDF." However, there was no CSV or XML file or link attached with the PDF. I was eventually able to find these two files at this link.
https://www.us-cert.gov/security-publications/GRIZZLY-STEPPE-Russian-Malicious-Cyber-ActivityTo see the evidence of Russian hacking first hand, I downloaded the CSV file and converted it into a spreadsheet. The CSV file and the XML file both contained the same data. Here is the XML link to this data which can be viewed online in a web browser.
https://www.us-cert.gov/sites/default/files/publications/JAR-16-20296.xmlBoth files provide a list of 895 "indicators" of Russian Hacking. Unfortunately, nearly all of these indicators are simply IP addresses. In other words, it is a list of 895 servers from from more than 40 countries around the world. But the list also includes a few website domain names. (Domain names are simply the name of the website such as Youtube.com). I looked up these website domain names with the the following tool which tells us who owns the domain names and where they are located:
https://www.whois.net/My review of these domain names confirmed that none of these domain names have any relationship to Russian government hackers. Here are the results for four of the domain names provided by the DHS and the FBI as evidence of Russian hacking:
ritsoperrol.ru is not in use. It is registered to a private person. The named server hosting the domain is nserver: ns0.xtremeweb.de. This is a German web hosting and consulting company whose address and phone number are publicly listed on their website. It is highly unlikely that Russian hackers would use a public German web host to register and host their domain names.
littlejohnwilhap.ru is not in use and is available to be purchased. It is unlikely that Russian hackers would use a domain name like this to launch a cyber attack on the US.
wilcarobbe.com is taken and is not in use. It is registered to Arsen Ramanov in Groznenskaya Russia. His address, phone number and email address are all publicly listed. It is highly unlikely that Russian hackers would use a domain name that was publicly listed. Hackers are not idiots.
one2shoppee.com is taken and is registered with GoDaddy.com. It is not currently in use. But it is highly unlikely that Russian Hackers would register their domain names with GoDaddy – which is a US server. In fact, it is very unlikely that Russian hackers would ever use any US servers. They would only use their own servers.
How did these four domain names get on a list of Russian hackers? It is possible that some unknown agents took over these domain names and may have used them for some kind of hacking activity. However, the agents could have just as easily been from the US as from Russia. In fact, it is not likely that these domain names were taken over by Russian hackers for the simple reason that Russian hackers are way to smart to be using these silly tactics.
None of the 885 IP addresses have any confirmed relationship to Russian Government Hackers
An IP address is simply a numerical designation for a server. The 885 IP addresses listed in the DHS – FBI CSV file were even more interesting. The IP addresses were located on servers from the US and more than 40 nations around the world including more than 30 IP addresses supposedly located in China. Here are a few of the IP addresses
167.114.35.70 185.12.46.178 46.102.152.132 178.20.55.16 I looked up several of these IP addresses using the following tool:
http://whatismyipaddress.com/ip-lookupHere are a four examples of IP addresses in the DHS-FBI report:
167.114.35.70 is a Canadian Corporate server specializing in the promotion of Bitcoin. They are within a few miles of the US border.
185.12.46.178 is a Swiss corporate server associated with the domain name leavesorus.com. The domain name leavesorus.com is currently available to be purchased. This indicates that this is a fake domain name and likely a fake corporation.
46.102.152.132 is another Swiss corporate server this one specializing in emails and associated with the domain name maxsultan.xyz which is a fake domain name. This also indicates that this is another fake corporation.
178.20.55.16 is a proxy server with no known location but has been used as a TOR router exit node. A proxy server is another name for a mirror or server used to bounce information from one server to another in order to hide the true location of the original server. This proxy server is associated with the domain name nos-oignons.net. This domain name was registered on December 31 2012 and is valid until December 31 2017. In other words, whoever got this domain name paid for its use for 5 years. But they did registered the domain name anonymously. The website associated with this server appears to be a group in France promoting the TOR router. They became an association in May 2013 – 5 months after getting the domain name. The group currently has 5 members and it costs one Euro to join this group. Their website was reported 9 days ago as having been infected with the Zues virus. This infection does not leave tracks on server logs. So it is difficult to tell where it came from. Removal of this virus requires a complete rebuild of the server. In short, some agency decided to take out this server and then use it to make a cyber attack on some US government agency and thus have the IP address listed on the DHS-FBI list as one of 895 indicators of Russian hacking.
Many of the IP addresses yielded the same dead end or otherwise highly suspicious result - meaning that some very large agency is using hundreds of servers in various countries around the world as a front for hacking attacks. I recently researched a series of attacks on my personal websites from hundreds of IP addresses using hundreds of servers that were supposedly located in the Ukraine. I was able to confirm the exact location in the Ukraine that was supposedly being used to launch literally thousands of attacks on my websites. However, it is not credible that anyone in the Ukraine has the millions of dollars needed to be running hundreds of servers in a remote Ukrainian location. Nor is it likely that anyone in rural Ukraine would even have the knowledge to take care of hundreds of servers even if they did have the millions of dollars needed to plow into buying these servers. Nor are they likely to have the knowledge needed to be running very complex cyber attacks. Ukraine is just not a good location for servers. This experience convinced me that attacks were being launched from other locations and were merely being routed through Ukraine in order to mislead people about where the attacks were really coming from.
Next, the CSV file provided by DHS-FBI listed the physical location of all 885 IP addresses. What is most ironic is that, only two of the 885 IP addresses were from servers in Russia. The most common location of the hacking servers was the United States. Over 30 of the servers were supposedly located in China. But it is known that the NSA has the ability to use satellite mirrors to hide the locations of their servers – making folks believe that the attacks are coming from China (or Ukraine or Mongolia) when in fact they are coming from servers located in the US.
... ... ...
Actually, there were two Russian servers located on lines 259 and 261. Here are the IP addresses.
93.171.203.244 95.105.72.78 Here is more information about each of these:
93.171.203.244 This is a clean broadband server located near Ufa which is a city in Russia with one million people. It is associated with an organization called Miragroup Ltd. The website is rxbrothers.ru. Naturally, this is a fake domain name which is available to be purchased. Miragroup is actually a corporation located in Great Britain.
95.105.72.78 is another clean broadband server located near Ufa. The organization is JSC Ufanet and the website is ufanet.ru which is a public broadband service started in 1997. Someone apparently is using this broadband service to hack the US government. Could this be the smoking gun that the Russian government is attacking the US? Think about it. If you were a Russian hacker, would you really use a public server located in some Russian town? I don't think so. This is more like evidence that some hacker was using the local public library.
Imagine someone launching a cyber attack from the Seattle Public library – and then our government declaring that they have evident that the mayor of the City of Seattle was responsible for the attack because "nothing happens in Seattle without the approval of the Mayor!". This is worse than a silly accusation. It is ridiculous. It is irresponsible.
Real Russian Hackers do not use Windows Servers
Only three of the servers provided in the DHS/FBI report included detailed information (despite the fact that the IP addresses provided information on all 895 servers and that DHS/FBI certainly have detailed information on all of the servers). All three servers listed in the report were Windows servers. It is highly unlikely that Russian hackers or Chinese hackers would be using Windows servers. Instead, all real hackers use Linux servers because Linux servers are much more secure than Windows servers.
https://techlog360.com/top-15-favourite-operating-systems-of-hackers/If there really was evidence of Russian hacking, the NSA would have it
Former NSA leader turned whistleblower William Binney recently stated that if the Russians really did hack the Democratic Party servers, the NSA would certainly have real evidence (not the nonsense put out in the DHS-FBI CSV file). Here is his quote from a December 29 2016 article by Glenn Greenwald: "The bottom line is that the NSA would know where and how any "hacked" emails from the DNC, HRC or any other servers were routed through the network. This process can sometimes require a closer look into the routing to sort out intermediate clients, but in the end sender and recipient can be traced across the network."
https://theintercept.com/2016/12/29/top-secret-snowden-document-reveals-what-the-nsa-knew-about-previous-russian-hacking/Edward Snowden has not only confirmed that the NSA has this ability – but that he himself used an NSA program called XKEYSCORE to monitor such attacks.
https://theintercept.com/2016/07/26/russian-intelligence-hack-dnc-nsa-know-snowden-says/Anyone with any kind of technical background in defending against hacker attacks would understand that what Binney, Snowden and Greenwald are saying is true. The evidence of their truth – most of which was supplied by Snowden from NSA documents – is overwhelming.
Conclusion
An important research principle is to follow the money. People around the world need to ask themselves who has the money and technical ability to be running hundreds and perhaps thousands of real servers and real IP addresses from fake corporations using fake websites in fake locations in more than 40 nations around the world?
What agency has already been proven to be running mass surveillance on billions of people in more than 40 nations all around the world? Whose military cyber budget is more than 10 times larger than the cyber warfare budget of the rest of the world combined? There is certainly an elephant in the room – but it is not a Russian elephant.
At a televised press conference on April 2016, former NSA agent, Edward Snowden asked the Russian leader Vladimir Putin if the Russian government engaged in mass surveillance of millions of people in a manner similar to the NSA. Putin replied that Russian law prohibited the Russian government from engaging in mass surveillance. Putin then pointed out that the Russian military budget was less than 10% of the US military budget. So even if they wanted to engage in mass surveillance, they simply did not have the money.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2014/apr/17/snowden-putin-russia-surveillance-phone-in-video
People also need to ask themselves why the FBI DHS chose to place their evidence in a CSV file and XML file rather than a normal document or spreadsheet. If this were real evidence, it would have been placed directly in the PDF report for everyone to read – not hidden away in a file the general public has little ability to read.
Finally, for the FBI or the DHS to claim that the XML-CSV file contains evidence or even indicators of Russian hacking is simply a false statement. It is a perfect example of fake news. Any news agency promoting this claim without doing even the most basic of research that would easily confirm it is false, should be listed as a fake news agency.
The real question that we should all be asking is why the DHS and FBI would destroy their reputation by posting such a fake report?
Several years ago, our CIA claimed that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. We now know that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction – meaning that we went to war and spent over a trillion dollars on a fake report. Is this new fake report a pretext for launching a cyber war against Russia? Is it intended to justify increasing US military spending?
It is hard to say what the real purpose of this fake DHS-FBI report is. But the fact that this silly list of IP addresses was the best evidence they could provide should be a strong indication that there really is no evidence of Russian hacking. Instead, it is more likely that Wikileaks is telling the truth in stating that they got the emails from a disgruntled Democratic Party insider. J S Bach bamawatson , Jan 1, 2017 8:47 PM
The DHS and FBI have no reputation to destroy. They are part of the cancerous system and thus infamously corrupt. Look at the way they handled the Hillary emails. Total proof of treason and they chose to ignore it. Do we expect any more honesty or competency from such a den of snakes?tazs Draybin Deffercon III , Jan 1, 2017 9:12 PMRussian Hacking is a politically-correct way of saying Trump stole the election.TBT or not TBT bamawatson , Jan 1, 2017 8:44 PMhttps://biblicisminstitute.wordpress.com/views-of-news/#presidenttrump
John Podesta fell for a phishing attack. So they got all of his emails. Which were embarrassing. And Huma stupidly used Carlos Danger's perving PC for government business. Shit like that. Oh, and SecState email was kept on an unsecure server in some guy's bathroom and places like that. And could not be FOIAed. Or secured. And got copied around to non-cleared persons pretty heavily and carelessly.Crash Overide TBT or not TBT , Jan 1, 2017 9:03 PMThis shit's getting ridiculously ridiculous.TBT or not TBT Crash Overide , Jan 1, 2017 9:24 PMAnd who fucking cares whether the hacker who hit the jackpot happened to be Russian or to know Russians or to have even seen Dr Zhivago or admired Baryshnykov's dancing crotch meat back in the day?DuneCreature Crash Overide , Jan 1, 2017 10:08 PMEveryone with an email account has received phishing emails. This is not sophisticated cloak and dagger or supercomputers or signal intercepts.
Its a typical old mean white guy Dem grandee who let ALL his email fly into the wind. His real thoughts and feelings and plans and reactions thereto by other old mean lefties. Which were embarrassiing.
From Planet RidiculoDr. Bonzo , Jan 1, 2017 8:32 PMBarry started the hacking wars:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/01/world/middleeast/obama-ordered-wave-of...
The NSA may have hacked the DNC with a bot released and intended for someone else. ...... That can happen very easily. ..... Just ask Barry and The Israelites
Live Hard, STUXNET Is Still In The Wild Doing Mischief To This Day, Die Free
~ DC v4.0
Great write-up. While I never had any doubt the DNC-hacks were 100% an inside job, simple deductive reasoning leads to very few other conclusions, it's nice to see a thorough parsing of the gubmint's smoke and mirrors job.uhland62 Dr. Bonzo , Jan 1, 2017 8:44 PMIt's all about incompetence.dwboston , Jan 1, 2017 8:34 PMIraq - fail. Libya - fail. Syria - fail. Constructing war against Russia using this tool - fail. I like the glass ceiling, for another little while.
"If this were real evidence, it would have been placed directly in the PDF report for everyone to read – not hidden away in a file the general public has little ability to read."SantaClaws , Jan 1, 2017 8:36 PMAnyone with Excel (which is basically anyone with a Windows PC) can open a CSV file. Of course the "hacking" claims are BS, but there's no need for hyperbole when the facts are so obvious.
" The real question that we should all be asking is why the DHS and FBI would destroy their reputation by posting such a fake report?"uhland62 , Jan 1, 2017 8:41 PMWhy? Because the most important thing to Obama is to spread his lies and other propaganda by whatever means necessary. No one should take any DHS or FBI report seriously after 8 years of Obama (and James Comey, Eric Holder, Loretta Lynch, and dozens of other agency chiefs).
My respect for this work - totally impressive, even though It's mostly beyond me. If the NSA has every keystroke that anyone makes, then they'd have everything, of course.Kirk2NCC1701 , Jan 1, 2017 8:46 PMThe Dems and all the McCain's men are just rattled that their war against Russia could be slipping away. Their next tool will be to turn Trump or impeach him.
Don't enlist or you could find yourself in a war against Russia, dead, or a damaged veteran. Don't let them use you.
As I wrote on Dec. 12, 2016: "Riddle me this, CIA..TBT or not TBT Kirk2NCC1701 , Jan 1, 2017 9:28 PM1. Is it possible to hack into a computer, and not leave a trail or unique fingerprint that leads back to You? Especially if the hack is physically initiated from outside the location (country, company or building) from where the attack is shown to originate? E.g. initiate hack from Macao or US. Is it possible? YES or NO?
2. Do you think that the Russian government, any other major Power or "Mr. Robot" hacker have the ability to do #1? YES or NO?
If the answers are Yes to both these critical questions, then you got Nothing, Zip, Zilch, Zero, Nada, Babkuss on "the Russians". At best, all you have is Conjecture or a Staged Trail.
Next "Fake Issue"?"
Reference: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-12-12/fbi-disputes-cias-fuzzy-and-amb...
Kirk2NCC1701 LetThemEatRand Dec 12, 2016 3:51 PM
p.s. As I wrote some days later, if it were me, I'd take a fresh "Burner Laptop" and initiate a hack attack from some Asian country, or even from within the US. The CIA, DNC and Obama are so full of shit, that it reeks to the moon.
The Podesta emails were obtained from a simple phishing attack that the evil old fuck fell for. This is the "hacking" that made any difference.deja , Jan 1, 2017 8:50 PM"However, it is not credible that anyone in the Ukraine has the millions of dollars needed to be running hundreds of servers in a remote Ukrainian location."any_mouse , Jan 1, 2017 8:59 PMI guess the author has never heard of botnets...
Smart hackers use bots to hide behind.captain-nemo , Jan 1, 2017 9:30 PMThat is the point of the bot networks.
I still fail to see the logic where by the release of actual emails indicating unethical, criminal actions of a group (DNC) results in accusations that "Russians hacked the election".
"Russian hackers" is the new "because 9/11" mantra.
A cyber-TSA will be soon groping you as you surf the web.
You will need a gov approved identification device to connect.
Randomly your connection will be paused while a cyber-LEO avatar pops up and asks for your id and some questions about what you are doing.
Because ... you know why.
Yen Cross , Jan 1, 2017 9:38 PMFinally a proper analyzes of the report. Thanks a lot. I am still wondering why nobody has done the same. Having read this article it's obvious they got nothing.
I bet that Obama and the deep state are gambling on that the fakestream media will do their job and misinform the sheeple and that decades of old mistrust and fake propaganda against the Russians will do the rest.
It does not matter if the evidence are fake, when most people already has bought it, and the fakestream media keeps backing it up. Hell. Even republicans have swallowed the bate.
So why did they do it?. Perhaps Obama, the deep state and the FBI and all those other agencies already knows that their days are numbered. They might as well producing just another fake report before it's over.
If Trump wants to stop and reverse this, it's not enough to clean out the FBI and all those other agencies, he has to do something with the fakestream media too, because what they are doing is strait out criminal.
Lot's of Chinese IP addresses on those lists.monad Yen Cross , Jan 1, 2017 10:19 PMWE gotta find the ISP's <sarc>
If the NSA is so good, they should have MAC numbers on those machines, and trace the serial numbers.
What you do son, is block the Chinese IP blocks at your firewall. Blook 'em all. Some hackers will complain and give you their addresses when they do. Then you show up at their house with 6 football players and they never, ever do that again.DuneCreature , Jan 1, 2017 9:39 PMTo anybody. Ever.
The NSA has the to and from metadata for sure and copies of the data content going in both directions as a bonus. This is a false flag dog and pony show to use as an excuse to expel Russian diplomats and maybe start WW III if 'somebody somewhere' deems it necessary.TruthBeforeAll , Jan 1, 2017 9:43 PMConsider it magic 'yellow cake' or a Polish radio station. ... It won't go away because you have iron clad evidence that it was never there to begin with.
This is the New World Odor where things are what you are told they are and if it kills a few million people then just get over it and be Dog Blamed glad it didn't eat your homework and kill you too.
Live Hard, It Is Hard To Argue With Rock Solid Reasoning Like That, Die Free
~ DC v4.0
Speaking of the NSA, somebody has a sense of humor in my neighborhood. I've never noticed it before tonight.Bay Area Guy , Jan 1, 2017 9:52 PMhttp://i.imgur.com/2IgHRsX.png
I tried logging in with "Password" but it didn't work. Go figure.
If the Russian hackers are so damn good at what they do, it seems ludicrous that they would leave great big arrows pointing towards themselves. Why, it's almost like a guy that drives a truck into a crowd leaving his identity card in the cab of the truck. Or it's like a bunch of guys that hijacked planes and flew them into buildings using their real names and their indestructible passpoorts to board the planes. ZH had an article yesterday quoting that hard-hitting political publication Rolling Stone magazine saying that this entire Russian hacking report has all the earmarks of a repeat of Bush the Lesser's WMD in Iraq report. I gotta agree with Rolling Stone. If a hacker is really good, and we keep getting force-fed how good the Russians are, they AIN'T going to leave their calling card in the server(s) they've hacked.Dilluminati , Jan 1, 2017 10:14 PMyep!petroglyph , Jan 1, 2017 10:12 PMSimilar to spy satellites there is a level of clarity and transparency that many advanced nations have.
That is why Hillary is such a ridiculous cunt for using a private server to perform her clinton foundation and day to day operations upon and why the US government "explicitly prohibits it."
The leaks originated and were targeted at that ridiculous cunt Hillary and she made us all less safe by being corrupt, stupid, and unethical in her office of trust.
NSA also has all.. ALLLL the emails that that criminal cunt Hillary sent.
I really do think we need a special prosecutor to get to the bottom of all of this.
a C&C command and control server could be anywhere, often these servers are used by cyber squating
http://www.thewindowsclub.com/cybersquatting-and-typosquatting
The domain at that point in time might be different than it is now.
That is why MD5 and chain of custody is required to illsutrate what the conditions were.
Somewhere in this monster bureaucracy imitating a government "for the people" is somebody[s] collecting a fat paycheck and bennies to make damn sure our election didn't get hacked by Russians. Could somebody please fire the fucker if we were actually hacked.Phillyguy , Jan 1, 2017 10:29 PMI am suffering from bullshit burnout. I just want the election to be over for awhile, my god what an inept bunch of hacks running the country, [into the ground].
The entire Russian "hacking" saga was nonsense from day 1 and indicative of severe structural problems confronting US capitalism and raging battles going on between competing factions within the financial elite controlling US foreign policy. These divisions have become more pronounced following: 1) Trump's upset victory in November and 2) the military debacle for the US/NATO in Syria. Trumps victory notwithstanding, expect these divisions to become increasingly ferocious as the economic vice continues tightening. Very dangerous times ahead.Dutch1 , Jan 1, 2017 11:01 PMAny hacker good enough to work for a big government agency would be good enough to not get caught. All big governments spy and hack eachother. They may know they've been hacked and even speculate who may have done it, but there is no so called definitive "evidence" at that level.Evidence of a hack probably, evidence of who.... no fucking way. Here the government goes again trying to create a boogeyman to promote some rich people's agenda. Pretty sure the NSA spys and hacks eeeevverryyybody.... hypocrites.
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www.zerohedge.com
Asked what that information included, the Republican President-elect said, " You will find out on Tuesday or Wednesday ." He did not elaborate.Trump also reiterated his belief that others might be responsible for the cyberattacks: "I know a lot about hacking. And hacking is a very hard thing to prove. So it could be somebody else. And I also know things that other people don't know, and so they cannot be sure of the situation."
"I think it's unfair if we don't know. It could be somebody else," Reuters cited Trump as telling the media.
He also added that computers are a risky form of communication. "It's very important, if you have something really important, write it out and have it delivered by courier, the old fashioned way because I'll tell you what, no computer is safe," Mr. Trump added. "I don't care what they say, no computer is safe. I have a boy who's 10 years old, he can do anything with a computer. You want something to really go without detection, write it out and have it sent by courier."
HoserF16 , Jan 1, 2017 9:51 AMYeah like "The Russians Didn't Do It!"chunga HoserF16 , Jan 1, 2017 9:54 AMHis name was Seth Rich.CuttingEdge chunga , Jan 1, 2017 10:02 AMMethinks Langley is in for a bit of Trump bulldozing if he has an inkling they are trying to fuck him over.Looney CuttingEdge , Jan 1, 2017 10:04 AM0bama's predecessors, at least, used to put some effort into False Flags and Spook-Ops.
0bama comes up with a lie, without any evidence , and just keeps repeating it like a broken Jukebox.
What a lazy-ass squirrel-bitch!
Looney
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timbers , December 31, 2016 at 9:14 amJan 01, 2017 | www.nakedcapitalism.com
Now that 0bama is about to exit as US Pres, perhaps it is time to revisit the Who Is Worse: Bush43 v 0bama question.
Conventional wisdom among "Progressive" pundits, even good ones like SecularTalk, seems to be "yes, 0bama is better than Bush43, but that is a very low bar, & not a real accomplishment. 0bama still sucks".
IMHO, 0bama's relentless pursue of 1 Grand "Bargain" Ripoff & 2 TPP, may alone make him Even Worse than Bush43, as far as to damage inflicted on USians had 0bama been successful in getting these 2 policies. 0bama tried for years getting these 2 policies enacted, whereas Bush43 tried quickly to privatize SS but then forgot it, & IIRC enacted small trade deals (DR-CAFTA ?). Bush43 focus seemed to be on neocon regime change & War On Terra TM, & even then IIRC around ~2006 Bush43 rejected some of Darth Cheney's even more extremish neocon policy preferences, with Bush43 rejecting Cheney's desired Iran War.
IMHO both policies would've incrementally killed thousands of USians annually, far more than 1S1S or the Designated Foreign Boogeyman Du Jour TM could ever dream of. Grand Ripoff raising Medicare eligibility age (IIRC 67 to 69+ ?) would kill many GenX & younger USians in the future. TPP's pharma patent extensions would kill many USians, especially seniors. These incremental killings might exceed the incremental life savings from the ACA (mainly ACA Adult Medicaid expansion). Furthemore, 0bama could've potentially achieved MedicareForAll or Medicare Pt O – Public Option in ~2010 with Sen & House D majorities, & 0bama deliberately killed these policies, as reported by FDL's Jane Hamsher & others.
Bush43 indirectly killed USians in multiple ways, including Iraq War, War On Terra, & failing to regulate fin svcs leading to the 2008 GFC; however it would seem that 0bama's Death Toll would have been worse.
"What do you think?!" (c) Ed Schultz
How do Bush43 & 0bama compare to recent Presidents including Reagan & Clinton? What do you expect of Trump? I'd guesstimate that if Trump implements P Ryan-style crapification of Medicare into an ACA-like voucher system, that alone could render Trump Even Worse than 0bama & the other 1981-now Reganesque Presidents.
It does seem like each President is getting Even Worse than the prior guy in this 21st Century. #AmericanExceptionalism (exceptionally Crappy)
You hit the right priority of issues IMO, and would add a few bad things Obamanation did:
1). Bombing more nations than anyone in human history and being at war longer than any US President ever, having never requested an end but in fact a continuation of a permanent state of war declared by Congress.
2). The massive destruction of legal and constitutional rights from habeas corpus, illegal and unconstitutional surveillance of all people, to asserting the right to imprison, torture, and assassinate anyone anytime even America children just because Obama feels like doing it.
3). Austerity. This tanked any robust recovery from the 2008 recession and millions suffered because of it, we are living with the affects even now. In fact Obamanation's deep mystical belief in austerity helped defeat Clinton 2016.
Pat , December 31, 2016 at 9:18 amJohn Wright , December 31, 2016 at 10:15 amHAMP. And not just ignoring bank mortgage fraud, but essentially enabling it and making it the norm.
Deporting more people than Presidents before him.
Passing the Korea and Columbia free trade pacts, even lying about what the pact did to get the Columbian one passed. KORUS alone made our trade deficit with Korea soar and lost an estimated 100,000 jobs in the US (and not those part time ones being created).
Had the chance to pass a real infrastructure repair/stimulus package, didn't.
Had the chance to put the Post Office in the black and even start a Postal Bank, didn't. Didn't even work to get rid of the Post Office killing requirement to fund its pension 75 years out.
Furthering the erosion of our civil rights by making it legal to assassinate American citizens without trial.
Instead of kneecapping the move to kill public education by requiring any charter school that receives federal funding to be non-profit with real limits on allowable administrative costs, expanded them AND expanded the testing boondoggle with Common Core.
Libya.
Expansion of our droning program.While I do give him some credit for both the Iran deal and the attempt to rein in the Syria mistake, I also have to take points away for not firing Carter and demoting or even bringing Votel before a military court after their insubordination killing the ceasefire.
Should I continue. Bush was evil, Obama the more effective one.
j84ustin , December 31, 2016 at 10:52 amBush's Iraq war will cost an estimated $3 trillion per Joseph Stiglitz.
That does not count all the damage done to Iraq/Afghanistan people and property and American's reputation.
Iraq's excess deaths due to the war were estimated at 500K to 655K.
On a population adjusted basis, this would be equivalent to the USA losing 5 to 6.55 million people to a foreign, unprovoked, power.
Bush scores quite high on being an effective evil, especially when viewed from outside the USA
I score him the winner vs Obama on total damage done to the USA and the world
Pat , December 31, 2016 at 12:02 pmAbsolutely.
TedWa , December 31, 2016 at 12:50 pmWas that a disastrous choice? Certainly and it is a big one, but it also ignores how much of the disastrous choices attached to that decision Barack H. Obama has either continued or expanded upon. It also ignores how that war continues under Obama. Remember when we left Iraq? Oh, wait we haven't we just aren't there in the previous numbers.
http://time.com/4298318/iraq-us-troops-barack-obama-mosul-isis/
And what about Libya? You remember that little misadventure. Which added to our continued Saudi/Israeli determined obsession with Syria has led to a massive refugee crisis in Europe. How many were killed there. How much will that cost us fifteen years on?
https://www.ft.com/content/c2b6329a-9287-11e4-b213-00144feabdc0
I get that the quagmire was there before Obama. I also get that he began to get a clue late in his administration to stop listening to the usual subjects in order to make it better. But see that thing above about not firing people who undermined that new direction in Syria, and are probably now some of the most pressing secret voices behind this disastrous Russia Hacked US bull.
But I think only focusing on the original decision also ignores how effective Obama has been at normalize crime, corruption, torture and even assassination attached to those original choices – something that Bush didn't manage (and that doesn't even consider the same decriminalization and normalization done for and by the financial industry). Bush may have started the wheel down the bumpy road, but Obama put rubber on the wheel and paved the road so now it is almost impossible to stop the wheel.
JCC , December 31, 2016 at 12:40 pmPat – don't forget about him putting banks above the law – unconstitutional and e v i l
OpenThePodBayDoorsHAL , December 31, 2016 at 5:48 pmAs mentioned, Bush is a very low bar for comparison, and if that's the best presidential comparison that can be made with Obama, then that says it all.
crittermom , December 31, 2016 at 12:29 pmMr. O long ago received my coveted Worst_President_Ever Award (and yes the judging included Millard Fillmore and Andrew Johnson).
Handed the golden platter opportunity to repudiate the myriad policy disasters of Bush (which as cited above cost trillions of dollars and millions of lives) he chose instead to continue them absolutely unchanged, usually with the same personnel. Whether it was unprosecuted bank crime in the tens of billions, foreign policy by drone bomb, health care mega-bezzle, hyper-spy tricks on everyday Americans, and corporo-fascist globalist "trade" deals, Mr. O never disappointed his Big Wall St, Big Pharma, Big Insurance, and Big Surveillance-Industrial Complex constituents. Along the way he reversed the polarity of American politics, paving the way for a true corporo-fascist to say the slightest thing that might be good for actual workers and get into the White House. History will remember him as the president who lost Turkey and The Philippines, destroyed any remaining shreds of credibility with utterly specious hacking claims and war crime accusations of other nations, and presided over an era of hyper-concentration of billionaire wealth in a nation where 70% of citizens would need to borrow to fund a $400 emergency. Those failures are now permanently branded as "Democrat" failures. The jury is unanimous: Obama wins the award.Katharine , December 31, 2016 at 1:00 pm"HAMP. And not just ignoring bank mortgage fraud, but essentially enabling it and making it the norm."
Exactly. That is #1 on my list making him worst president ever.witters , December 31, 2016 at 7:47 pmI would question "ever" simply because I know I don't know enough about the history of previous presidents, and I doubt any of us do; even historians who focus on this kind of thing, supposing we had any in our midst, might be hard put to it to review all 44 thoroughly.
Ed , December 31, 2016 at 1:23 pmI like your epistemology! You don't know, but you do know others don't know either, even historians who clearly know a lot more on this than you.
Tom Bradford , December 31, 2016 at 8:08 pmDeclining empires tend to get entire series of bad kings.
Ray Phenicie , December 31, 2016 at 12:54 pmCause or effect?
Ray Phenicie , December 31, 2016 at 1:02 pmI vote the mortgage fraud situation (see Chain of Title by David Dayen -not really a plug for the book) as the worst aspect of the Obama Administration. What to say about it? Regular readers of this site are well versed in the details but one aspect of it needs to be expounded upon; stand on the housetops and shout it kind of exposition: the mortgage fraud worked on millions (3, 5, 7, maybe 12 million) shows that rule of law is now destroyed in the land. Dictionary .com says this about the phrase
Rule of Law: the principle that all people and institutions are subject to and accountable to law that is fairly applied and enforced; the principle of government by law.
The World Justice Project has several pages on the topic and starts off with this:
* The government and its officials and agents as well as individuals and private entities are accountable under the law.
* The laws are clear, publicized, stable, and just; are applied evenly; and protect fundamental rights, including the security of persons and property and certain core human rights.
* The process by which the laws are enacted, administered, and enforced is accessible, fair, and efficient.
* Justice is delivered timely by competent, ethical, and independent representatives and neutrals who are of sufficient number, have adequate resources, and reflect the makeup of the communities they serve.I would invite the reader to take a moment and apply those principles to what is known about the situation concerning mortgage fraud worked on millions of homeowners during the past two decades.
The Justice Department's infamous attempts to cover up horribly harmful schemes worked by the mortgage industry perpetrators involved the cruel irony of aiding and abetting systemic racism. Not a lot was said in the popular press about the subject of reverse redlining but I'm convinced by the preponderance of evidence that overly complicated mortgage products were taken into the neighborhoods of Detroit (90% Black or Latin American, Hispanic) and foisted off on unsuspecting homeowners. Those homeowners did not take accountants and lawyers with them to the signing but that's how those schemes should have been approached; then most of those schemes would have hit the trashcan. Many a charming snake oil salesman deserves innumerable nights of uncomfortable rest for the work they did to destroy the neighborhoods of Detroit and of course many other neighborhoods in many other cities. For this discussion I am making this a separate topic but I realize it is connected to the overall financial skulduggery worked on us all by the FIRE sector.
However, let me return to the last principle promulgated by the World Justice Project pertaining to Rule Of Law and focus on that: "Justice is delivered timely by competent, ethical, and independent representatives and neutrals who are of sufficient number, have adequate resources, and reflect the makeup of the communities they serve." Now hear this: "are of sufficient number" for there, and gentle reader, please take this to bed with you at the end of your day: we fail as a nation. But look to the 'competent, ethical and independent' clause; we must vow to not sink into despair. This subject is a constant struggle. Google has my back on this: Obama, during both campaigns of '08 and '12, took millions from the very financial sector that he planned to not dismay and then was in turn very busy directing the Attorney General of The United States, the highest law officer in the country, to not prosecute. These very institutions that were in turn very busy taking property worth billions. 12 million stolen homes multiplied times the average home value = Trillions?
Finally, my main point here (I am really busy sharpening this ax, but it's a worthy ax) is the issue of systemic racism- that the financial institutions in this country work long hours to shackle members of minority neighborhoods into monetarily oppressive schemes in the form of mortgages, car loans, credit cards and personal loans (think pay day scammers) and these same makers of the shackles have the protection of the highest officials in the land. Remember the pitchforks Obama inveighed? Irony of cruel ironies, two black men, both of whom appear to be of honorable bearing, (Holder moved his chair right directly into the financiers, rent takers of Covington & Burling ) work to cement the arrangements of racist, oppressive scammers who of course also work their playbooks on other folks.
To finalize, the subject of rule of law that I have worked so assiduously to sharpen, applies to all of the other topics we can consider as failures of the Obama Presidency. So besides racism and systemic financial fraud we can turn to some top subjects that make '09 to '17 the nadir of the political culture of the United States of America. Drone wars, unending war in the Middle East, attempts to place a cloak of secrecy on the workings of the Federal Government, the reader will have their own axes to sharpen but I maintain if the reader will fervently apply and dig into the four principles outlined above, she, he, will agree that the principles outlining Rule of Law have been replaced by Rule of the Person.
Ray Phenicie , December 31, 2016 at 1:22 pm(3, 5, 7. 12 million) should be 3, 5, 7, maybe 12 million
Ray Phenicie , December 31, 2016 at 1:24 pmHere's one of many scholarly articles that reviews the subject of systemic racism in the finance and mortgage industries.
Am Sociol Rev. 2010 October 1; 75(5): 629–651. doi:10.1177/0003122410380868
Racial Segregation and the American Foreclosure Crisis
Jacob S. Rugh and Douglas S. Massey
Office of Population Research, Princeton Universityhreik , December 31, 2016 at 2:22 pmArghhh, the server is apparently napping-more caffeine please for the cables.
Here's one of many scholarly articles that reviews the subject of systemic racism in the finance and mortgage industries.
Am Sociol Rev. 2010 October 1; 75(5): 629–651. doi:10.1177/0003122410380868
Racial Segregation and the American Foreclosure Crisis
Jacob S. Rugh and Douglas S. Massey
Office of Population Research, Princeton Universityhreik , December 31, 2016 at 9:09 amThe book deserves to be plugged. I thought it was great. A fast and infuriating read. And very well written.
Pat , December 31, 2016 at 9:31 amI dunno. President Obama is not great but the comments here make me feel like it's time for me to skedaddle. Thinking he might be worse than Shrub? 6″ tall, smh
Lost in OR , December 31, 2016 at 11:14 amOh I admit it can be a tough choice, but you might really want to add up the good and the bad for both. Not surprisingly there is little good and a whole lot of long ongoing damage inflicted by the policies that both either embraced, adapted to or did little or nothing to stop.
Even if the list of bad was equal, I have to give Obama for the edge for two reasons. First because Bush pretty much told us what he was going to do, Obama campaigned on change and vague promises, but still change. Instead he normalized atrocities that most of us had been screaming about in the Bush administration AND he didn't just squander the opportunities he had to change our course domestically because of the crash and the majorities in Congress, no he couldn't throw those away fast enough.
Your position is obviously different.
And I don't give a damn what height either of them are, both are small people.
ambrit , December 31, 2016 at 9:32 amIndeed. Bush was a known quantity. "Compassionate conservatism" was was blatantly hollow jingoism. My only surprise under W was how virulently evil Cheney was.
The big O, though, was handed the opportunity to change the course of history. He took power with Wall Street on its knees. The whole world hungered for a change in course. Remember "never let a crisis go to waste". O turned Hope into blatantly hollow jingoism.
In the end, the black activist constitutional lawyer turned his back on all that he seemed to be. Feint left, drive right.
With W we got what we expected. With O we got hoodwinked. What a waste.
craazyboy , December 31, 2016 at 11:47 amLook, if you don't like some of the comments you see, say so. We have some thick skinned people here. A little rancorous debate is fine. If some reasoned argumentation is thrown in, the comments section is doing it's job. (I know, I know, "agency" issues.)
Obama can be legitimately described as worse than Bush 43 because Obama ran as a "progressive" and flagrantly broke almost all of his promises and governed like a "Moderate" Republican.
At the least, Bush, Sr. and Jr. ran as right wing politicos. The people basically got what they voted for with them.
Finally, " it's time for me to skedaddle." WTF? I'm assuming, yes, I do do that, that you are a responsible and thoughtful person. That needs must include the tolerance of and engagement with opposing points of view. Where do you want to run to; an "echo chamber" site? You only encourage conformation bias with that move. The site administrators have occasionally mentioned the dictum; "Embrace the churn." The site, indeed, almost any site, will live on long after any of we commenters bite the dust. If, however, one can shift the world view of other readers with good argumentation and anecdotes, our work will be worthwhile.
So, as I was once admonished by my ex D.I. middle school gym teacher; "Stand up and face it. You may get beat, but you'll know you did your best. That's a good feeling."
ambrit , December 31, 2016 at 12:48 pmPicking the #1 Worst Prez is a fallacy inherent in our desire to put things on a scale of 1 to 10. It's so we can say, in this case, #1 was the WORST, and then forget about #2 thru #10.
It's like picking the #1 Greatest Rock Guitar Player. There are too many great guitar players and too many styles. It's just not possible.
Even so, I'd like to see the Russian citizen ranking of Putin vs. Yeltsin. Secret ballot, of course.
hreik , December 31, 2016 at 1:16 pmAmerica will be lucky if it avoids something similar to the earlier Russian people's ranking of Tsar Nicholas versus Karensky and subsequent events.
Vatch , December 31, 2016 at 3:46 pmI like your response. Thanks.
I don't think he's worse than Bush but I agree he was horribly dishonest to run as a progressive. He's far from progressive.
I think the ACA, deeply flawed as it is, was/is a good thing. It wasn't enough and it was badly brought out. I hope many thousands don't get tossed off health insurance.
My major criticism of him and most politicians is that he has no center. There is nothing for which he truly stands and he has a horrible tendency to try to make nice w the republicans. He's not progressive. Bernie, flawed also stands for something always has, always will.
ambrit , December 31, 2016 at 5:05 pmObama is highly deceptive, but I think that Bush (43) was worse. I doubt that Obama would have performed many of his worst deeds if Bush hadn't first paved the way. But we'll never know for sure, so it's possible to argue on behalf of either side of the dispute.
hunkerdown , December 31, 2016 at 5:40 pmSorry if I came across as harsh. I enjoy your arguments, so, I tried to encourage you to hang in there.
Happy New YearYves Smith , December 31, 2016 at 6:58 pmIn other words, Obama's a Kissingerian realist, or a businessperson (but I repeat myself): only permanent interests.
Happy New Year, and try to don't run off so easy. :)
Christopher Fay , December 31, 2016 at 7:35 pmI have to tell you it is inaccurate in material respects, and many of the people who played important roles in the fight were written out entirely or marginalized.
Ed , December 31, 2016 at 1:16 pmThis one's a keeper. I have to take notes including writer's name, post title, dates. Good summary.
tongorad , December 31, 2016 at 1:31 pmGW Bush sort of had two administrations. The first two years and the last two years was sort of a generic Republican but sane administration, sort of like his father's, and was OK. The crazy stuff happened in the middle four years, which maybe not coincidentally the Republicans had majorities in both house of Congress.
Obama signed off on the Big Bailout (as did GW Bush, but my impression is that the worst features of the Big Bailout were on Obama's watch(), and that defined his administration. Sometimes you get governments defined by one big thing, and that was it. But I suspect he may have prevented the neocons from starting World War III, but that is the sort of thing we won't know about until decades have passed, if we make it that long.
Jess , December 31, 2016 at 3:09 pmObama promised hope and change and delivered the exact opposite – despair and decline. Obama should be remembered as the Great Normalizer. All of the shitty things that were around when he was inaugurated are now normalized. TINA to the max, in other words.
It should be no shock to anyone that Trump was elected after what Obama did to American politics.Jess , December 31, 2016 at 3:12 pm"It should be no shock to anyone that Trump was elected after what Obama did to American politics."
Bingo. Hit that one dead solid perfect, right in the ten-ring.
Montanamaven , December 31, 2016 at 4:14 pm"It should be no shock to anyone that Trump was elected after what Obama did to American politics."
Bingo. You can say that again. Right in the ten-ring, dead solid perfect.
LT , December 31, 2016 at 6:13 pmYou got it. Obama was hired to employ "The Shock Doctrine" and he did. He was and is "a Chicago Boy"; the term Naomi Klein used for the neoliberals who slithered out of the basements of U of Chicago to visit austerity on the masses for the enhancement of the feudal lords. It is laughable that he said last week that he could have beaten Trump. As always, He implied that it was the "message" not the policy. And that he could "sell" that message better than Hilary. For him it was always about pitching that Hopey Changey "One America" spleel that suckered so many. The Archdruid calls this "the warm fuzzies". But the Donald went right into the John Edwards land of "The Two Americas". He said he came from the 1%; but was here to work for the 99% who had been screwed over by bad deals. We will see if the Barons will stand in his way or figure out that it might be time to avoid those pitchforks by giving a little to small businesses and workers in general. Like FDR, will they try to save capitalism?
The Donald has the bad trade deals right, but looks like he doesn't know what havoc Reagan wreaked on working people's household incomes and pension plans by breaking any power unions had and by coming up with the 401K scam; plus the Reagan interest rates that devastated farmers and ranchers and the idea of rewarding a CEO who put stock price above research and development and workers' salaries. But again, I believe it was a Democratic congress and a Democratic president Carter who eliminated the Usury law in 1979. From then on with stagnating wages, people began the descent into debt slavery. And Jimmy started the Shock Doctrine by deregulating the airlines and trucking. But he did penance. Can't see Obama doing that.
alex morfesis , December 31, 2016 at 6:22 pmAnd once usary laws went away, credit cards were handed out to college students, with no co-sign, even if students had no work or credit history and were unemployed.
It took until just a few years ago before they revisted that credit card policy to students.RudyM , January 1, 2017 at 12:17 amdont want to burst your bubble(or anyone elses) but obama is not and was not the power to the throne it was michelle and val jar (aka beria) it was a long series of luck that got that krewe anywhere near any real power mostly, it comes from the Univ of Chicago hopey changee thingee was a nice piece of marketing by david axelrod..
the grey lady
5-11-2008
In August 1999, Barack Obama strolled amid the floats and bands making their way down Martin Luther King Drive on Chicago's South Side. Billed as the largest African-American parade in the country, the summer rite was a draw over the years to boxing heroes like Muhammad Ali and jazz greats like Duke Ellington. It was also a must-stop for the city's top politicians.
Back then, Mr. Obama, a state senator who was contemplating a run for Congress, was so little-known in the community's black neighborhoods that it was hard to find more than a few dozen people to walk with him, recalled Al Kindle, one of his advisers at the time. Mr. Obama was trounced a year later in the Congressional race - branded as an aloof outsider more at home in the halls of Harvard than in the rough wards of Chicago politics.
But by 2006, Mr. Obama had remade his political fortunes. He was a freshman United States senator on the cusp of deciding to take on the formidable Hillary Rodham Clinton and embark on a long-shot White House run. When the parade wound its way through the South Side that summer, Mr. Obama was its grand marshal.
but to capture the arrogance of hyde park (read the last line)
A tight-knit community that runs through the South Side, Hyde Park is a liberal bastion of integration in what is otherwise one of the nation's most segregated cities. Mayor Washington had called it home, as did whites who marched with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and wealthy black entrepreneurs a generation removed from the civil rights battles of the 1960s.
At its heart is the University of Chicago; at its borders are poor, predominately black neighborhoods blighted by rundown buildings and vacant lots. For Mr. Obama, who was born in Hawaii to a white Kansan mother and an African father and who spent part of his childhood in Indonesia, it was a perfect fit.
"He felt completely comfortable in Hyde Park," said Martha Minow, his former law professor and a mentor. "It's a place where you don't have to wear a label on your forehead. You can go to a bookstore and there's the homeless person and there's the professor."
also note how the lib racist grey lady can not bring themselves to name the parade it is the
bud billiken parade
peaceful, fun, successful
heaven forbid the world should see a giant event run by black folk that does not end in violence might confuse the closet racists
dcrane , December 31, 2016 at 10:43 pmThere are enough examples of such things for it to be a reasonable expectation.
The parade also hasn't always gone without a hitch:
The 2003 parade featured B2K.[9] The concert was free with virtually unlimited space in the park for viewing. However, the crowd became unruly causing the concert to be curtailed. Over 40 attendees were taken to hospitals as a result of injuries in the violence, including two teenagers who were shot.[38] At the 2014 parade, Two teenagers were shot after an altercation involving a group of youths along the parade route near the 4200 block of King Drive around 12:30 pm.[39][40]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bud_Billiken_Parade_and_Picnic#Violence
Oregoncharles , December 31, 2016 at 11:14 pmOn balance this one should go on the "Good" list for Bush 43:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President's_Emergency_Plan_for_AIDS_Relief
Yes, the abstinence-education dimension probably wasn't worth much, but that took up only a minority share of the funds.
Cry Shop , December 31, 2016 at 8:49 amYes, they've been getting steadily worse (more right-wing) since Carter, without regard to party. That's at least 30 years now.,
Oregoncharles , December 31, 2016 at 11:15 pmJerri-Lynn, do all these last minute moves by Obama fit the pattern you observed Obie-the-wan perform at Harvard?
Clinton did it, too. I think it's a general pattern resulting from term limits – but in the case of sole executives, term limits do make sense.
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Jan 01, 2017 | yro.slashdot.org
(washingtonpost.com) 388Posted by EditorDavid on Sunday January 01, 2017 @05:12PM from the power-play dept.
Those anonymous U.S. officials who reported Russian hacking code had been found "within the system" of a Vermont power utility must've been surprised to learn the code was on a laptop that wasn't actually connected to the grid .
The Washington Post has updated their original story, which now reports that "authorities" say there's no indication that Russian hackers have penetrated the U.S. electric grid. The Post's newly-edited version appears below (with their original, now-deleted text preseved inside brackets).
A code associated with the Russian hacking operation dubbed Grizzly Steppe by the Obama administration has been detected within the system of a Vermont utility , according to U.S. officials. While the Russians did not actively use the code to disrupt operations of the utility, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss a security matter, the discovery underscores the vulnerabilities of the nation's electrical grid... [Was "the penetration of the nation's electrical grid is significant because it represents a potentially serious vulnerability."] American officials, including one senior administration official, said they are not yet sure what the intentions of the Russians might have been. The incursion [was "penetration"] may have been designed to disrupt the utility's operations or as a test by the Russians to see whether they could penetrate a portion of the grid... According to the report by the FBI and DHS, the hackers involved in the Russian operation used fraudulent emails that tricked their recipients into revealing passwords. The Vermont utility does report that they'd "detected suspicious Internet traffic" on the laptop, but they believe subsequent news coverage got the story wrong. "It's unfortunate that an official or officials improperly shared inaccurate information with one media outlet, leading to multiple inaccurate reports around the country."
king neckbeard ( 1801738 ) writes: on Saturday December 31, 2016 @12:14PM ( #53584935 )
Re:Tit for tat ( Score: 5 , Insightful)Futurepower(R) ( 558542 ) December 31, 2016 @12:27PM ( #53585001 ) HomepageOur posture is fucking horrific. We support Israel even when they blatantly violate international law. We've long sided with Saudi Arabia, the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism. We overthrew Iraq, creating ISIS. We're largely responsible for arming a good chunk of the terrorists in the world. Yeah, Russia does shitty things, but our problems are big enough that our first concern should be fixing our own problems. Not understand that, along with the unbelievable hubris of the Clintonites, is why the Democrats got their asses kicked in this election, and why they've been getting their asses kicked for so long.
As it stands right now, the best thing that could happen for world peace is for the US to go down in flames. I would rather that not happen, but if we listen to people like you instead of behaving like adults, the rational choice for the world at large is to get rid of us.
Evaluate the U.S. government? No, too many secrets ( Score: 5 , Insightful)dilvish_the_damned ( 167205 ) December 31, 2016 @11:28AM ( #53584771 ) Journal"... the US's general posture in the world is wildly preferable..."
The U.S. government has many secret and semi-secret agencies. No one, literally no one, knows all of them, or which are badly managed. As we've seen, the secret and semi-secret U.S. government agencies often hire outside consulting companies that often have areas of sloppy management. The U.S. government is, by some measures, such as money spent, the most violent in the world.
The U.S. government has killed, or caused the death of, an estimated 11,000,000 people since the end of the 2nd world war. War is extremely profitable for some corporations.
See the book, House of Bush, House of Saud [amazon.com], by Craig Unger.
Bush and Cheney started a war that was profitable for them. The U.S. has the largest percentage of its citizens in prison, of any country, in any century. The prison system is hugely profitable for prison corporations.
Two of the many articles: ACLU:
- With only 5% of the world's population, the U.S. has 25% of the world's prison population [aclu.org].
- ThinkProgress: The United States Has The Largest Prison Population In The World -- And It's Growing [thinkprogress.org].
Re:Tit for tat ( Score: 4 , Interesting)LTIfox ( 4701003 ), December 31, 2016 @10:43AM ( #53584561 )While the phishing attack may have originated in Russia, I find it disingenious to portray everything as state sponsored when the evidence is weak at best. To me its something akin to suggesting we need to retaliate against Australia every time Julian Assange takes a leak.
Countermeasures ( Score: 3 , Interesting)Anonymous Coward, December 31, 2016 @10:44AM ( #53584563 )Some organizations started to inject fake phishing emails into their communication systems. All employees who clicked get their heads bashed with a rock.
Bullshit ( Score: 5 , Informative)Velox_SwiftFox ( 57902 ), December 31, 2016 @11:23AM ( #53584745 )One laptop not on the network had malware. Fuck the washington post.
http://boingboing.net/2016/12/31/no-russia-didnt-hack-vermon.html
Re:Bullshit ( Score: 5 , Interesting)Mr D from 63 ( 3395377 ) writes: on Saturday December 31, 2016 @01:08PM ( #53585217 )Exactly, bullshit. It sounds to me like an employee used his laptop to visit an infected website, or answered a general phishing mail. Hardly an attack aimed at the grid, and volume cranked up to 11 by WP as a part of the general current panic to glorify Obama and what his administration has done, and undermine the incoming administration.
Or the WP feels it is simply unimportant to get proper attribution and any of the details right. Reply to This Parent Share
Re:Bullshit ( Score: 2 )Mr D from 63 ( 3395377 ) writes: on Saturday December 31, 2016 @01:05PM ( #53585199 )In some ways it is a success story. The Government put out a warning for a specific malware and how to detect it. The company appropriately scanned based on that warning, found the malware on a isolated laptop (which was isolated from grid systems), and appropriately reported it.
Re:Bullshit ( Score: 2 )mattwarden ( 699984 ) writes: on Saturday December 31, 2016 @10:56AM ( #53584631 ) HomepageIt should be deeply concerning, but that's effectively the result of the complete lack of care regarding OpSec and vital infrastructure. We've had reasons to be deeply concerned about that for years, if not decades, but now seems like an awfully convenient time to trot out a fact that would likely have applied at just about any point in time if we did an audit of our power grid.
What is deeply concerning? The bullshit false headline?
Re:1 laptop, not connected to the grid ( Score: 5 , Informative)Streetlight ( 1102081 ) writes: on Saturday December 31, 2016 @11:17AM ( #53584721 ) JournalI'm very happy to come to the comments section and find mostly mocking and people who looked beyond the headline. Would have been nice if the editors did that.
Here is the full takedown on The Intercept of this BS-vending from WaPo: https://theintercept.com/2016/... [theintercept.com]
Re:has to be asked ( Score: 5 , Informative)HornWumpus ( 783565 ) writes: on Saturday December 31, 2016 @01:05PM ( #53585195 )According to an earlier post the laptop that was allegedly infected was not connected to the electric company's grid control system. That conclusion answered my first question. Any vital utility system should absolutely never have it's control system of computers connected to the Internet. If somehow that's the case, those responsible need a very long prison sentence. There also needs to be other security measures to prevent folks having direct access to these control systems from sabotaging them.
Re:has to be asked ( Score: 5 , Informative)Futurepower(R) ( 558542 ), on Saturday December 31, 2016 @12:42PM ( #53585053 ) HomepageWorked in the industry for a decade. Wrote simulation shells that did short term forecasts based on on system conditions, did data reductions etc (e.g. This unit IS going down for unscheduled maintenance, how much will it cost to shut it down RTF now vs after afternoon peak?) Went on to 'tech lead' for significant energy trading/risk management platform. Ran on many traders and grid operators desks...don't ask, won't tell. Did once see a bug because grand total on printable VAR only had room for 10 digits plus sign. Assigned to Brahmin coder, week later I fixed it myself, I digress.
What you say isn't really possible. What they typically do have is a secure network, which runs operations, staffed with lots of ex-military actual Engineering school grads. That network is being monitored by redundant data integrators which present integrated (by some time interval, usually hours/half hours or minutes, back when I was up to my nose in it) system data to a second less secure (but still as secure as any corporate) network where routine operations run. That server is usually locked down tight, read only from the less secure network; but that is only software. They also like to run diverse OSs, lots of 'big iron' and Unixes and home brewed binary data formats. These things were mostly architected before Windows was common, particularly on the secure side it's still loaded with 'legacy', likely to remain so until they have a complete staff turnover. Old Dilbert with neckbeard flipping a nickle at Wally and telling him to get a better computer, that's the dude.
Routine operations need access to internet based facilities. To schedule transmission line capacity, trade power, get closing prices from grid operators, weather forecasts and unit availability from neighbors (lots of VPNs). But that part of the operations could more or less crash and burn and it will only cost money (and extra CO2). Operations, more or less, ignores trading at the minute by minute level. Trading gives them trade schedules and operations will try their best. But if 'shit happens' they keep the lights on and let the accountants worry about reconciling to 'what should have happened'. Which is sometimes a bitch of a computational problem, fortunately most everybody involved are engineers and close enough is close enough. Pennies aren't statistically significant; try and explain that to an accountant. Don't recommend it, just say 'not a material difference' and get on with your life, I'm digressing again.
One example of U.S. government mismanagement: ( Score: 2 )Nova Express ( 100383 ) , Saturday December 31, 2016 @11:20AM ( #53584729 ) Homepage JournalConfirmed: US and Israel created Stuxnet, lost control of it [arstechnica.com].
Hey look! It's another MSM Russian Hacking Story! ( Score: 5 , Insightful)Nyder ( 754090 ), December 31, 2016 @11:21AM ( #53584731 ) JournalSecurity experts have been warning of possible foreign hacking for decades . But why this sudden spate of "Russia hacked X" stories now? Why not back when our Secretary of State was running an illegal, private, unsecured email server through which she transmitted classified information [politifact.com]?
Simple: The Washington Post wanted Hillary to win the Presidential election, and reminding people how her action made it easier for Russian hackers to gain access to classified information wouldn't have helped her.
But publishing it now helps support the false narrative [theintercept.com] that the Russians were behind the DNC leaks, not disgruntled Democratic Party staffers [washingtontimes.com], and thus supposedly harms President-elect Donald Trump, whom the Washington Post and it's employees almost universally loath. That's the entire reason the story is being written and published now.
Further reading here [battleswarmblog.com] and here [battleswarmblog.com].
What do you think the under/over is for MSM "Russian Hacking" stories between now and January 20?
NSA has failed us again ( Score: 2 , Interesting)Mr D from 63 ( 3395377 ), December 31, 2016 @12:43PM ( #53585055 )NSA has failed us again. Instead protecting America, they are wasting their and our time by mass collecting data on citizens. Instead of making sure exploits are fixed to keep our systems secure, they hold onto them so they can use them against us and other countries.
If am I to believe this Russian hacking our systems like the Government is pushing, then the blame goes straight on the NSA and those who backed them.
No Grid Penetration ( Score: 5 , Informative)Billly Gates ( 198444 ) writes:The headline is complete bullshit. Can the author not even read? The grid was not penetrated, hacked, or comprimised. No report says it was. This is totally a fabrication from the reporters.
"We detected the malware in a single Burlington Electric Department laptop not connected to our organization's grid systems."
Re: ( Score: 2 )colin_faber ( 1083673 ), December 31, 2016 @05:00PM ( #53586147 )The headline is complete bullshit. Can the author not even read? The grid was not penetrated, hacked, or comprimised. No report says it was. This is totally a fabrication from the reporters."We detected the malware in a single Burlington Electric Department laptop not connected to our organization's grid systems."
So other sources [cnn.com] say more than just a laptop and last I checked a power station is part of the grid
Re:No Grid Penetration ( Score: 5 , Insightful)NotAPK ( 4529127 ), December 31, 2016 @12:44PM ( #53585061 )CNN ceased being a credible news organization after the wikileaks revolutions
Re:An avalanche of bullshit... ( Score: 2 )Futurepower(R) ( 558542 ), December 31, 2016 @01:00PM ( #53585159 ) HomepageAnd what can we do? Hope it doesn't degrade into WW3?
Amazon's CEO owns the Washington Post. ( Score: 3 )Amazon's Jeff Bezos Explains Why He Bought The Washington Post [nytimes.com].
In my opinion, a good indication of Jeff Bezos's management ability is any Amazon web page. Amazon web pages distract you from buying something by trying to sell other things.
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Jan 01, 2017 | www.nakedcapitalism.com
Jim Haygood , December 31, 2016 at 8:18 amKatniss Everdeen , December 31, 2016 at 8:24 amVladimir #Putin: I am inviting all children of the #US diplomats in #Russia to the #NewYear's and #Christmas celebration in the #Kremlin
When Barack Obama entered the White House in 2009, he stood 6 ft 1 in tall. As he exits, his stature has diminished to about 6 inches.
Google adds that his daughter Malia has the same 6 ft 1 in height as her dad. If she ends up following the unwritten but almost universally observed rule that a woman's partner should at least equal her height, it's going to really restrict the candidate pool. Only 11 percent of males 20-29 years old are 6 ft 1 in or more, according to the Census Bureau.
Emma , December 31, 2016 at 1:44 pmMaybe that's why obama "pals" around with a lot of basketball players. Might be one of his more shrewd moves–who knew?
Plenue , December 31, 2016 at 4:11 pmWith regards to parenting, Barack and Michelle Obama are doing the right thing ie. ensuring a supportive learning environment at home so their kids develop their own critical thinking skills and are better equipped to make their own way in the world as they mature (similar to the Deutschers with their daughter Alma, likewise those of two other child music prodigies, Emily Bear and Jay Greenberg.)
So, Malia will know as and when required to run hoops around any basketballer (!), on the other hand, the young girl in the following family may well, in some instances, actually require a few basketballers run hoops around her father and his misplaced parenting priorities/concerns! http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/31/girl-9-faces-shunned-ultra-orthodox-jewish-group-eating-mcdonalds/Tom Bradford , December 31, 2016 at 8:12 pmWhat a gray, joyless life Orthodox men must lead, prevented from socializing with girls and women, with only their dusty old tomes of Judaic law for company.
Oregoncharles , December 31, 2016 at 11:11 pmWell they must occasionally socialize with girls or women, or the breed would go extinct.
ProNewerDeal , December 31, 2016 at 8:32 amArranged marriages, probably.
timbers , December 31, 2016 at 9:14 amNow that 0bama is about to exit as US Pres, perhaps it is time to revisit the Who Is Worse: Bush43 v 0bama question.
Conventional wisdom among "Progressive" pundits, even good ones like SecularTalk, seems to be "yes, 0bama is better than Bush43, but that is a very low bar, & not a real accomplishment. 0bama still sucks".
IMHO, 0bama's relentless pursue of 1 Grand "Bargain" Ripoff & 2 TPP, may alone make him Even Worse than Bush43, as far as to damage inflicted on USians had 0bama been successful in getting these 2 policies. 0bama tried for years getting these 2 policies enacted, whereas Bush43 tried quickly to privatize SS but then forgot it, & IIRC enacted small trade deals (DR-CAFTA ?). Bush43 focus seemed to be on neocon regime change & War On Terra TM, & even then IIRC around ~2006 Bush43 rejected some of Darth Cheney's even more extremish neocon policy preferences, with Bush43 rejecting Cheney's desired Iran War.
IMHO both policies would've incrementally killed thousands of USians annually, far more than 1S1S or the Designated Foreign Boogeyman Du Jour TM could ever dream of. Grand Ripoff raising Medicare eligibility age (IIRC 67 to 69+ ?) would kill many GenX & younger USians in the future. TPP's pharma patent extensions would kill many USians, especially seniors. These incremental killings might exceed the incremental life savings from the ACA (mainly ACA Adult Medicaid expansion). Furthemore, 0bama could've potentially achieved MedicareForAll or Medicare Pt O – Public Option in ~2010 with Sen & House D majorities, & 0bama deliberately killed these policies, as reported by FDL's Jane Hamsher & others.
Bush43 indirectly killed USians in multiple ways, including Iraq War, War On Terra, & failing to regulate fin svcs leading to the 2008 GFC; however it would seem that 0bama's Death Toll would have been worse.
"What do you think?!" (c) Ed Schultz
How do Bush43 & 0bama compare to recent Presidents including Reagan & Clinton? What do you expect of Trump? I'd guesstimate that if Trump implements P Ryan-style crapification of Medicare into an ACA-like voucher system, that alone could render Trump Even Worse than 0bama & the other 1981-now Reganesque Presidents.
It does seem like each President is getting Even Worse than the prior guy in this 21st Century. #AmericanExceptionalism (exceptionally Crappy)
Pat , December 31, 2016 at 9:18 amYou hit the right priority of issues IMO, and would add a few bad things Obamanation did:
1). Bombing more nations than anyone in human history and being at war longer than any US President ever, having never requested an end but in fact a continuation of a permanent state of war declared by Congress.
2). The massive destruction of legal and constitutional rights from habeas corpus, illegal and unconstitutional surveillance of all people, to asserting the right to imprison, torture, and assassinate anyone anytime even America children just because Obama feels like doing it.
3). Austerity. This tanked any robust recovery from the 2008 recession and millions suffered because of it, we are living with the affects even now. In fact Obamanation's deep mystical belief in austerity helped defeat Clinton 2016.
John Wright , December 31, 2016 at 10:15 amHAMP. And not just ignoring bank mortgage fraud, but essentially enabling it and making it the norm.
Deporting more people than Presidents before him.
Passing the Korea and Columbia free trade pacts, even lying about what the pact did to get the Columbian one passed. KORUS alone made our trade deficit with Korea soar and lost an estimated 100,000 jobs in the US (and not those part time ones being created).
Had the chance to pass a real infrastructure repair/stimulus package, didn't.
Had the chance to put the Post Office in the black and even start a Postal Bank, didn't. Didn't even work to get rid of the Post Office killing requirement to fund its pension 75 years out.
Furthering the erosion of our civil rights by making it legal to assassinate American citizens without trial.
Instead of kneecapping the move to kill public education by requiring any charter school that receives federal funding to be non-profit with real limits on allowable administrative costs, expanded them AND expanded the testing boondoggle with Common Core.
Libya.
Expansion of our droning program.While I do give him some credit for both the Iran deal and the attempt to rein in the Syria mistake, I also have to take points away for not firing Carter and demoting or even bringing Votel before a military court after their insubordination killing the ceasefire.
Should I continue. Bush was evil, Obama the more effective one.
j84ustin , December 31, 2016 at 10:52 amBush's Iraq war will cost an estimated $3 trillion per Joseph Stiglitz.
That does not count all the damage done to Iraq/Afghanistan people and property and American's reputation.
Iraq's excess deaths due to the war were estimated at 500K to 655K.
On a population adjusted basis, this would be equivalent to the USA losing 5 to 6.55 million people to a foreign, unprovoked, power.
Bush scores quite high on being an effective evil, especially when viewed from outside the USA
I score him the winner vs Obama on total damage done to the USA and the world
Pat , December 31, 2016 at 12:02 pmAbsolutely.
TedWa , December 31, 2016 at 12:50 pmWas that a disastrous choice? Certainly and it is a big one, but it also ignores how much of the disastrous choices attached to that decision Barack H. Obama has either continued or expanded upon. It also ignores how that war continues under Obama. Remember when we left Iraq? Oh, wait we haven't we just aren't there in the previous numbers.
http://time.com/4298318/iraq-us-troops-barack-obama-mosul-isis/
And what about Libya? You remember that little misadventure. Which added to our continued Saudi/Israeli determined obsession with Syria has led to a massive refugee crisis in Europe. How many were killed there. How much will that cost us fifteen years on?
https://www.ft.com/content/c2b6329a-9287-11e4-b213-00144feabdc0
I get that the quagmire was there before Obama. I also get that he began to get a clue late in his administration to stop listening to the usual subjects in order to make it better. But see that thing above about not firing people who undermined that new direction in Syria, and are probably now some of the most pressing secret voices behind this disastrous Russia Hacked US bull.
But I think only focusing on the original decision also ignores how effective Obama has been at normalize crime, corruption, torture and even assassination attached to those original choices – something that Bush didn't manage (and that doesn't even consider the same decriminalization and normalization done for and by the financial industry). Bush may have started the wheel down the bumpy road, but Obama put rubber on the wheel and paved the road so now it is almost impossible to stop the wheel.
JCC , December 31, 2016 at 12:40 pmPat – don't forget about him putting banks above the law – unconstitutional and e v i l
OpenThePodBayDoorsHAL , December 31, 2016 at 5:48 pmAs mentioned, Bush is a very low bar for comparison, and if that's the best presidential comparison that can be made with Obama, then that says it all.
crittermom , December 31, 2016 at 12:29 pmMr. O long ago received my coveted Worst_President_Ever Award (and yes the judging included Millard Fillmore and Andrew Johnson).
Handed the golden platter opportunity to repudiate the myriad policy disasters of Bush (which as cited above cost trillions of dollars and millions of lives) he chose instead to continue them absolutely unchanged, usually with the same personnel. Whether it was unprosecuted bank crime in the tens of billions, foreign policy by drone bomb, health care mega-bezzle, hyper-spy tricks on everyday Americans, and corporo-fascist globalist "trade" deals, Mr. O never disappointed his Big Wall St, Big Pharma, Big Insurance, and Big Surveillance-Industrial Complex constituents. Along the way he reversed the polarity of American politics, paving the way for a true corporo-fascist to say the slightest thing that might be good for actual workers and get into the White House. History will remember him as the president who lost Turkey and The Philippines, destroyed any remaining shreds of credibility with utterly specious hacking claims and war crime accusations of other nations, and presided over an era of hyper-concentration of billionaire wealth in a nation where 70% of citizens would need to borrow to fund a $400 emergency. Those failures are now permanently branded as "Democrat" failures. The jury is unanimous: Obama wins the award.Katharine , December 31, 2016 at 1:00 pm"HAMP. And not just ignoring bank mortgage fraud, but essentially enabling it and making it the norm."
Exactly. That is #1 on my list making him worst president ever.witters , December 31, 2016 at 7:47 pmI would question "ever" simply because I know I don't know enough about the history of previous presidents, and I doubt any of us do; even historians who focus on this kind of thing, supposing we had any in our midst, might be hard put to it to review all 44 thoroughly.
Ed , December 31, 2016 at 1:23 pmI like your epistemology! You don't know, but you do know others don't know either, even historians who clearly know a lot more on this than you.
Tom Bradford , December 31, 2016 at 8:08 pmDeclining empires tend to get entire series of bad kings.
Ray Phenicie , December 31, 2016 at 12:54 pmCause or effect?
Ray Phenicie , December 31, 2016 at 1:02 pmI vote the mortgage fraud situation (see Chain of Title by David Dayen -not really a plug for the book) as the worst aspect of the Obama Administration. What to say about it? Regular readers of this site are well versed in the details but one aspect of it needs to be expounded upon; stand on the housetops and shout it kind of exposition: the mortgage fraud worked on millions (3, 5, 7, maybe 12 million) shows that rule of law is now destroyed in the land. Dictionary .com says this about the phrase
Rule of Law: the principle that all people and institutions are subject to and accountable to law that is fairly applied and enforced; the principle of government by law.
The World Justice Project has several pages on the topic and starts off with this:
* The government and its officials and agents as well as individuals and private entities are accountable under the law.
* The laws are clear, publicized, stable, and just; are applied evenly; and protect fundamental rights, including the security of persons and property and certain core human rights.
* The process by which the laws are enacted, administered, and enforced is accessible, fair, and efficient.
* Justice is delivered timely by competent, ethical, and independent representatives and neutrals who are of sufficient number, have adequate resources, and reflect the makeup of the communities they serve.I would invite the reader to take a moment and apply those principles to what is known about the situation concerning mortgage fraud worked on millions of homeowners during the past two decades.
The Justice Department's infamous attempts to cover up horribly harmful schemes worked by the mortgage industry perpetrators involved the cruel irony of aiding and abetting systemic racism. Not a lot was said in the popular press about the subject of reverse redlining but I'm convinced by the preponderance of evidence that overly complicated mortgage products were taken into the neighborhoods of Detroit (90% Black or Latin American, Hispanic) and foisted off on unsuspecting homeowners. Those homeowners did not take accountants and lawyers with them to the signing but that's how those schemes should have been approached; then most of those schemes would have hit the trashcan. Many a charming snake oil salesman deserves innumerable nights of uncomfortable rest for the work they did to destroy the neighborhoods of Detroit and of course many other neighborhoods in many other cities. For this discussion I am making this a separate topic but I realize it is connected to the overall financial skulduggery worked on us all by the FIRE sector.
However, let me return to the last principle promulgated by the World Justice Project pertaining to Rule Of Law and focus on that: "Justice is delivered timely by competent, ethical, and independent representatives and neutrals who are of sufficient number, have adequate resources, and reflect the makeup of the communities they serve." Now hear this: "are of sufficient number" for there, and gentle reader, please take this to bed with you at the end of your day: we fail as a nation. But look to the 'competent, ethical and independent' clause; we must vow to not sink into despair. This subject is a constant struggle. Google has my back on this: Obama, during both campaigns of '08 and '12, took millions from the very financial sector that he planned to not dismay and then was in turn very busy directing the Attorney General of The United States, the highest law officer in the country, to not prosecute. These very institutions that were in turn very busy taking property worth billions. 12 million stolen homes multiplied times the average home value = Trillions?
Finally, my main point here (I am really busy sharpening this ax, but it's a worthy ax) is the issue of systemic racism- that the financial institutions in this country work long hours to shackle members of minority neighborhoods into monetarily oppressive schemes in the form of mortgages, car loans, credit cards and personal loans (think pay day scammers) and these same makers of the shackles have the protection of the highest officials in the land. Remember the pitchforks Obama inveighed? Irony of cruel ironies, two black men, both of whom appear to be of honorable bearing, (Holder moved his chair right directly into the financiers, rent takers of Covington & Burling ) work to cement the arrangements of racist, oppressive scammers who of course also work their playbooks on other folks.
To finalize, the subject of rule of law that I have worked so assiduously to sharpen, applies to all of the other topics we can consider as failures of the Obama Presidency. So besides racism and systemic financial fraud we can turn to some top subjects that make '09 to '17 the nadir of the political culture of the United States of America. Drone wars, unending war in the Middle East, attempts to place a cloak of secrecy on the workings of the Federal Government, the reader will have their own axes to sharpen but I maintain if the reader will fervently apply and dig into the four principles outlined above, she, he, will agree that the principles outlining Rule of Law have been replaced by Rule of the Person.
Ray Phenicie , December 31, 2016 at 1:22 pm(3, 5, 7. 12 million) should be 3, 5, 7, maybe 12 million
Ray Phenicie , December 31, 2016 at 1:24 pmHere's one of many scholarly articles that reviews the subject of systemic racism in the finance and mortgage industries.
Am Sociol Rev. 2010 October 1; 75(5): 629–651. doi:10.1177/0003122410380868
Racial Segregation and the American Foreclosure Crisis
Jacob S. Rugh and Douglas S. Massey
Office of Population Research, Princeton Universityhreik , December 31, 2016 at 2:22 pmArghhh, the server is apparently napping-more caffeine please for the cables.
Here's one of many scholarly articles that reviews the subject of systemic racism in the finance and mortgage industries.
Am Sociol Rev. 2010 October 1; 75(5): 629–651. doi:10.1177/0003122410380868
Racial Segregation and the American Foreclosure Crisis
Jacob S. Rugh and Douglas S. Massey
Office of Population Research, Princeton UniversityYves Smith , December 31, 2016 at 6:58 pmThe book deserves to be plugged. I thought it was great. A fast and infuriating read. And very well written.
Christopher Fay , December 31, 2016 at 7:35 pmI have to tell you it is inaccurate in material respects, and many of the people who played important roles in the fight were written out entirely or marginalized.
Ed , December 31, 2016 at 1:16 pmThis one's a keeper. I have to take notes including writer's name, post title, dates. Good summary.
tongorad , December 31, 2016 at 1:31 pmGW Bush sort of had two administrations. The first two years and the last two years was sort of a generic Republican but sane administration, sort of like his father's, and was OK. The crazy stuff happened in the middle four years, which maybe not coincidentally the Republicans had majorities in both house of Congress.
Obama signed off on the Big Bailout (as did GW Bush, but my impression is that the worst features of the Big Bailout were on Obama's watch(), and that defined his administration. Sometimes you get governments defined by one big thing, and that was it. But I suspect he may have prevented the neocons from starting World War III, but that is the sort of thing we won't know about until decades have passed, if we make it that long.
Jess , December 31, 2016 at 3:09 pmObama promised hope and change and delivered the exact opposite – despair and decline. Obama should be remembered as the Great Normalizer. All of the shitty things that were around when he was inaugurated are now normalized. TINA to the max, in other words.
It should be no shock to anyone that Trump was elected after what Obama did to American politics.Jess , December 31, 2016 at 3:12 pm"It should be no shock to anyone that Trump was elected after what Obama did to American politics."
Bingo. Hit that one dead solid perfect, right in the ten-ring.
Montanamaven , December 31, 2016 at 4:14 pm"It should be no shock to anyone that Trump was elected after what Obama did to American politics."
Bingo. You can say that again. Right in the ten-ring, dead solid perfect.
LT , December 31, 2016 at 6:13 pmYou got it. Obama was hired to employ "The Shock Doctrine" and he did. He was and is "a Chicago Boy"; the term Naomi Klein used for the neoliberals who slithered out of the basements of U of Chicago to visit austerity on the masses for the enhancement of the feudal lords. It is laughable that he said last week that he could have beaten Trump. As always, He implied that it was the "message" not the policy. And that he could "sell" that message better than Hilary. For him it was always about pitching that Hopey Changey "One America" spleel that suckered so many. The Archdruid calls this "the warm fuzzies". But the Donald went right into the John Edwards land of "The Two Americas". He said he came from the 1%; but was here to work for the 99% who had been screwed over by bad deals. We will see if the Barons will stand in his way or figure out that it might be time to avoid those pitchforks by giving a little to small businesses and workers in general. Like FDR, will they try to save capitalism?
The Donald has the bad trade deals right, but looks like he doesn't know what havoc Reagan wreaked on working people's household incomes and pension plans by breaking any power unions had and by coming up with the 401K scam; plus the Reagan interest rates that devastated farmers and ranchers and the idea of rewarding a CEO who put stock price above research and development and workers' salaries. But again, I believe it was a Democratic congress and a Democratic president Carter who eliminated the Usury law in 1979. From then on with stagnating wages, people began the descent into debt slavery. And Jimmy started the Shock Doctrine by deregulating the airlines and trucking. But he did penance. Can't see Obama doing that.
alex morfesis , December 31, 2016 at 6:22 pmAnd once usary laws went away, credit cards were handed out to college students, with no co-sign, even if students had no work or credit history and were unemployed.
It took until just a few years ago before they revisted that credit card policy to students.RudyM , January 1, 2017 at 12:17 amdont want to burst your bubble(or anyone elses) but obama is not and was not the power to the throne it was michelle and val jar (aka beria) it was a long series of luck that got that krewe anywhere near any real power mostly, it comes from the Univ of Chicago hopey changee thingee was a nice piece of marketing by david axelrod..
the grey lady
5-11-2008
In August 1999, Barack Obama strolled amid the floats and bands making their way down Martin Luther King Drive on Chicago's South Side. Billed as the largest African-American parade in the country, the summer rite was a draw over the years to boxing heroes like Muhammad Ali and jazz greats like Duke Ellington. It was also a must-stop for the city's top politicians.
Back then, Mr. Obama, a state senator who was contemplating a run for Congress, was so little-known in the community's black neighborhoods that it was hard to find more than a few dozen people to walk with him, recalled Al Kindle, one of his advisers at the time. Mr. Obama was trounced a year later in the Congressional race - branded as an aloof outsider more at home in the halls of Harvard than in the rough wards of Chicago politics.
But by 2006, Mr. Obama had remade his political fortunes. He was a freshman United States senator on the cusp of deciding to take on the formidable Hillary Rodham Clinton and embark on a long-shot White House run. When the parade wound its way through the South Side that summer, Mr. Obama was its grand marshal.
but to capture the arrogance of hyde park (read the last line)
A tight-knit community that runs through the South Side, Hyde Park is a liberal bastion of integration in what is otherwise one of the nation's most segregated cities. Mayor Washington had called it home, as did whites who marched with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and wealthy black entrepreneurs a generation removed from the civil rights battles of the 1960s.
At its heart is the University of Chicago; at its borders are poor, predominately black neighborhoods blighted by rundown buildings and vacant lots. For Mr. Obama, who was born in Hawaii to a white Kansan mother and an African father and who spent part of his childhood in Indonesia, it was a perfect fit.
"He felt completely comfortable in Hyde Park," said Martha Minow, his former law professor and a mentor. "It's a place where you don't have to wear a label on your forehead. You can go to a bookstore and there's the homeless person and there's the professor."
also note how the lib racist grey lady can not bring themselves to name the parade it is the
bud billiken parade
peaceful, fun, successful
heaven forbid the world should see a giant event run by black folk that does not end in violence might confuse the closet racists
dcrane , December 31, 2016 at 10:43 pmThere are enough examples of such things for it to be a reasonable expectation.
The parade also hasn't always gone without a hitch:
The 2003 parade featured B2K.[9] The concert was free with virtually unlimited space in the park for viewing. However, the crowd became unruly causing the concert to be curtailed. Over 40 attendees were taken to hospitals as a result of injuries in the violence, including two teenagers who were shot.[38] At the 2014 parade, Two teenagers were shot after an altercation involving a group of youths along the parade route near the 4200 block of King Drive around 12:30 pm.[39][40]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bud_Billiken_Parade_and_Picnic#Violence
Oregoncharles , December 31, 2016 at 11:14 pmOn balance this one should go on the "Good" list for Bush 43:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President's_Emergency_Plan_for_AIDS_Relief
Yes, the abstinence-education dimension probably wasn't worth much, but that took up only a minority share of the funds.
Cry Shop , December 31, 2016 at 8:49 amYes, they've been getting steadily worse (more right-wing) since Carter, without regard to party. That's at least 30 years now.,
Oregoncharles , December 31, 2016 at 11:15 pmJerri-Lynn, do all these last minute moves by Obama fit the pattern you observed Obie-the-wan perform at Harvard?
jgordon , December 31, 2016 at 8:49 amClinton did it, too. I think it's a general pattern resulting from term limits – but in the case of sole executives, term limits do make sense.
Jim Haygood , December 31, 2016 at 9:03 amFrom the "self-drive get cars will exacerbate organ shortages" article, my first thought was that it surely is a shame that fewer healthy vehicle drivers/passengers will end up as accident victims, thus denying their delicious organs to the deathly ill. There must be something we can do to rectify this impending catastrophe.
Mel , December 31, 2016 at 12:29 pmUse Microsoft Windows as the self-drive operating system. Problem solved. :-)
hunkerdown , December 31, 2016 at 5:17 pmA few other ways out:
1) Flying cars will bring the injury rate back up.
2) Breeding program to make up the shortfall.
3) Proliferating superbugs will make surgery dangerous again, so that people won't want organ transplants.RenoDino , December 31, 2016 at 8:50 amJust raise a clone for parts (IMDB). All the really important people do! ;)
Arizona Slim , December 31, 2016 at 9:30 amI agree, Tabbi in his Rolling Stone piece is now, finally, after his Trump induced psychosis, back on form. Something about the Russian Story does stink. Summing up, if the Russians did steal the election why the weak response now? Or is it just a good excuse for losing to Trump and/or is Obama is trying to protect his legacy by delegitimizing Trump? Either way, Obama looks to be underplaying or overplaying his hand.
I wonder if this is really Obama, who is out the door, talking or is the national security state, who is not going anywhere? If it's the latter, then things start to make sense. It says to me, they are not happy with the new direction in foreign policy that Trump represents. In fact, they refuse to accept it and him.
How is this tension is resolved is the single most important question in the weeks ahead.
fresno dan , December 31, 2016 at 11:58 amAnd let's just say that the Russian Story isn't ringing true with the IT community. Data point:
https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2016/12/russia-malware-ip-hack/
Key point from the conclusion of this article:
"The IP addresses that DHS provided may have been used for an attack by a state actor like Russia. But they don't appear to provide any association with Russia. They are probably used by a wide range of other malicious actors, especially the 15% of IP addresses that are Tor exit nodes.
"The malware sample is old, widely used and appears to be Ukrainian. It has no apparent relationship with Russian intelligence and it would be an indicator of compromise for any website."
Grebo , December 31, 2016 at 3:01 pm'll leave you with some additional recent numbers on cyberintrusions, as reported by various actors:
The energy company BP says it suffers 50,000 attempts cyberintrusion a day.
The Pentagon reports getting 10 million attempts a day.
The National Nuclear Security Administration, an arm of the Energy Department, also records 10 million hacks a day.
The United Kingdom reports 120,000 cyberincidents a day.
That's almost as many as the state of Michigan deals with.
Utah says it faces 20 million attempts a day - up from 1 million a day two years ago.
=============================================================
WOW!!!! Seems like a really big F*cking deal!!!!
Kinda makes me wonder how many laws and regulations have been enacted forcing internet companies and software companies to make their stuff more secure .Long story short – not too many
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyber-security_regulation{{{{{{ In July 2012, the Cybersecurity Act of 2012 was proposed by Senators Joseph Lieberman and Susan Collins.[15] The bill would have required creating voluntary "best practice standards" for protection of key infrastructure from cyber attacks, which businesses would be encouraged to adopt through incentives such as liability protection.[16] The bill was put to a vote in the Senate but failed to pass.[17]}}}}}}
And of course (I don't want to over link so you have to look it up yourself) there are the laws that ALLOW intrusion by the US government into your computer, of course makes computer systems LESS SECURE .
So, almost makes me think Trump, OF ALL PEOPLE, was actually CORRECT when he said:
"I think that computers have complicated lives very greatly. The whole age of computer has made it where nobody knows exactly what is going on. We have speed, we have a lot of other things, but I'm not sure we have the kind the security we need. But I have not spoken with the senators and I will certainly will be over a period of time."
And how much the above is being mocked, by people without the presence of mind to ask, "how long, and how many hacks have already occurred, and WHAT WAS DONE ABOUT IT?"Hacking, that happens millions upon millions of times a year now for near a decade, but apparently only a BIG F*CKING DEAL when an incompetent dem SAYS she has LOST the presidency due to hacking .
Vatch , December 31, 2016 at 3:39 pmOver 40 million 'attacks' a day, on just three entities.
Bollocks. 'Attack' is far too dramatic a word for a port probe.fresno dan , December 31, 2016 at 4:00 pmDid you say probe? I guess that settles it. The election tamperers were the four foot tall gray space aliens with big eyes.
RenoDino , December 31, 2016 at 2:47 pmVatch
December 31, 2016 at 3:39 pmProbes? I have never heard that used without being preceded by alien anal .
So .a lot of anuses are going to have to be checked???NotTimothyGeithner , December 31, 2016 at 9:56 amCraig Murray asks why is there no evidence from the NSA:
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2016/12/exit-obama-cloud-disillusion-delusion-deceit/
Montanamaven , December 31, 2016 at 4:44 pmThe Russia hacking story goes back to early October with wiki leaks. Who is at fault for Trump? Sherrod Brown, Senator of a state where Hillary lost and prominent Clinton supporter despite his previous support for good policy, DWS, Tim Kaine, Donna Brazille, or Russians? Plenty of people are invested in not being held accountable for 2000. The front runner for DNC chair is a Muslim, Sanders supporter because even Democrats are growing upset, but one of the perks of Washington is celebrity. My guess is going forward Dems will be under greater scrutiny and will find significantly less brown nosers. Hillary is possibly the worst serious candidate ever. Emails and speeches aside, she was a disaster with no business running for President after her prominent national career. This was obvious to any sane and decent human being. The lesson of 2016 is even the "good Democrats" such as Sherrod Brown and Liz Warren need short leashes. In 2020, all these people have to go to Iowa (very close), New Hampshire (a blowout), and Nevada (openly rigged by former Senator Reid). How does a candidate push their "progressive" credentials after throwing in with Hillary? Hillary primary voters have the unfortunate age issue.
Then of course, there are people who don't want to believe they bought this bs when Hillary should have been dumped ages ago.
timbers , December 31, 2016 at 10:25 amThe DNC is not the government. It's a private entity called a political party. Phishing or hacking it is not interfering with our government whoever does it.
And will somebody explain to me how Putin and his henchmen made Hillary say "basket of deplorables"? Was it an earwig they snuck in her ear? Did they sneak into her room and hypnotize her to say that horrible statement? Did they plan for Obamacare to become a major f**k up in October? I'm pretty sure Russia and China were really pissed at her adventure in Libya; so that escapade was not something they got her to do.
I negotiate for a living. I would not call the person I'm dealing with a thug like Hitler. I would not poke the guy/bear with pompous statements. That's just stupid. Maybe we do need people in charge who actually know how to negotiate to get the best possible deal without having things blow up in our faces.
All those Dems you named are mediocre managers without anything interesting or innovative to say. Even if the Russians did expose the DNC and Podesta emails, The Russians did not make these courtiers mediocre.tgs , December 31, 2016 at 9:05 amHow is this tension is resolved is the single most important question in the weeks ahead.
Sometimes the simplest "solutions" are the ones we never think of – Assassination of Trump by the Deep State, the Blob, whatever you call it. But this may take more that just weeks ahead to materialize if at all.
If you believe President Kennedy was killed by the Deep State (I'm agnostic on that due to never researching it), and if Trump does deal with the bi-partisan War Party Deep State Blob elements by standing them down as he did his Republican primary challengers and Apprentice guests . then this may be the logical way to put an end to the threat Trump represents to the establishment. And there is so much that is threaten by Trump of the established order.
Trillions of war armament purchase orders from NATO and the US military hinge in the balance by continued US and NATO belligerence towards Russia. Add to that the gas pipeline thru Syria that will be less likely to happen under Trump. The lost looting if no regime change in Russia like we did in Ukraine – all that lost oil and natural resource the global elites will be denied. All the lost military spending. The lost boogyman to instill fear for more surveillance of the citizenry. The Deep State, Blob, War Party will be furious.
That's a lot of trillions.
Bugs Bunny , December 31, 2016 at 9:27 amRe Taibbi:
Yes, it is positive that he openly expresses skepticism in the current environment. But why this?
If the Russians messed with an election, that's enough on its own to warrant a massive response miles worse – than heavy-handed responses to ordinary spying episodes.
Leaking emails would require a 'massive response'? Has he seen Zero Days? What kind of response would be appropriate for hacking a nuclear plant? Assassinating nuclear scientists? Is he aware that we have 'hacked' elections for years? Not to mention overthrown legal governments.
And this:
I have no problem believing that Vladimir Putin tried to influence the American election. He's gangster-spook-scum of the lowest order and capable of anything.
Would Taibbi ever use similar language to describe Obama? So many in the media and other elite circles are suffering from Putin Derangement Syndrome.
Eureka Springs , December 31, 2016 at 9:50 amIIRC, the US helped elect Boris Yeltsin when it looked like he was going to lose?
hunkerdown , December 31, 2016 at 5:36 pmHow many countries have Obama /Clinton attempted regime change to covert/direct interference in elections/leadership? I would imagine the answer is far more than my quick list below. We couldn't hack/leak internal emails among the players because our bloody hypocritical hands would be all over them.
As for Russia if all they did was expose truths via party emails, well I thank them for that. And considering what Clinton said and did to Russia over the years it would be irresponsible for a Russian leader to sit by idly and do nothing. Even though we seem to be destroying ourselves quite well enough on our own, we have and continue to threaten the rest of the world, beginning with Russia with nuclear holocaust.
If Taibbi can call Putin all those things, then what the heck are Obama Clinton?
Ukraine
Russia
Syria
Venezuela
Honduras
Egypt
Yemen
Iraq
Palestinians
Libya
Paraguay
Turkey?
Brazil?
Argentina?
Thailand?
Hong Kong?annie , December 31, 2016 at 9:57 amTaibbi has some personal journalistic history with previous Putin governments. It's understandable that he'd cast side-eye Putin's way, though none too healthy in this deranged environment (just wait until some corporate Dem tries to use him as a Surprising Validator). Let's keep Taibbi on turn watch though.
It seems the need to celebrate some leader is less conntected to said leader's performance than to some perceived need to be led, to believe that the very concept of hierarchy is just.
UserFriendly , December 31, 2016 at 12:00 pmI used to read and respect articles from Matt Taibbi.
This one is a revelation and what it reveals is that I have been mistaken.
I will skip his contributions in the future.
annie x , December 31, 2016 at 1:08 pmI do not understand this attitude at all. A writer who generally does good work says something that I disagree with so I will never read them again. It's tantamount to saying I refuse to read critically. I don't want to see anything I don't agree with 100%. It's petty.
Outis Philalithopoulos , December 31, 2016 at 2:22 pminteresting! someone has hijacked my user name to post an inane comment.
the real 'annie' says.
Steve H. , December 31, 2016 at 10:14 amHi, new annie.
It's true that the other annie has been posting comments on the site for a while, so it would be less confusing if you were to modify your handle so that people can tell you two apart.
On the other hand, don't take any of the comments from people who were concerned personally – obviously it's easy enough for two people to share the same name, and the software doesn't flag when you are using a name that has been used before.
Cry Shop , December 31, 2016 at 11:31 am– Putin Derangement Syndrome.
I heard a report that Lindsey McCain et al have armstwisted Trump into hearing the CIA report on the Russian hack. What are they going to say? 'You won the election because of teh Russians!'
"Good gracious me! You're the CIA, find me out what his favorite liquor is so I can send him a bottle!"
So they'll tell him to his face he wasn't competent to win the election himself? My guess is says brief me again when I'm President, they walk in the door and he properly fires them. And his face will be like this .
witters , December 31, 2016 at 8:02 pm"warrant" and "executing/capable of carrying out" are two different things.
As Putin has shown, Obama's capability threshold so low that it's rather moot to discuss warrant. It's now up to Congress to do something magnificently stupid, violent and utterly worthless, or rather worthy of the great American tradition.
hreik , December 31, 2016 at 9:09 amAnd what on earth is the journalistic point of saying "I have no problem in believing something for which there seems to be no credible evidence and which is being pushed by obvious partisan interests?" I think Taibbi is 'normalising' fast.
Pat , December 31, 2016 at 9:31 amI dunno. President Obama is not great but the comments here make me feel like it's time for me to skedaddle. Thinking he might be worse than Shrub? 6″ tall, smh
Lost in OR , December 31, 2016 at 11:14 amOh I admit it can be a tough choice, but you might really want to add up the good and the bad for both. Not surprisingly there is little good and a whole lot of long ongoing damage inflicted by the policies that both either embraced, adapted to or did little or nothing to stop. Even if the list of bad was equal, I have to give Obama for the edge for two reasons. First because Bush pretty much told us what he was going to do, Obama campaigned on change and vague promises, but still change. Instead he normalized atrocities that most of us had been screaming about in the Bush administration AND he didn't just squander the opportunities he had to change our course domestically because of the crash and the majorities in Congress, no he couldn't throw those away fast enough.
Your position is obviously different.
And I don't give a damn what height either of them are, both are small people.
ambrit , December 31, 2016 at 9:32 amIndeed. Bush was a known quantity. "Compassionate conservatism" was was blatantly hollow jingoism. My only surprise under W was how virulently evil Cheney was.
The big O, though, was handed the opportunity to change the course of history. He took power with Wall Street on its knees. The whole world hungered for a change in course. Remember "never let a crisis go to waste". O turned Hope into blatantly hollow jingoism.
In the end, the black activist constitutional lawyer turned his back on all that he seemed to be. Feint left, drive right.
With W we got what we expected. With O we got hoodwinked. What a waste.
craazyboy , December 31, 2016 at 11:47 amLook, if you don't like some of the comments you see, say so. We have some thick skinned people here. A little rancorous debate is fine. If some reasoned argumentation is thrown in, the comments section is doing it's job. (I know, I know, "agency" issues.)
Obama can be legitimately described as worse than Bush 43 because Obama ran as a "progressive" and flagrantly broke almost all of his promises and governed like a "Moderate" Republican. At the least, Bush, Sr. and Jr. ran as right wing politicos. The people basically got what they voted for with them.
Finally, " it's time for me to skedaddle." WTF? I'm assuming, yes, I do do that, that you are a responsible and thoughtful person. That needs must include the tolerance of and engagement with opposing points of view. Where do you want to run to; an "echo chamber" site? You only encourage conformation bias with that move. The site administrators have occasionally mentioned the dictum; "Embrace the churn." The site, indeed, almost any site, will live on long after any of we commenters bite the dust. If, however, one can shift the world view of other readers with good argumentation and anecdotes, our work will be worthwhile.
So, as I was once admonished by my ex D.I. middle school gym teacher; "Stand up and face it. You may get beat, but you'll know you did your best. That's a good feeling."ambrit , December 31, 2016 at 12:48 pmPicking the #1 Worst Prez is a fallacy inherent in our desire to put things on a scale of 1 to 10. It's so we can say, in this case, #1 was the WORST, and then forget about #2 thru #10.
It's like picking the #1 Greatest Rock Guitar Player. There are too many great guitar players and too many styles. It's just not possible.
Even so, I'd like to see the Russian citizen ranking of Putin vs. Yeltsin. Secret ballot, of course.
hreik , December 31, 2016 at 1:16 pmAmerica will be lucky if it avoids something similar to the earlier Russian people's ranking of Tsar Nicholas versus Karensky and subsequent events.
Vatch , December 31, 2016 at 3:46 pmI like your response. Thanks.
I don't think he's worse than Bush but I agree he was horribly dishonest to run as a progressive. He's far from progressive.
I think the ACA, deeply flawed as it is, was/is a good thing. It wasn't enough and it was badly brought out. I hope many thousands don't get tossed off health insurance.
My major criticism of him and most politicians is that he has no center. There is nothing for which he truly stands and he has a horrible tendency to try to make nice w the republicans. He's not progressive. Bernie, flawed also stands for something always has, always will.
ambrit , December 31, 2016 at 5:05 pmObama is highly deceptive, but I think that Bush (43) was worse. I doubt that Obama would have performed many of his worst deeds if Bush hadn't first paved the way. But we'll never know for sure, so it's possible to argue on behalf of either side of the dispute.
hunkerdown , December 31, 2016 at 5:40 pmSorry if I came across as harsh. I enjoy your arguments, so, I tried to encourage you to hang in there.
Happy New YearYves Smith , December 31, 2016 at 7:11 pmIn other words, Obama's a Kissingerian realist, or a businessperson (but I repeat myself): only permanent interests.
Happy New Year, and try to don't run off so easy. :)
wtf , December 31, 2016 at 10:02 amThe ACA was not badly thought out. It was written by insurance industry lobbyists. And Obama thought that was just ducky.
ambrit , December 31, 2016 at 10:58 amAgreed.
Putin's such a sweetheart to invite those children to the Kremlin. /s
wtf , December 31, 2016 at 10:03 amWell, it is a real recruiting opportunity.
Steve C , December 31, 2016 at 10:51 amAgreed.
Putin's such a sweetheart to invite those children to the Kremlin.
Arizona Slim , December 31, 2016 at 12:20 pmThe liberals have so much invested in Obama they can't bear to admit he's a backstabbing failure. There is no sugar coating Bush's awfulness. There also is no denying things now are worse than they were in 2007, before the Great Recession began. The liberals like to say things are better than they were when Obama took office. But that's a comically low bar. Rock bottom of the Great Recession. We have not recovered.
Obama isn't gaudy bad like Bush. Obama's pathologies are smoother, like his desperation for establishment approval.
polecat , December 31, 2016 at 12:31 pmThe liberals like to say that things are better than they were when Obama took office. Sorry to share this tidbit, but I must:
On Friday, March 18, I was among the 7,000 people who heard Bernie Sanders speak at the Tucson Convention Center Arena. Guess what he said.
And, to my utter and total amazement, the audience burst into applause. I couldn't believe it. Much of Sanders' appeal was based on how lousy the economy still was for so many people. Including Yours Truly.
My response to Sanders' praise of Obama's handling of the economy was a slow clap. A few minutes later, I left the rally.
Jeff , December 31, 2016 at 12:49 pm"Obama's pathologies are smoother"
Like a glass of fine bourbon downed with a shot of arsenic.
hreik , December 31, 2016 at 1:54 pmSo criticism of Obama isn't acceptable? Would it be better to let his poor decisions/actions just go unnoticed?
Or are you referring to something else?
Plenue , December 31, 2016 at 3:47 pmOf course it's acceptable. It's even important, vitally. But his height? I know I know it was not really an ad hom, but why even mention it?
He fetishized making nice w the rethugs to our and the country's detriment. He had 2 years to get something done. And honestly I have no idea if it would have been different w a less hostile congress. My complaint is he didn't really try. Everything was half measures, pablum.
reslez , December 31, 2016 at 7:16 pmFar too generous. He did try to get Republican policies enacted. He wasn't a weak Democrat, he was a driven Republican who was only thwarted by a comically, stupidly hostile GOP that sabotaged things like the Grand Bargain/Great Betrayal because they had such a virulent hatred of the black guy.
fresno dan , December 31, 2016 at 4:49 pmIf Obama had enacted the agenda he ran on– even in part - the Democrats would not have lost Congress in 2010. Obama's "only having two years" is thoroughly on himself and his party.
reslez , December 31, 2016 at 7:06 pmhreik
December 31, 2016 at 9:09 amThe site would be poorer and I would be sadder for the loss of your comments.
https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-12-30/can-this-political-union-be-saved
Shortly before I got married, I received a piece of sterling advice that I have been mulling a lot over the last year: "You have a big decision to make: Do you want to be married, or do you want to be right?"
.
The more determined you are to win every battle, the more likely you are to lose what's important: the person you love so much that you have chosen to spend the rest of your life with them. And so every time you have a real disagreement - the kind that cannot be finessed by agreeing that tonight you'll order Indian, and next time you'll get Chinese - you have to think carefully before you decide to have that fight. Is this really the hill that you're willing to let your marriage die on?
..
While traveling a few months back, I ended up chatting with a divorce attorney, who observed that what we're seeing in America right now bears a startling resemblance to what he sees happen with many of his clients. They've lost sight of what they ever liked about each other; in fact, they've even lost sight of their own self-interest. All they can see is their grievances, from annoying habits to serious wrongs. The other party, of course, generally has their own set of grievances. There is a sort of geometric progression of outrage, where whatever you do to the other side is justified by whatever they did last. They, of course, offer similar justifications for their own behavior.======================================================
Every friend, every association we make, every relationship with a relative, every political entity can be dissolved. One can insist one is correct on every matter, and live a long life with ever fewer associations until maybe one has none at all.As to which president is worse, your all wrong. Supposedly , 99 senators believe Russia hacked us. Our country apparently is composed entirely of imbeciles without regard to race, creed, sex, or party .
reslez , December 31, 2016 at 7:08 pmIf you can't bear to encounter comments that contradict your political opinion then you should probably also skip Thanksgiving dinner and other family get-togethers.
Whether you read the comments here is up to you, but I'd suggest continuing to visit for the articles at least. You won't find the same level of analysis elsewhere. The MSM is heavily invested in pushing their "narrative" whether or not it's true. I believe we have a duty as citizens to seek out the best sources of information. NC is on that list.
Montanamaven , December 31, 2016 at 10:21 pmIf you can't bear to encounter comments that contradict your political opinion then you should probably also skip Thanksgiving dinner and other family get-togethers.
I believe we have a duty as citizens to seek out the best sources of information, even if that results in encountering opinions that are uncomfortable to us. NC is one of those sources. Whether you read the comments here is up to you, but I'd suggest continuing to visit for the articles at least. You won't find the same level of analysis elsewhere. The MSM is heavily invested in pushing their "narrative" whether or not it's true.
Montanamaven , December 31, 2016 at 10:23 pmThe DNC is not the government. It's a private entity called a political party. Phishing or hacking it is not interfering with our government whoever does it.
And will somebody explain to me how Putin and his henchmen made Hillary say "basket of deplorables"? Was it an earwig they snuck in her ear? Did they sneak into her room and hypnotize her to say that horrible statement? Did they plan for Obamacare to become a major f**k up in October? I'm pretty sure Russia and China were really pissed at her adventure in Libya; so that escapade was not something they got her to do.
I negotiate for a living. I would not call the person I'm dealing with a thug like Hitler. I would not poke the guy/bear with pompous statements. That's just stupid. Maybe we do need people in charge who actually know how to negotiate to get the best possible deal without having things blow up in our faces.
All those Dems you named are mediocre managers without anything interesting or innovative to say. Even if the Russians did expose the DNC and Podesta emails, The Russians did not make these courtiers mediocre.timbers , December 31, 2016 at 9:16 ambye bye!
polecat , December 31, 2016 at 12:31 pmYou hit the right priority of issues IMO, and would add a few things Obamanation did:
1). Bombing more nations than anyone in human history and being at war longer than any US President ever, having never requested an end but in fact a continuation of a permanent state of war declared by Congress.
2). The massive destruction of legal and constitutional rights from habeas corpus, illegal and unconstitutional surveillance of all people, to asserting the right to imprison, torture, and assassinate anyone anytime even America children just because Obama feels like doing it.
3). Austerity. This tanked any robust recovery from the 2008 recession and millions suffered because of it, we are living with the affects even now. In fact Obamanation's deep mystical belief in austerity helped defeat Clinton 2016.
Bugs Bunny , December 31, 2016 at 9:22 am"Obama's pathologies are smoother"
Like a glass of fine bourbon downed with a shot of arsenic.
beth , December 31, 2016 at 2:08 pmFacts on the ground in Mumbai re demonitization and how the poor are coping.
Dita , December 31, 2016 at 9:25 amI think the following quote summarizes the article and the writer's attitude toward those experiencing this tragedy:
Conclusion:
For the group as a whole, there was only a 10% loss in income in November. However, the impact on certain types of occupations was high, with income loss up to 44% among the self-employed.
NotTimothyGeithner , December 31, 2016 at 9:41 amRe Something About This Russia Story Stinks, I feel like Obama's weak response is a passive aggressive way of telegraphing that he doesnt believe The Russians Did It either.
Rhondda , December 31, 2016 at 7:19 pmSince the NSA not the CIA would be the main actor involved with cyber security and Obama has instructed the CIA to take action and noted his CIA reports, it's clear "OMG Russia" was always red meat to help Hillary with Republicans. The problem is the Dems told such an incredulous lie in early October many of their own voters and donors believed it because "Obama wouldn't make something up."
Obama needs to do enough to soothe Democrats who believe this nonsense while not gaining the ire of the sane. Obama will never utter the truth or do the right thing. Polling indicates his Russian story isn't catching on. When Congressmen go home to their districts, they might not be so eager to discuss Russia when they find the voters don't care Podesta's emails were leaked.
Certain Dems especially Clinton connected ones who swore Hillary was a tolerable candidate and the msm after being in the tank for Hillary for so long are desperate to regain credibility. Admitting the Russian story was an obvious sham means acknowledging complicity or being a mark. See how easy it is. It's not my fault. It's the foreign leader you have no control over who was at fault.
LT , December 31, 2016 at 1:30 pmI think "Russia hacked the election" is a (seemingly pretty successful) psyop to inoculate as many as they can against being willing to hear anything about charges for Hillary's basement server State Dept. They're sweeping hacks and leaks of different types and kinds into one big dust bunny and stuffing it under a rug misleadingly called "Russia hacked the election" - rather than "Russia hacked Hillary's illegal basement server" which would of course be a big legal problem for some people. Those people and their cadre don't want anyone saying that or even able to think it. Squirrel!! FakeNews!! Resist!!
Lemmy , December 31, 2016 at 1:47 pmObama knows he beat Hillary in 2008, when she was also expected to be crowned.
And he knows he beat her for the same reason Trump did: people wanted anyone who wasn't perceived (emphasis on perceived) to be if the long time political establishment.It's funny that no reporter, if they really nelieve this, has asked Obama how far back the intelligence committe was investigating "Putin's interference". Russia knew both Clinton and McCain had their hawkish sites set. The Clinton campaign was a leaky mess back then and no one once cried "hacking."
Imagine the hilarity if it were true and Russia helped elect Obama.Rhondda , December 31, 2016 at 6:59 pmI think you're right.
On the one hand, we are told to believe our intelligence agencies' assertions that Russia directly influenced the results of our Presidential election - in other words, that they intentionally subverted our democratic process (such as it is) in order to ensure the election of their preferred candidate. That's pretty heavy stuff.So what is the official U.S. response? We're gonna send some Russian folks home right before Christmas really screw up their holiday plans!
Well played Obama - that will totally make them think twice before installing the next puppet president.
Rhondda , December 31, 2016 at 7:20 pmI think "Russia hacked the election" is a (seemingly pretty successful) psyop to inoculate as many as they can against being willing to hear anything about charges for Hillary's basement server State Dept. They're sweeping hacks and leaks of different types and kinds into one big dust bunny and stuffing it under a rug misleadingly called "Russia hacked the election" - rather than "Russia hacked Hillary's illegal basement server" which would of course be a big legal problem for some people. Those people and their cadre don't want anyone saying that or even able to think it. Squirrel!! FakeNews!! Resist!!
tgs , December 31, 2016 at 9:28 amSorry for the doublepost. Comment system is acting strange.
Mariah , December 31, 2016 at 10:01 amThe Russians are at it again. The Washington Post
And Rt:
Meanwhile, a number of IT specialists that have analyzed the code and other evidence published by the US government are questioning whether it really proves a Russian connection, let alone a connection to the Russian government. Wordfence, a cybersecurity firm that specializes in protecting websites running WordPress, a PHP-based platform, published a report on the issue on Friday.
Wordfence said they had traced the malware code to a tool available online, which is apparently funded by donations, called P.A.S. that claims to be "made in Ukraine." The version tested by the FBI/DHS report is 3.1.7, while the most current version available on the tool's website is 4.1.1b.
The Washington Post seems to have a fake news problem.
Cry Shop , December 31, 2016 at 10:39 amI can't read the Washington Post story because of the paywall, but here is what VTDigger has to say about this story. While I didn't read the Post story, the difference in headlines is interesting. VTDigger's headline is "Russians Penetrated Burlington Electric Department Computer" which seems less alarmist than the Post's "Russian Operation Hacked a Vermont Utility, Showing Risk to U.S. Electrical Grid Security, Officials Say."
https://vtdigger.org/2016/12/30/russians-penetrated-computer-burlington-electric-dept/
Aside from the hysterical quote by our outgoing governor Peter Shumlin, the Vermont officials seem fairly calm about the incident. I would also note that Shumlin's failure to keep his promise on universal health care probably endangers more Vermont lives than the Russian hack attempt.
marym , December 31, 2016 at 10:56 amthe
Russianhack attempt.at this point, any claim of agency by this administration is almost proof of the opposite.
NotTimothyGeithner , December 31, 2016 at 11:02 amThe govt released a report of "evidence" for the alleged DNC hacks. Arizona Slim at 9:30 am here posted a link to a critique of this "evidence." Meanwhile, utilities and other entities started checking their systems for similar "evidence." Burlington found an instance on a laptop unconnected to the grid.
Here's a summary from emptywheel – she's actually somewhat of a believer in a Russian DNC hack, but not in this grid story.
fresno dan , December 31, 2016 at 11:13 amThe problem with the DNC hack story is "who cares?" The Democrats are a private organization* with very poor cyber security as evidenced by Hillary's basement server.
Podesta was not a government official conducting government business. Hacking and releasing his emails is simply not interfering with the election.
*They made this claim in the primaries. The Democratic Party is in no way part of the U.S, government. They warrant as much attention as a local business as they don't receive defense contracts.
NotTimothyGeithner , December 31, 2016 at 11:49 amNotTimothyGeithner
December 31, 2016 at 11:02 amDo you remember the Chinese hack of USA! USA! USA! SECURITY CLEARANCES!!!!!!! TOP SECRET STUFF!!!!
Do you remember the uproar and all the consequences to China?
All the trade sanctions???
The Chinese import restrictions???
DEF CON superduper ONE or what ever number they use for top DEF CONS now a days
How the world teetered on the brink of nuclear war and total global annihilation because of this ACT OF WAR????Yeah ..neither do I.
marym , December 31, 2016 at 11:02 amArms manufacturers have an interest. The Russia is too small and too distant to overwhelm most countries outside of the Baltics and the Caucuses. The Chinese if they are let in can overwhelm most countries through soft power. Why change U.S. shackles for Chinese ones? The Russians offer many of the same weapon and tech options as the U.S. and China without the soft power threat of being overwhelmed.
Part of the neoconservative rationale back in the day was the state of defense tech advancement would neutralize our wunder weapons and soldiers on the ground would matter again. We needed to block the Chinese and Russians by destroying or assimilating anyone who wasn't 100% loyal or could move into the Moscow sphere or cut into profit margins. The neoliberals pushed the U.S. would dominate free trade because the US. would run defense, tech, and finance. Russia and China are threats to every neoliberal promise.
fresno dan , December 31, 2016 at 11:26 amAnother summary from Greenwald.
Arizona Slim , December 31, 2016 at 12:14 pmmarym
December 31, 2016 at 11:02 amThere was no "penetration of the U.S. electricity grid." The truth was undramatic and banal. Burlington Electric, after receiving a Homeland Security notice sent to all U.S. utility companies about the malware code found in the DNC system, searched all their computers and found the code in a single laptop that was not connected to the electric grid.
Apparently, the Post did not even bother to contact the company before running its wildly sensationalistic claims, so they had to issue their own statement to the Burlington Free Press which debunked the Post's central claim (emphasis in original): "We detected the malware in a single Burlington Electric Department laptop NOT connected to our organization's grid systems."
So the key scary claim of the Post story – that Russian hackers had penetrated the U.S. electric grid – was false. All the alarmist tough-guy statements issued by political officials who believed the Post's claim were based on fiction.
========================================
Thanks for that marym!
I guess – no, I now KNOW it was just idiotic of me and a naive and foolish belief in "progress" that I thought people could no longer be manipulated, like Americans in the 50's with the Red Scare. If anything, it seems the mechanism for ginning up mass hysteria is more effective now than it was than .Carl , December 31, 2016 at 9:56 amIf I may be permitted to comment on my comment, permit me to say this about my article link's origin:
The writer of said article runs a company called WordFence. Its flagship product is a WordPress plugin that protects websites against hacking.
If you ever get the opportunity to manage a WordPress-powered website that has WordFence among its plugins, be forewarned. You are going to be a very busy site manager.
Why? Because you'll get frequent e-mailed admonitions from WordFence. Better update this plugin, your WordPress installation, your website theme, or some combination of these things. Yeah, it's annoying at times, but the good news is that WordFence is a very vigilant plugin.
So, heed those admonitions and do those updates. Now!
dcblogger , December 31, 2016 at 10:00 amWow that Putin guy is smart. Brokering a cease-fire in Syria and brushing off Obama in one week. Forget the 11th dimensional chess, this guy's the real chess player. Really knows how to make a countermove. His exposing our failed policies is really what's driving the heated anti-Russian rhetoric by the political establishment, imo.
lyman alpha blob , December 31, 2016 at 10:34 amFrench workers win legal right to avoid checking work email out-of-hours
ewmayer , December 31, 2016 at 6:07 pmYesterday I mentioned having taken a class in Assyrian archaeology. Turns out the city I studied, Nimrud, has been turned to rubble by the Islamic state .
Katniss responded with a comment about it being harder to rewrite history if people were actually aware of it. Really at a loss for words as to how people could do something like this. You'd think these ISIS ass***es would revere the Assyrians, being fellow head choppers and all but instead they raze the place.
The city of Nimrud in northern Iraq is in pieces, victim of the Islamic State group's fervor to erase history. The remains of its palaces and temples, once lined in brilliant reliefs of gods and kings, have been blown up. The statues of winged bulls that once guarded the site are hacked to bits. Its towering ziggurat, or step pyramid, has been bulldozed.
Funny thing is most of the good stuff from these sites was pillaged by the Brits 150 years ago and a lot of the best reliefs can be found scattered through small New England liberal arts colleges. Always thought they should be repatriated. Love to see these slabs lowered back into place in Iraq someday especially if there are some Bush era neocons and ISIS types underneath them when it happens.
Jeff , December 31, 2016 at 10:39 amRemember the "bridge of death" scene near the end of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, where after seeing Knight #1 walk safely across the bridge after getting 3 really easy questions from the bridge troll, Knight #2 excalims "that's easy!", rushes to the front of the queue, and after getting 2 easy questions, is stumped by "what is the capital of Assyria?" Funnily enough, I actually knew that one – Nineveh. Or thought I did, because doing a quick lookup just now I see Nineveh was the oldest city in Assyria and its ancient capital until its destruction in 612 BC, but Nimrud was an earlier capital, from 879–722 BC. So the correct answer is in fact, "it depends."
Very sad what IS did to Nimrud, though.
Paid Minion , December 31, 2016 at 10:42 amHi,
Is there an update on the demands from NC towards WP and associated liars about the fake news stories?
Just saw a tweet mentioning the editorial WP added to their original stuff, but couldn't see an update in any of the ~posts here on NC.Thanks,
Lupemax , December 31, 2016 at 3:29 pm2016 Post Mortem
Can somebody please kill this fantasy that Clinton I was "eight years of peace and prosperity"?
For many of us, it was the beginning of 25 years of working harder and making less. And of hacked government stats to make the economy look better than it actually was.
Webstir , December 31, 2016 at 10:59 amClinton 1, the best repug in the dem party, gave us
1) Haiti – a failed state
2) telecommunications bill that has given us the 5 corporations that offer the worst lamestream media in the industrial world that lies endlessly.
3) end of the safety net (welfare as we know it) for those with the least increase in corporate welfare
4) Glass-Steagall and corruption on Wall Street and all white collar crime actually that goes completely unpunished
5) continuation of massive, runaway inequality
6) Hillary Clinton
7) NAFTA
8) increase in childhood poverty
9) sick care insurance that doesn't cover anyone for healthcare at all
10) and he also provided privatized social security with Newt Gingrich but Monica (good for her) intervened.HBE , December 31, 2016 at 1:32 pmWhile making no excuses for the ineptitude of our current establishmentarian politicos, I think many of the commenters on here who seem in awe of Putin's political savvy forget an important point: He's an autocrat. Whatever the U.S.'s current political failings, there is still a generally effective system of checks and balances. Putin, as an autocrat, does not face these challenges. He is free to shape his statecraft as he pleases and to implement tactics at the drop of a hat. Our political system does not (and lord help us under the trump regime - should not) enjoy this luxury. Whether you feel like the hacking is a ginned up conspiracy or not, cozying up to an autocrat like Putin is an existential threat to all democratic nations.
"11 dimensional chess" give me a break.
Webstir , December 31, 2016 at 2:38 pm"Whether you feel like the hacking is a ginned up conspiracy or not, cozying up to an autocrat like Putin is an existential threat to all democratic nations."
But what about about an oligarchy?
Our "democracy" has been dead for awhile for anyone not in the top 10%. You can't really be an "existential threat" to something that doesn't exist.
alex morfesis , December 31, 2016 at 2:00 pmThus my statement: "Whatever the U.S.'s current political failings, there is still a GENERALLY effective system of checks and balances." And yes, it can (and most likely will) get worse, before it gets better. I'm not blind to the US's frailties. However, I feel there is still a "chance" that we can step back from the brink of utterly destroying this 200 year experiment in representative democracy. The closer we step to abiding autocracy as a matter of course, though, the closer we step to the brink of not being able to reverse the considerable mistakes we have made.
Webstir , December 31, 2016 at 2:47 pmNo one anywhere ever is an autocrat no king, no dictator, no president, no fearless leader and certainly not raz-putin and no one has ever been that is a pedestrian image of what it takes to run an enterprise not castro, not saddam, not mao, not stalin .no one
hunkerdown , December 31, 2016 at 5:50 pmFine. I'll play the semantic game.
Your statement does not; however, negate my assertion. Putin's ability to maneuver politically (within whatever system you'd like to call it) is substantially less hampered by checks and balances than ours. Our absolute polarization in this country has opened the door for "autocraticish" world leaders to seriously undermine our "admittedly weakened by oligarchic influences" system of representative democracy.
Webstir , December 31, 2016 at 7:13 pmOur checks and balances were designed to serve the oligarchy. For some reason, you don't seem to have a problem with things that are unfit for purpose as long as they demand attention.
hunkerdown , January 1, 2017 at 12:27 amI address the first sentence of your reply alone, because the second makes no sense.
So great, it's always been an oligarchy. I've read Zinn. But since you append no solution, am I left to believe that the solution is let Putin destroy said oligarchy and replace it with autocracy? Seems like throwing the baby out with the bathwater to me. But I get it. Some people just want to see the world burn.
hunkerdown , January 1, 2017 at 12:33 amThe world is not debate club and it is not a business. You are not entitled to a solution. I believe it's arrogant of you to believe that you are.
What's more, you're not ready to overlap your solution space with that of the people. Like I said, the world is not debate club. This is an attempt to meet minds, not to pray like a Pharisee.
Let's start with this principle: does human welfare "net out"?
witters , December 31, 2016 at 8:19 pmAdding, I understand that "world burm" stuff is on today's meme list, as I've seen it in plenty of comment boxes around the Web, so you can stop pretending you're not on assignment. I want to watch liberals' world burn for their arrogance, and I defy you to tell me why they don't deserve that or worse.
Carl , December 31, 2016 at 6:55 pmForgive me Webstir, but isn't Russia a capitalist democracy? Doesn't the UN etc get to monitor their elections? Putin gets voted in in the usual way. If that is a problem, then it is a problem for 'Democracy' generally. And remind me, these "checks and balances" – is that the CIA versus the FBI? Is it the the DOJ and financial crime? What is it?
Jeremy Grimm , December 31, 2016 at 7:28 pmI guess that comment was directed to one of mine. Sorry, but I was just trying to express how inept Putin makes our war-mongering political establishment look (probably because they are) just by making a few strategic moves. If that came across as "cozying up" to the man, well, you might be reading too much into it. And the 11th dimensional chess remark was /sarc.
Jeremy Grimm , December 31, 2016 at 7:34 pm"Cozying up to an autocrat like Putin is an existential threat to all democratic nations." Huh!????? Not maintaining "amicable relations" with Putin and Russia is an existential threat to ALL nations of the world.
And how is it cozying up to Putin to question the plainly false assertions by our Security Industrial Complex or admire some clever but relatively straightforward responses to Obama's "retaliations"?
Do you believe the President of United States has no capacity to control and direct the actions of the Executive Branch? The President has considerable autocratic power - little or not mitigated by "checks and balances" - as the head of the Executive Branch of the United States.
MyLessThanPrimeBeef , December 31, 2016 at 11:01 am"Cozying up to an autocrat like Putin is an existential threat to all democratic nations." Not maintaining "amicable relations" with Putin and Russia is an existential threat to ALL nations of the world.
How is it cozying up to Putin to question the plainly false assertions by our Security Industrial Complex or admire some clever but relatively straightforward responses to Obama's "retaliations"?
Do you believe the President of United States has no capacity to control and direct the actions of the Executive Branch? The President has considerable autocratic power - little or not mitigated by "checks and balances" - as the head of the Executive Branch of the United States.
flora , December 31, 2016 at 1:49 pmThe Aurochs, back from the dead.
Now, we can feel better about finishing of those bees, because we can bring always bring them back later.
More enabling of Nature-abusing, should it become a part of cost-benefit analysis – the cost of preserving a species, versus letting it die now and bringing it back 50 years later – because we humans know exactly what we're doing. Having more options is always better.
In the mean time, get the award ready for another display of superior intelligence.
jhallc , December 31, 2016 at 2:10 pmI don't disagree.
For me, teading the story brought up this segue:The general appearance of the auroch bull is similar to the smaller Spanish fighting bull. Which reminds me, there are several kinds of bull fighting. Portuguese bull fighting isn't featured in movies but wow is it something. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS4bGwA0QSc
There's the ancient /modern sport of bull-leaping. Sport in some form goes back at least 3500 years judging from Minoan frescos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AukHt8_N1zsfresno dan , December 31, 2016 at 11:02 amLook on the bright side. They might be developing a superior supply of rodeo bulls to ride. However, the clowns may need some extra padding.
Foppe , December 31, 2016 at 11:53 amIs Obama using Russia to force a wedge between Trump and his party? Guardian
Having compromised national security in order to defeat Hillary Clinton, the Republican leadership may now see Trump as expendable. After all, he chose a standard rightwing Republican, the Indiana governor, Mike Pence, as his running mate, which means McConnell and Ryan can always arrange to have Trump impeached if he becomes too much trouble.
For Obama, Russia is thus a uniquely effective wedge issue, with the potential to divide the president-elect from his party. If Trump tries to remove the new sanctions, he could face blowback from Congress; if he doesn't, his friendly relationship with Putin could be damaged.
===================================================================
If Trump is truly not fervently anti Russian, than he was gonna have problems with the repubs soon enough. As I commented yesterday, to me the issue is Trump strong enough to resist the many and varied forms of persuasion that will be marshaled by the MIC and associated hangers on to continue the very lucrative cold war funding.I saw a retrospective on the Trump campaign, and the part where Trump got sat down and questioned on abortion. Trump finally answered the question, "do you think women who have abortions should be punished?"
Trump's answer of yes reveals two things to me:
1. Yes, of course he is a politician and gives an answer that he believes his base wants to hear. It took him a while to learn the standard inconsistent but repub politically correct answer.
2. I doubt very much, to the extent Trump has "core beliefs" that Trump was against abortion. But Trump, maybe more than most, will change to mollify the base.Now, I don't think the repub base actually gives a rat's as* about spending money to contain Russia, but I think the modern elites can sure make it seem like they do. I am hoping, but I doubt Trump, has the backbone, skill, and intellect to really counter a sustained effort to keep us at the status quo ante (i.e., keep us knee jerk anti Russian).
The question is: are there REALLY 99 senators who believe Russia hacked the election or same difference, 99 who will vote that Russia hacked us?
And you know what that means? It means that we are governed in mass, by seriously incompetent people with ideological blinders on – Trump is the least of our problems .HotFlash , December 31, 2016 at 4:50 pmFancy that, Harvard still has a "cold war center" with nitwits who sell this as "analysis"?
Mark Kramer, the program director for the Project on Cold War Studies at Harvard's Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, told Business Insider in an email Friday that Putin's "conspicuous announcement today was intended in part to give the impression that Obama's measure are weak and inconsequential (as indeed they largely are) and do not deserve a response."
"Putin can thus depict himself as taking the high road," Kramer added, "and undoubtedly will be praised in European and Third World countries that are always eager to condemn the United States."
petal , December 31, 2016 at 11:15 amIf Trump is truly not fervently anti Russian, than he was gonna have problems with the repubs soon enough.
========================================I dunno. Mr. Trump, excuse me, President-Elect Trump, has a real gift for knowing what the people want, or at least what they want to hear. And the R's are conditioned (by the Tea Part et al) to fear their base. May it be that the Repubs (elites) will have problems with Trump? As for the Demos, Demo-friendly pundits and the vast "left wing conspiracy", I keep having the feeling that all this Putin-blaming stuff is because "Empress Hillary said so" and the DC/Demo-apparatus does not dare (yet) pile on the Trump wagon. See what happens on Jan 21.
petal , December 31, 2016 at 11:20 amA correction to the OvaScience story-Jon Tilly is not at BU, he's been at Northeastern since leaving MGH. I was in the little Center when that work was done(by colleagues/friends). There were 3 groups that shared space.
Cry Shop , December 31, 2016 at 11:35 amA correction to the OvaScience story-Jon Tilly is not at BU, he's been at Northeastern since leaving MGH . I was in the little Center when that work was done(by colleagues/friends). There were 3 groups that shared space.
Brian , December 31, 2016 at 11:57 amIt's going to be a hot time in the hard town tonight.
capacity by an estimated 250 million tonnes this year and to reduce the share of coal in its energy mix to 62.6 percent by 2016. The country also intends to modernise its coal-fired power plants by 2020 to reduce emissions of "major pollutants" by 60 percent and i s committed to stabilising its CO2 emissions "around 2030 ". Environmental NGOs are nonetheless cautious, worried in particular about the unbridled construction of new coal-fired power plants in China, at the rate of almost two new projects per week in 2015 alone – even though there may ultimately be little need for the extra capacity. (AFP)
Say Goodnight, Gracie.
knowbuddhau , December 31, 2016 at 12:58 pmHacking and leaking; something one does when the flu is in town?
The government claims the Russians hacked something not connected to the internet and expect everyone to believe it. All that is waiting now is the 200,000 IT specialists that could read the code and would disagree.
this time, the big lie is going to be dispelled in every coffee shop, workplace and wifi hotspot in the land. The IT folks are going to be asked by their friends and customers if it is true or not, and it will all unravel.
Why would our government make claims so easy to demolish?fresno dan , December 31, 2016 at 1:38 pmWhy? Because they work. And once people act on them, it becomes almost impossible to get them to admit they were hugely and publicly wrong. Propaganda and advertising are similar in that the message doesn't have to make sense, it just has to achieve the intended result.
I don't share your faith in the power of facts to dispel beliefs that confirm cherished myths. ISTM that beliefs, world views, come first, and "facts" are noticed, selected, and accepted relative to their support thereof.
It's a fact that genocide of native Americans was official US policy. "The only good Indian is a dead Indian." It's a fact that treaties were "negotiated" at gunpoint. It's a fact that we broke them anyway. It's a fact that we stole millions of acres. It's a fact that we have no intention of returning stolen property.
It's a fact that freedmen were promised "40 acres and a mule." It's a fact that that promise is still unfulfilled.
It's a fact that the Tonkin Gulf "incident" did not happen as reported. Still, many, maybe even most Americans believe we were attacked, and further, that we had to stop the dreaded "domino effect."
It's a fact that the invasion of Iraq was based on lies. It was an illegal war of aggression. And still is. Nevertheless, anyone who participates in uniform is a "hero." And anyone who reveals exactly how effed up was our prosecution of that illegal war is, in "fact," a most scurrilous villain. Just try defending Manning or Snowden to diehard American Exceptionalists.
It's a fact that US forces tortured people in black sites all over the world. It's a fact that the Convention Against Torture demands investigation and prosecution. It's a fact that our constitutional scholar-president looked "forward, not backward," putting our government in breach of the CAT. Where are the impeachment proceedings for this high crime?
I could go on and on. It'd be nice if facts controlled politics. Fact is, beliefs do.
knowbuddhau , December 31, 2016 at 8:12 pmknowbuddhau
December 31, 2016 at 12:58 pmUnfortunately, you are exactly right. It seems humans are just hard wired to be cheerleaders for their own team, tribe, country .beliefs come first, and than cherry picked facts, or facts too good to check that support the beliefs.
I have said it a million times, I believe the most difficult thing for a human to do is admit they were wrong about something.
annie , December 31, 2016 at 12:26 pmThanks, fd, glad you agree. I (almost ;) always enjoy your comments.
I'm not so sure "unfortunately" is the word I'd use, though. More like "naturally." I don't regret being more belief-driven than data-driven. I think it's only natural. I think if people were honest, they'd admit they are, too. Or am I supposed to think they're Mr. Data? That's what makes us human, right? I think the mythological is a realm of human experience just as natural as is the psychological.
It'd be nice if facts controlled politics. But first we'll have to come to a more universal agreement as to exactly what world/universe/multiverse we're living in. I think it'd behoove us to take into consideration the world views of those we oppose. We can't assume we're living in the same world. ISTM we're often bringing facts to faith-based arguments. And that even we, who have faith in the scientific method, make them, too.
All the data in the world won't move people unless it's in a narrative and/or symbolic form that speaks to people directly, no thought required, like art does. Ask climate change scientists.
The scary thing is, as Red Scare 2.0 shows, or Trump's entire campaign, the opposite is true, too. If you hit the right notes, it doesn't even have to make sense. Works almost as well as the flashy thing (neuralizer) in Men In Black. Not because we're stupid "sheeple" (how I hate that phrase!), but because we're "human, all too human."
Men In Black in 5 seconds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymSEibHKOgoPS: Regarding admitting mistakes. You won't mind, then, if I point out that you often use "than" when I think you mean "then." I like it when others kindly point out my mistakes, so in that spirit.
fresno dan , December 31, 2016 at 1:23 pmthere is an 'annie' commenting above on the taibbi piece who is not me! and does not express my sentiments at all.
i'd thought that one's user name was sacrosanct here. i've been using 'annie' for many years on n.c.ProNewerDeal , December 31, 2016 at 1:27 pmannie
December 31, 2016 at 12:26 pmI was spoofed ONCE on this site – I was gonna change my moniker to the "realfresnodan" but through sheer laziness, I never got around to it and it ?never? happened again. I don't know, but I imagine software that verifies your address has to allow a different address or computer at least once, otherwise one would have to change your moniker every time you bought a new computer or changed your internet provider, etc.
Plus, when the new secret police come to get me, I will always have the defense, "its documented that I am being spoofed!!!" I LOVE OBAMA/TRUMP/BUSH!!! – I can't decide who I love more!!!! (need I say sarc?)Outis Philalithopoulos , December 31, 2016 at 1:33 pmHillaryB0ts & 0bamabots would say Putin is falsely impersonating you.
Sorry, some gallows humor. Hopefully the impostor gets banned
ewmayer , December 31, 2016 at 6:18 pmWe'll look into the general issue. Of course deliberately impersonating another commenter isn't okay, but sometimes two people take the same user name simply by accident.
JTMcPhee , December 31, 2016 at 8:36 pmOutis, is it possible to tweak the registration/post-processing setup so each commenter's profile is stored as a unique UID/email-address pair, and someone attempting to use a UID already linked to a different e-mail gets a "sorry, this userid is already taken" error message? Seems like a pretty basic anti-spoofing measure for any halfway-decent comments system to support.
Outis Philalithopoulos , December 31, 2016 at 10:21 pmThat will cause me problems, since my personal situation has me using three different devices, no, five counting computers where I now only occasionally work, to participate here. But it's not my space, so it goes. Protect the discourse. Besides, no one seems to think it worth spoofing me .
JTMcPhee , December 31, 2016 at 9:07 pmIf the proposed system included information about the device, it would be unworkable for precisely the reason you mention. I can imagine a way to work around that, but it may or may not be feasible - it will depend on the flexibility of the back end. I'll try to look into it.
Mel , December 31, 2016 at 9:30 pmFrom the multiple posts of the same msg by several people, I get the feeling that others are having the same experience I am: I scribble, click "post comment," and then get a white screen rather than a return to a posted, moderated or disappeared comment in the thread. I refresh the page, which then warns me that "this comment has already been posted" on a white screen. I re-load NC, search out my insert point, and maybe the note is there, maybe not. And if I pick the option offered in a text box when refreshing from the white screen, to 're-send the form,' it usually results in a multiple post of the same text. I have tried refreshing the screen and even re-booting, same thing happens. Just offering my experience with the site lately. This started a couple of days ago.
Outis Philalithopoulos , December 31, 2016 at 10:15 pmI saw the same thing this morning:
December 31, 2016 at 12:29 pmBrowser is Firefox on a Raspberry Pi..
In case this helps.Katharine , December 31, 2016 at 1:47 pmThanks for letting us know, I'll forward on this information.
jo6pac , December 31, 2016 at 1:09 pmWhoa! Good luck getting that straightened out! I should think it would feel really creepy to see alien sentiments under your local identity.
Pat , December 31, 2016 at 1:11 pmI guess we know were Putin's comment on I won't get into kitchen politics came from.
The is truly evil but maybe di-fi and dick will invite everyone from the Russian Embassy to the mac-mansion for the holiday cheer;)
fresno dan , December 31, 2016 at 1:30 pmEven though I have weighed in, the truth is that who was worse for the country Obama or Bush really won't be decided until more time has passed after Obama has left office. Think of it this way, we didn't have a clear view of how many disastrous choices/decisions/terrible legislation was part of the Clinton administration until years after he left. The full force of NAFTA hadn't been felt, the devastation of Welfare Reform would only get deeper and deeper, and then there was the repeal of Glass Steagall and the Gramm Bliley Leach atrocity that in reality has been a leading component in the world wide Depression we are still dealing with (and with no FDR unfortunately some of us are waiting for crash pt. 2). Just think how much worse it would have been if he hadn't been impeached and got his entitlement reform. I have to give the Tea Party the Monica Lewinsky Earned Benefit Savior Award for managing to derail Obama's multiple attempts at the same, but similar to Bill it will merely be a "and it could have been worse foot note" to his history. But whatever else the last three Presidents do have one thing in common all have ended their terms with a lot of Americans, probably even most demanding change.
Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul, and while it is more likely that Trump will just accelerate the descent this country has been on for over three decades that part of me still sings that it might not be that way and sees chance for sanity and humanity to triumph over greed, selfishness and corruption. Unlike Dickinson's my version was abashed for most of the last six years, and it could become dormant and silent in even less time for Trump. But it still exists, still beats and still sings and will again for Americans do not give up on change, someday we will get it in the manner we really want.
OIFVet , December 31, 2016 at 5:55 pmPat
December 31, 2016 at 1:11 pm" give the Tea Party the Monica Lewinsky Earned Benefit Savior Award "
THAT IS RICH!!!
hmmmmm .was the sloppiness of the fore mentioned young lady uh, hiding the evidencedue to her being a repub "undercover" agent? Hmmmmmm ..JTMcPhee , December 31, 2016 at 10:26 pmThere but for a sloppy BJ and a cigar Says a lot about the precariousness of what was once called the "Third Rail" of politics.
hunkerdown , January 1, 2017 at 12:38 amSeems to me it doesn't matter, except as a debating point or for bragging rights or tribal supremacy, or other inconsequentialisms, which figurehead was "worse for the country. " Seems to me there's not much of a "country" remaining. And from the standpoint of this one ordinary person, GWB/BHO are just file tabs in the Rulers' great cabinet of horrors.
But may I offer the obligatory and mostly sincere traditional wishes to all here, that you have a peaceful and kindly New Year!
aab , December 31, 2016 at 11:50 pmIndeed, isn't the obsession with ranking a major driver of the emptiness of liberalism as the game is played? It's learned, I'm certain; I'm as certain it can be unlearned, given stern enough measures.
fresno dan , December 31, 2016 at 1:15 pmComing back hours after I read it to say I love this comment, and I love the extention of the Dickinson metaphor. Let us sing and beat our wings until the vibration cracks the bars on our cage.
DJG , December 31, 2016 at 1:25 pm"Why is Mr. Trump so dismissive of Russia's dangerous behavior? Some say it is his lack of experience in foreign policy, or an oft-stated admiration for strongmen, or naivete about Russian intentions. But darker suspicions persist."
The editorial concluded by connecting the president-elect's "odd behavior" toward Russia with his lack of transparency when it comes to his business empire.
"Are there loans or deals with Russian businesses or the state that were concealed during the campaign? Are there hidden communications with Mr. Putin or his representatives?" The newspaper speculated.
"We would be thrilled to see all the doubts dispelled, but Mr. Trump's odd behavior in the face of a clear threat from Russia, matched by Mr. Putin's evident enthusiasm for the president-elect, cannot be easily explained."
==========================================================
SO it begins ..I was thinking my impeachment hypothesis was premature, given Trump hasn't even been sworn in ..but now I don't think so.
Jay M , December 31, 2016 at 1:50 pmThe recording of the chant in the virtual Ayia Sofia embedded in the American Conservative story is indeed beautiful. There has also been considerable speculation about the acoustics in San Marco in Venice, which is also a modified Byzantine layout. One writer points out that more than one choir was stationed in San Marco, so as to enhance the polyphony. I wonder if this was the case in Ayia Sophia, with its gigantic galleries.
I was reminded of the importance of the tradition of chanting (no musical instruments) among the Orthodox Christians and the Churches of the East. It is a distinctive tradition not much known in the U S of A, where people like to make claims that unimportant splinter groups like the Seventh Day Adventists have universal appeal. (But so much of "American religion" is so thoroughly parochial–and we are sure to be treated to much much much more of its certainties in the Trump cabinet.) Ayia Sofia, the church of the holy and divine wisdom is a cautionary tale about universal appeals, as is its new, thoroughly iconoclatic decor.
Ayia Sofia is indeed a contraditory place, as the article notes. It is suffused with the Istanbul melancholy that Orhan Pamuk describes. Not so far away, in the Fatih neighborhood, and higher up, the Suleimaniye mosque (built by the Sinan the convert) also glows in contradictory splendor.
Jay M , December 31, 2016 at 1:52 pmTaibbi making his serious journo bones?
"Russia at first pledged, darkly, to retaliate, then backed off. The Russian press today is even reporting that Vladimir Putin is inviting "the children of American diplomats" to "visit the Christmas tree in the Kremlin," as characteristically loathsome/menacing/sarcastic a Putin response as you'll find."
"He's gangster-spook-scum of the lowest order and capable of anything."
I realize the Crimea/Sudetenland parallel makes Putin out to be Hitler . . .
And 0bama to Chamberlain? Oh wait!Jay M , December 31, 2016 at 1:54 pmTaibbi making his serious journo bones?
"Russia at first pledged, darkly, to retaliate, then backed off. The Russian press today is even reporting that Vladimir Putin is inviting "the children of American diplomats" to "visit the Christmas tree in the Kremlin," as characteristically loathsome/menacing/sarcastic a Putin response as you'll find."
"He's gangster-spook-scum of the lowest order and capable of anything."
I realize the Crimea/Sudetenland parallel makes Putin out to be Hitler . . .
And 0bama to Chamberlain? Oh wait!Pespi , December 31, 2016 at 2:04 pmTaibbi making his serious journo bones?
"Russia at first pledged, darkly, to retaliate, then backed off. The Russian press today is even reporting that Vladimir Putin is inviting "the children of American diplomats" to "visit the Christmas tree in the Kremlin," as characteristically loathsome/menacing/sarcastic a Putin response as you'll find."
"He's gangster-spook-scum of the lowest order and capable of anything."
I realize the Crimea/Sudetenland parallel makes Putin out to be Hitler . . .
And 0bama to be Chamberlain? Oh wait!Katharine , December 31, 2016 at 2:52 pmI have a question for anyone who's been around a little while. Has political/media rhetoric always been as inflated and over the top as it is now? ie Washpost calling Russian hacking "cyber pearl harbor."
Is this old hat or something caused by the attention economy?
Susan C , December 31, 2016 at 8:24 pmThis is way worse than it used to be. There was something to be said for stodgy journalism. Even when it misrepresented reality, it did so in terms that sounded comparatively measured and adult, not like hysterical kids on a playground.
fresno dan , December 31, 2016 at 3:38 pmI agree – I have never seen journalism like this before. Have been watching a lot of MSNBC and CNN during the past few weeks and I can't believe how over the top they are about the Russian hacking story – it goes on for hours. And the papers too. Is it that it is a slow news period and they have to keep their audiences shocked and awed all the time? I have no idea why this is going on about the Russian hacking unless the media is trying very hard to change people's opinions about Russia, and if they are, why? What's the objective? And the 99 senators too are in on this? They make it sound very serious and yet it seems everyone is being hacked all the time anyway.
Aumua , December 31, 2016 at 3:43 pmPespi
December 31, 2016 at 2:04 pmGood question Pespi. I don't know, but it seems worse to me. But its kinda like asking a fish if its drier than it used to be – we live in a media world, and its not so much the answers they give, but the questions they ask. I'm so old I remember when Obama MOCKED Ronmey for asserting the Russians were a threat ..But no one asks Obama how the harmless Russkies became a threat on his watch .
AND I am old enough to remember when the the press was considered leftish because of Vietnam and cynicism about government pronouncements. So this belief by the press in the virtue of the CIA is something that I have a tough time processing .
Waldenpond , December 31, 2016 at 5:30 pmI offer my subjective opinion, not backed up by anything other than that I've been around for 4+ decades.
The level of brazenly open propagandizing is unprecedented. It was over the top through much of the election cycle, and now it's gone completely off the rails. The credibility of a) the politicians, b) the news agencies, and c) the 3 letter agencies behind the current balls-to-the-wall effort is at risk of being completely destroyed. Apparently they think the stakes are that high that they are all in on this.
JTMcPhee , December 31, 2016 at 8:43 pmI think it has to do with repealing the law that put some limits on the ability of the govt to propagandize it's own people. Journalists now print whatever bs some anonymous official sends them, no questions ask, or alternately sit on twitter.
Andrew Watts , December 31, 2016 at 2:13 pmYou folks need to go back in time to the 18th and 19th and early 20th Centuries in America, when political invective was both more colorful, vicious, and inventive than the fairly bland Bernaysian sauce and tribal butt-baring and chest-thumping that's au courant.
Tom , December 31, 2016 at 2:29 pmRE: Russia Reaches Syria Cease-Fire Pact With Turkey- and the U.S. Had Nothing to Do With It
Why would Iran and Hezbollah go along with it? The only plausible answer I can think of is that neither believe this cease fire will last. Already there are unconfirmed reports of renewed jihadi-rebel in-fighting and hostilities between pro-government forces and the not-so-moderate rebels.
hunkerdown , December 31, 2016 at 6:01 pmRe: Brexit vote sparks rush of British Jews seeking Portuguese passports
Amusingly, Jews in Britain actually voted as a majority in favor of Brexit. Perhaps the press is furthering anti-semitic stereotypes which claim that Jews seek internationalism and consolidation of power at the expense of local governance? You might consider posting articles on this sensitive subject which are more than just a description of an event followed by pointing and sputtering.
Andrew Watts , December 31, 2016 at 2:42 pmLinkage is not endorsement. It may be difficult for those that prize bourgeois loyalty and tribal exceptionalism - you know, Americans - to understand, but there it is.
It's a big Internet, paid Democrat troII. There are many places for you to ply your trade where you would be welcome.
Bernard , December 31, 2016 at 3:01 pm
RE: Russia's response to Obama 'is frankly the most damaging and embarrassing answer we could receive'I don't think Putin and Lavrov are playing good cop/bad cop. As per the rules of diplomacy Lavrov expects to answer every tit with a retaliatory tat. Putin is different. His professional experience is formerly of counter-intelligence. Which means he probably realizes what's happening and Russia isn't the actual target in this propaganda war.
Consider the following
RE: Something About This Russia Story Stinks
Taibbi and his friends in the media are right. They have every reason to be worried. After all they're the primary target in this propaganda war. It took me awhile to figure out what was happening even though something seemed familiar after the Washington Post story about fake news and the slandering of Naked Capitalism. I finally figured out why and the reason the CIA was taking the lead in promoting the "Russia election hacks!" story. But then I remembered the stories about the British Security Coordination (BSC)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Security_Coordination
The BSC didn't just recruit journalists or influence newspapers in it's operation to tilt public opinion towards the Allied cause. They engaged in misinformation/disinformation campaigns against people they perceived as their enemies; anti-New Dealers, isolationists, and right-wing Republicans. They had sympathetic journalists plant false new stories in their papers that attempted to incite legal action, death threats, and in at least one instance an eviction notice from the target's home through intimidation of the landlord.
What the CIA is doing now reeks of the BSC. Up to and including inciting the country into a war. After all the CIA's predecessor agency the OSS learned everything they knew at their feet.
Waldenpond , December 31, 2016 at 5:32 pminverted totalitarianism, or a police state, whatever you call America today, America is run by the rich, for the rich and by the rich. Checks and Balances designed to "safeguard" Government are working to insure the Rich keep their control.
Naivete/Willful Ignorance is such a frightening mindset. Watching others, who have no clue, speak about how much better our Banana Republic (America) is, say, compared to Mother Russia's version proves how well American have been "trained." American Exceptionalism! Because America!!!
scary, absolutely scary to see the endless displays of ignorance; no matter the cause, watching the fruits of Fascism/Inverted Totalitarianism flow unchecked and unchallenged is not something I can stomach. a wince here and an "oh no" there. the descent into Fascism is really awful. no matter what you call it.
Trixie from Dixie , December 31, 2016 at 5:33 pmIt isn't just apparent the parties have morphed, the base of the parties have also. It looks like about the same number of Rs believed at one time O was born in Kenya as Ds believe Russia, Russia, Russia took the win from their beloved oligarch Clinton (52%).
Andrew Watts , December 31, 2016 at 3:03 pmthe future we leave for our children. Will they forgive us? Can we forgive ourselves? How'd that hope and change work out? No worry, rump to the rescue! Happy New Year everyone! And thanks to NC for all you do!
fresno dan , December 31, 2016 at 3:42 pm*I was in a rush yesterday so this is a follow-up to yesterday's hastily written comment on the torture report. Any fault or errors in that comment can be attributed to my gullibility.
Most of the information about the specific instance of the CIA torturing an individual in Lebanon came from a biography on Bob Ames titled The Good Spy (2014) by Kai Bird. Which was a pretty good book. Ames has an interesting history. He forged a relationship which the author characterized as a friendship with high ranking individuals in the Palestinian Liberation Organization at a time when the PLO was labeled as a terrorist organization. It was this back channel connection that formed the basis of American diplomacy for peace negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians. He died in the 1983 embassy bombing.
-The individual who was tortured and died soon afterward was Elias Nimr . A Christian intelligence chieftain who appears to have played every side and angle he could during the Lebanon Civil War.
-The name of the CIA contractor who tortured Nimr was identified as Keith "Captain Crunch" Hall . He was originally identified by Mark Bowden in his book Road Work: Among Tyrants, Heroes, Rogues, and Beasts. (2007) A former Marine before he joined the CIA and was later a cop in California.
Similar methods that resulted in the death of prisoners during CIA's systemic torture program during the Bush Administration were used. They'd dump cold water on'em and leave them in a cold cell. Nimr was left in a cell with a fan blowing cold air on them. Hall wasn't present at the time Nimr died.
-Bob Baer neglects to mention this specific incident of torture in See No Evil but doesn't blame Nimr for the bombing of the embassy. *cough* Appropriately titled book if you ask me. *cough* A part of his theory on the masterminds behind the '83 embassy bombings involves a former PLO turned Hezbollah operative named Imad Mughniyeh . Baer claims that Mughniyeh is was still in contact with his old Fatah contacts when the embassy was bombed.
Besides the embassy bombing Mughniyeh was blamed for a lot of other terrorist acts that I think are based on nothing more than circumstantial evidence. Contemporary analysis suggests it's basically the "Blame Putin!" trope in action.
-The name of the alleged defector from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard was actually a deputy defense minister and former brigadier general named Ali Reza Asgari . There was and still probably is controversy whether he was kidnapped or defected. The Iranians wouldn't want it known that such a high ranking defector went over to the West hence the kidnapping story.
Hah! Guess not posting much for a few months finally caught up with me.
megamie , December 31, 2016 at 3:12 pmAndrew Watts
December 31, 2016 at 3:03 pmThanks for the comments – very elucidating!
JEHR , December 31, 2016 at 3:17 pmFascinating:
When Finnish Teachers Work in America's Public Schools
There are more restrictions to professional freedom in the United States, and the educators find the school day overly rigid.
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/11/when-finnish-teachers-work-in-americas-public-schools/508685/?utm_source=atlfb&single_page=trueBernard , December 31, 2016 at 3:18 pmRe: Canadian Hemisphere: I have always been ashamed of Canadian mining and resources extractors who work in other countries, especially Latin America. Most Canadians think of themselves as fair and judicious but that is not always true when it comes to mining in foreign countries. Canadian mining companies have despoiled land, water and air while exploiting workers' human rights. It is a depressing aspect of Canadian resource imperialism which is every bit as destructive as any other "imperial" adventure.
Here is one description of such despicable Canadian behaviour.
Trixie from Dixie , December 31, 2016 at 8:10 pminverted totalitarianism, or a police state, whatever you call America today, America is run by the rich, for the rich and by the rich. Thanks to Congress, Republican and Democrats, Partners in Crime. All those "Checks and Balances" designed to "safeguard" Government are working,for sure, but now working to insure the Rich keep their control. The Republican and the Vichy Party/Democrats make sure "Government" does whatever Business wants. Who need competition when you own The US Government! not Capitalism!, that's for sure. or as i've heard, Capitalism can only be failed. Like Conservatism. The age old scam of stealing from the Poor to give to the Rich.
Watching others, who offer platitudes, speak about how much better our Banana Republic (America) is, say, compared to Mother Russia's version, proves how well Americans have been "trained." American Exceptionalism! Because America!!! I know very little about Russia, but i know a lot more about how we/Americans are being scammed. That is what Congress is for.
scary, absolutely scary to see the endless displays of ignorance; no matter the cause, watching the fruits of Fascism/Inverted Totalitarianism flow unchecked and unchallenged is not something I can stomach. a wince here and an "oh no" there. the descent into Fascism is really awful. no matter what you call it.
of course, then again, i can see who is stealing what from whom, and it ain't pretty to watch it go on, year after year. Thanks to Congress and the American Voter, we have reaped the whirlwind.Plenue , December 31, 2016 at 3:54 pmit makes one physically ill Not to mention psychologically ill.
Maybe lots of red wine is needed . I heard it is good for health?hunkerdown , December 31, 2016 at 6:05 pm>The Virtual Hagia Sophia The American Conservative
"The sense of tragedy over the fate of the great cathedral is unlike anything I've ever felt."
Hahaha. Ahhhhh, Christians. "This giant Church being converted into a Mosque dedicated to the same Abrahamic God is a great tragedy." Get over yourselves. It's a poncy over-enginereed shrine.
Vatch , December 31, 2016 at 8:24 pmAbrahamic Exceptionalism is insufferable. How do we do it every day.
fresno dan , December 31, 2016 at 3:56 pmI'm rather partial to the Bagan Hindu temple complex in Myanmar/Burma, to the Buddhist temples in Borobudur, Java,and to the Abu Simbel temples in southern Egypt. It's a pity the giant Buddhas of Bamiyan, Afghanistan, are gone.
cnchal , December 31, 2016 at 8:43 pmhttps://theoutline.com/post/351/valley-of-the-dolts
Let us state the obvious: None of these men are Roman Emperors, and they haven't got the wherewithal to "blow up" anything but a stock market bubble. They are not Lex Luthors or Gandalfs or Stalins. Their products do not bring about revolutions. They are simply robber barons, JP Morgans and Andrew Mellons in mediocre T-shirts. I have no doubt that many are preternaturally intelligent, hardworking people, and it is a shame that they have dedicated these talents to the mundane accumulation of capital. But there is nothing remarkable about these men. The Pirates of Silicon Valley do not have imperial ambitions. They have financial ones.
The vast majority of Silicon Valley startups, the sort that project lofty missions and managed improbably lucrative IPOs despite never having graced the cover of The Economist or the frontal cortex of the president, work precisely like any other kind of mundane sales operation in search of a product: Underpaid cold-callers receive low wages and less job security in exchange for a foosball table and the burden of growing a company as quickly as possible so that it can reach a liquidation event. Owners and investors get rich. Managers stay comfortable. The employees get hosed. None of this is particularly original. At least the real robber barons built the railroads.
==============================
Why IS Facebook, a not nearly as crappy email system, worth so much money?
Thats like asking why do intestinal parasites want to eat your sh*t? No, they want to eat YOU .Elizabeth Burton , December 31, 2016 at 4:20 pmThe Fed works in mysterious ways.
Jay M , December 31, 2016 at 4:38 pmConsidering part of the original Cold War mania was devised to cover up the fact the US was importing a slew of former Nazis for varied and sundry reasons, not to mention allowing them to slip into hiding without any real effort made to find them, one does have to wonder at the coincidence that we are now engaging in neo-Cold War rhetoric just as the "alt-right" neo-Nazis have been granted dispensation to go public.
Of course, one could believe the idea that all those former Nazis were really just poor souls who only worked for the Third Reich out of fear for their families and were, therefore, only too happy to embrace the joys of American freedom. One could, were it not for the other coincidence that similar fascist organizations have arisen almost simultaneously to public attention throughout Europe.
But never mind. That's tinfoil-hat stuff. We trounced all that Nazi scum, and besides most of the people weren't really Nazis and didn't believe all that stuff. Right?
Jay M , December 31, 2016 at 4:44 pm(to beat this dead horse a little more)
Taibbi making his serious journo bones?
"Russia at first pledged, darkly, to retaliate, then backed off. The Russian press today is even reporting that Vladimir Putin is inviting "the children of American diplomats" to "visit the Christmas tree in the Kremlin," as characteristically loathsome/menacing/sarcastic a Putin response as you'll find."
"He's gangster-spook-scum of the lowest order and capable of anything."
I realize the Crimea/Sudetenland parallel makes Putin out to be Hitler . . .
And 0bama to be Chamberlain? Oh wait!petal , December 31, 2016 at 4:50 pmsorry about multiple posts, I kept getting a screen that NC page wasn't working, and remembered about the site update finally
don't think my comment was that wonderful, and happy new yearambrit , December 31, 2016 at 5:12 pmSame thing happened to me but I didn't think it was during the time window. My apologies for the double post!
sd , December 31, 2016 at 5:27 pmMe two!
ewmayer , December 31, 2016 at 5:37 pmOver at Jesses Cafe Americaine, a radio interview with Thomas Frank.
How the Democratic Party Failed By Repudiating Their Legacy as 'The Party of the People'
http://jessescrossroadscafe.blogspot.com/2016/12/how-democratic-party-failed-by.htmlWaldenpond , December 31, 2016 at 5:52 pmo "Why Google co-founder Larry Page is pouring millions into flying cars | Vox" - Because haedlines about such squillionaire "thought leader" pipe dreams keep his name in the news and help to goose Google's share price? Nah, that couldn't be it
o "Self-Driving Cars Will Make Organ Shortages Even Worse | Slashdot (Chuck L)" - Because they'll kill off all the bicyclists in Year 1, leading to a donor-organ boom/bust?
o "Scientists edge closer to bringing back from the dead the fabled aurochs, giant wild cattle that once roamed Europe's forests | Telegraph" - Without a roamable forest for the critters to live in, what's the point - more animal cruelty?
hunkerdown , December 31, 2016 at 8:19 pmAVs and people will have to be kept separate once the market has benefited from the needed short term boom in organs. AVs can't even handle fixed red lights let alone moving objects. Perhaps pedestrian overpasses or simply ban cars on every fourth street and designate to bikes and pedestrians.
Profit! There will be a market for aurochs . canned hunting expeditions on private property and niche meat like they do with bison provided they don't carry brucellosis
.AdelleChattre , December 31, 2016 at 6:40 pmThey gotta foam the roadway, man. Set quotas and stuff like that. And, hey, when it's time for David Rockefeller to get heart #11, he can just Uber it.
Jay M , December 31, 2016 at 8:14 pmHappy New Year's Eve, and better luck next year, folks! I'll just leave this here
Seeing Wetiko: On Capitalism, Mind Viruses, and Antidotes for a World in Transition . By Alnoor Ladha, Martin Kirk.I see the chef at the Russian consulate in SF was sacked by the 0bama credo.
No doubt the microfiche was secreted in the crab in season.
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Jan 01, 2017 | www.moonofalabama.org
All recent claims of "Russian hacking" are either outright false or are based on "evidence" that only shows run-of-the-mill attacks by some anonymous basement hacker.
The year 2016 saw the person elected U.S. president who Jeff Bezos' propaganda rag, the Washington Post, hated most. To celebrate the end of this very bad year its writers and editors decided to put more egg on their faces. It first published the piece promoted on the left and some three hours later the fundamentally "corrected" one on the right .
The claim in the first piece, based on anonymous "officials", was that Russia hacked into the U.S. electricity grid through a utility company in Vermont. But then the utility companies in question, Burlington Electric, issued a statement that a recent scan of its IT systems had found only one laptop with some malware and that the laptop in questions was not connected to its networks at all. There was nothing found on any net-connected system. It had reported the find to the federal U.S. government. (Some very shortsighted "officials" immediately abused the confidential company information to miss-inform the Washington Post.) The utility company found the malware by scanning for a malware signature published in a lame recent assessment by Homeland Security and the FBI.
Dubious claims of foreign hacking of the electricity grid have already been made in 2009 . Its an old trick of the Obama administration to achieve some political aims. The Washington Post was obviously so eager to publish another of its daily "Russian hacking" fakes that it did not even ask the two Vermont utilities in question before pushing the stenographed piece out of the door. That may well have been because the lead editorial of that day was warning of Putin hacking the U.S. electricity network and (again) hitting at Trump:
For any American leader, an attempt to subvert U.S. democracy ought to be unforgivable - even if he is the intended beneficiary. Some years ago, then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned of a "cyber-Pearl Harbor," and the fear at the time was of a cyberattack collapsing electric grids or crashing financial markets. Now we have a real cyber-Pearl Harbor, though not one that was anticipated.Pearl Harbor was followed by the U.S. entry into a world war. Do the editors want to repeat that when alluding to it?
The editorial also pushed a bunch of wholly invented conspiracy theories:
Why is Mr. Trump so dismissive of Russia's dangerous behavior? Some say it is his lack of experience in foreign policy, or an oft-stated admiration for strongmen, or naivete about Russian intentions. But darker suspicions persist. Mr. Trump has steadfastly refused to be transparent about his multibillion-dollar business empire. Are there loans or deals with Russian businesses or the state that were concealed during the campaign? Are there hidden communications with Mr. Putin or his representatives? We would be thrilled to see all the doubts dispelled, but Mr. Trump's odd behavior in the face of a clear threat from Russia , matched by Mr. Putin's evident enthusiasm for the president-elect, cannot be easily explained .During the election campaign WaPo was the news paper with the most anti-Trump screeds on its neoconned editorial page. That actually helped Trump by making him the obvious anti-Neocon candidate. But "Pearl Harbor" comparisons and "darker suspicions" beat even the most stupid earlier pieces on him.
I suspect that the pushing of the Vermont hack was also an attempted hit against Bernie Sanders, the Senator from Vermont who was scammed out of the Democratic candidacy by the Clinton aligned Democratic National Council. He would now either have to jump on the "Russian hacking->bad Putin->bad-Trump" train or could be blamed of pro-Russian, pro-Putin and pro-Trump tendencies. All such tendencies are of course bad in the view of the pseudo-liberal Washington establishment which is busy promoting the New Red Scare .
But back to that malware. DHS and FBI had published a " report " (pdf) which again attempted to blame Russia of hacking the Democratic National Council while again providing zero actual evidence of such a hack (hint: there is none). The 13 pages include 2 with amateur graphics of a trivial hack architecture and 7 with amateur advice on how to protect a network. Of interest in it were samples and checksums of moduls of the hacking software it attributed to Russia and a list of IP addresses through which it claims the DNC hack was made. Of special interest is also what it does not say .
Several well known IT security experts have said earlier , like me , that such "reports" and claims are bullshit. A few more add to that:
- Jonathon Zdziarski :
Any antivirus company doing any amount of threat intelligence would be able to come up with more solid indicators than FBI released.
- John McAfee (now often nutty but right in this):
If it looks like the Russians did it I can guarantee you it wasn't the Russians.
- Matt Tait :
My money's on this all turns out to be commodity malware and not even APT28/APT29 and everyone jumping on the bandwagon will look v silly
All, and especially Matt Tait, are right.
Wordfence, also a reputed IT security company, took a detailed look at the samples and tables in the new DHS/FBI "report" and concludes:
The IP addresses that DHS provided may have been used for an attack by a state actor like Russia. But they don't appear to provide any association with Russia. They are probably used by a wide range of other malicious actors , especially the 15% of IP addresses that are Tor exit nodes.The malware sample is old, widely used and appears to be Ukrainian . It has no apparent relationship with Russian intelligence and it would be an indicator of compromise for any website.
There is your "Russian hack" the DHS and FBI claim hit the DNC servers and WaPo falsely claimed hit the U.S. electricity grid. A run-of-the-mill hack through freely available servers with old Ukrainian malware just like the hundred-thousand others that happen each day.
... ... ...
But if you, like me, believe the word of former British ambassador Craig Murray who works with Wikileaks, there was no hack at all. The DNC data came via an insider who had direct access to them. They were handed to Craig for publishing by Wikileaks.
The whole bogus "Russian hacking" and "Putin did it" claims are issued to lock the coming President Trump into an anti-Russian position. Peace with Russia means less plausible "imminent threat" claims and thereby lower budgets and management prestige for the defense and cybersecurity industry and government organizations. That again would mean lower advertisement income for the Washington Post and less money for its staff, editors and owner.
These people would rather have Word War III than to endure that.
Oui | Dec 31, 2016 11:27:04 AM | 1The old con-man McCain calling in from the Ukraine:Ghostship | Dec 31, 2016 11:51:44 AM | 2WorldBLee | Dec 31, 2016 11:54:10 AM | 3rather have Word War IIIThe current version of Microsoft Word (365 or whatever) is so shite, I'd nuke Redmond if I was Trump.There really are no words for the stupidity, small-mindedness, and mendacity of the Washington Post, NYT, and CNN (to name but three of the hacks that report on behalf of the powers-that-be) these days. I mean, they were always bad but they are continually striking new lows as if they were the inverse of the US stock market.kraus | Dec 31, 2016 12:18:38 PM | 6kraus | Dec 31, 2016 12:28:16 PM | 7...For those who missed the REAL hacking story: not covered by the lying fake news msm!
"US government hackers attacked russian electric grid"
https://www.rt.com/usa/372347-russian-hackers-power-grid/Soon a laptop will appear in the white house, sigh this crazy desinformation is getting ugly.mauisurfer | Dec 31, 2016 12:47:57 PM | 8Last month US actually hacked russian grid systems!
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-government-military-hackers-dnc-homeland-security-nsa-clinton-election-day-a7398881.htmlExit Obama in a Cloud of Disillusion, Delusion and Deceit 100jfl | Dec 31, 2016 2:01:29 PM | 9
31 Dec, 2016 in Uncategorized by craigI had promised myself and my family that on this holiday I would do nothing but relax. However events have overtaken my good intentions. I find myself in the unusual position of having twice been in a position to know directly that governments were lying in globe-shaking events, firstly Iraqi WMD and now the "Russian hacks".
Anybody who believes the latest report issued by Obama as "proof" provides anything of the sort is very easily impressed by some entirely meaningless diagrams. William Binney, who was Technical Director at the NSA and actually designed their surveillance capabilities, has advised me by email. It is plain from the report itself that the Russian groups discussed have been under targeted NSA surveillance for a period longer than the timeframe for the DNC and Podesta leaks. It is therefore inconceivable that the NSA would not have detected and traced those particular data flows and they would be saved. In other words, the NSA would have the actual hack on record, would be able to recognise the emails themselves and tell you exactly the second the transmission or transmissions took place and how they were routed. They would be able to give you date, time and IP addresses. In fact, not only do they produce no evidence of this kind, they do not even claim to have this kind of definite evidence.
Secondly, Bill points out that WikiLeaks is in itself a top priority target and any transmission to WikiLeaks or any of its major operatives would be tracked, captured and saved by NSA as a matter of routine. The exact route and date of the transmission or transmissions of the particular emails to WikiLeaks would be available. In fact, not only does the report not make this information available, it makes no claim at all to know anything about how the information was got to WikiLeaks.
Of course Russian hackers exist. They attack this blog pretty well continually – as do hackers from the USA and many other countries. Of course there have been attempted Russian hacks of the DNC. But the report gives no evidence at all of the alleged successful hack that transmitted these particular emails, nor any evidence of the connection between the hackers and the Russian government, let alone Putin.
There could be no evidence because in reality these were leaks, not hacks. The report is, frankly, a pile of complete and utter dross. To base grave accusations of election hacking on this report is ludicrous. Obama has been a severe disappointment to all progressive thinkers in virtually every possible way. He now goes out of power with absolutely no grace and in a storm of delusion and deceit. His purpose is apparently to weaken Trump politically, but to achieve that at the expense of heightening tensions with Russia to Cold War levels, is shameful. The very pettiness of Obama's tongue out to Putin – minor sanctions and expelling some diplomatic families – itself shows that Obama is lying about the pretext. If he really believed that Russia had "hacked the election", surely that would require a much less feeble response. By refusing to retaliate, Russia has shown the kind of polish that eludes Obama as he takes his empty charisma and presentational skills into a no doubt lucrative future in the private sector.
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2016/12/exit-obama-cloud-disillusion-delusion-deceit/comment-page-1/#commentsb, 'Peace with Russia means less plausible "imminent threat" claims and thereby lower budgets and management prestige for the defense and cybersecurity industry and government organizations. ...'jfl | Dec 31, 2016 2:03:14 PM | 10so they have decided to preemptively make their own 'imminent threat' claims less plausible by endlessly crying 'wolf! wolf!' themselves when there is no wolf. the neo-con brain trust ... idiots and fools. this all goes hand in hand with obama's childish dismissal of the russians in new york and maryland, and appears as foolish as did obama himself in the light of putin's disdain for the lamest of lame ducks who cannot simply learn to lose.
tee-rump's reply to putin's exercise of restraint together with his previous allusion ... these are the same guys who brought us wmds and the shocking, awful wars in afghanistan, iraq, libya, ukraine and syria ... have shown that he is not affected by their bluff ... that he knows he has the support of the fossil-fuelers, at least, probably of the financiers as well, two out of three of the f*ked up f's, against the fusiliers.
the neo-con hyperventilation ... including that of bibi netanyahoo ... betrays their recognition of their own collapse. the thousand year reich lasted 9 years, the plan for a new american century lasted 15 ... good riddance to bad rubbish, as we used to say in the schoolyard as children, for that's the level the bezos' blog and the neo-cons shrieking behind the curtain.
may 2017 be the year of their abject collapse and may they all, including especially their nobel peace prize laureate, live forever in infamy.
@8 mauisurferjfl | Dec 31, 2016 2:25:11 PM | 11thanks for sharing the insights of william blinney ... please ask him if you may share his email with the moon and the world!
b, 'Of special interest is also what it does not say .'Jackrabbit | Dec 31, 2016 2:26:22 PM | 12the vermont utility scam is just that. the last link within that quoted above points to a graphic from politico that is very informative : while just 14% of their self-identifying republicrats - the new, majority party in the us federal government - take the overall 'the russians are coming' scam seriously, fully 50% of those self-identifying as demoblicans - the new, minority party in the us federal government - do so. in other words, only the scammers themselves claim to 'believe' their own scam.
the tnc msm : sound and fury signifying nothing. officially.
What's behind the anti-Russia hysteria?jfl | Dec 31, 2016 2:35:15 PM | 131) Cover for Democratic Party failure?<> <> <> <> <> <> <>2) Cover for fall of Aleppo / Russian success?
3) "Boxing in" the Trump Administration? (spoiling the supposed Trump-Putin love fest)
4) Another ploy to unseat Trump? Does trumped-up conflict with Russia mean that the supposed Trump-Putin love fest causes an inability to discharge office of President as per the 25th Amendment ?
5) All of the above?
6) Something else?
Note: VP Pence is a friend of McCain's, supports Syrian 'no-fly' zones, and supports the TPP (aka "Obamatrade"). He voted for the Iraq War and agreed with Hillary's deposing Qaddafi.
@11 jr, 'VP Pence is a friend of McCain's, supports Syrian 'no-fly' zones, and supports the TPP (aka "Obamatrade"). He voted for the Iraq War and agreed with Hillary's deposing Qaddafi.'jfl | Dec 31, 2016 2:41:40 PM | 14that certainly paints a target on tee-rump's back, doesn't it? tee-rump really needs to kill the cia in the pale afternoon of 20 january 2017, or they'll surely kill him!
let us hope that we can all soon stand over the cia's collective graves till we're sure that they're dead.
may the cia not reach their three score and ten.
b,great graphic in the last link from ' what it does not say '
the demoblicans and the tnc msm : the new minority making great sounds and demonstrating great fury yet eating their own dog food and signifying nothing.
boilo | Dec 31, 2016 2:49:13 PM | 16at #8 thank you for this post plus highlight/emphasizing:jfl | Dec 31, 2016 2:54:01 PM | 17"It is therefore inconceivable that the NSA would not have detected and traced those particular data flows . . ."
@10, maui woweestumpy | Dec 31, 2016 2:55:51 PM | 18sorry, due to your unconventional posting style i had thought it was yourself and not craig murray who was in contact with william blinney. i see my error now.
The faked news phenom is IMO the result of the US higher education culture finally producing the critical mass of self-entitled narcissistic punks to flood the airwaves with "useful" tripe. Put profit before performance and this is what you get. The only thing I use print media for is lining rabbit cages.ToivoS | Dec 31, 2016 3:05:46 PM | 19May the new year be safe and prosperous for fellow bar-dwellers and friends. Bottoms up.
The Guardian is continuing with the claims that Russia is responsible for the malware found in that laptop by adding a little detail that the malware contained code used by the Russians. They do at least tell the reader that the laptop was not connected to the grid.Steve | Dec 31, 2016 3:13:52 PM | 20This anti-Russian propaganda is getting more extreme by the day. greenwald is collecting many examples on his twitter feed.
Happy New Year to all. It must be a job to continue debunking the childish lies of Barack Obama and his gang of ineptitude officials. It is unfortunately that human beings are dumb, otherwise there would have been no need to respond to the stream of idiotic pronouncements of the White House and the Anglo American mainstream media.I predict that Barack Obama and his wife will check into therapy as soon as they remove their baggage from the White House. Crooked Clintons seem to have got a lock on them, so they are ready to leave office in disgrace just to please the disgraceful Clinton family.
Denis | Dec 31, 2016 3:38:47 PM | 22The WaPo's deceit on this story can't be over-emphasized. The original report by Juliet Eilperin and Adam Entous was dated Dec30. Then their lies about hacking the grid were exposed and they re-wrote the article.Jackrabbit | Dec 31, 2016 3:53:57 PM | 23The WaPo did not just publish a correction with an update date, they republished the article under the new headline and under a new date, Dec31. At the bottom of the current article there is an editor's note referring to an "earlier version" of the article and acknowledging the lie about penetrating the grid. But the significance of the re-write is not obvious from the editor's note or the new headline. Compare the second paragraphs of each version, for instance.
Now let's have some more holier-than-thou talk from WaPo and NYT about "fake news" on the internet. The WaPo has become a cess-pool of lies and misinformation ever since Bezos took it over and started turning it into a tabloid.
followup @11:Jackrabbit | Dec 31, 2016 3:57:25 PM | 24Pence's friend McCain: Russian cyberintrusions an 'act of war'
Sen. John McCain said Friday that Russia's alleged meddling in the 2016 presidential election amounted to an "act of war."The Arizona Republican, who is chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, also has scheduled a hearing for next week on foreign cyberthreats to the US, which will also focus on Russian cyberhacking, a committee aide told CNN earlier Friday.
McCain, who is one of Washington's most prominent foreign policy hardliners, has criticized the recent sanctions and expulsions announced by the Obama administration this week as insufficient and belated. He made his latest comments in Ukraine, a nation threatened by a resurgent Russia, after meeting with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
Steve @18Circe | Dec 31, 2016 4:04:11 PM | 25Obama isn't a dingbat. He is devious. When I see him acting like a dingbat, I ask: what's he really up to?
I kept insisting that the DNC hacking was a False Flag, and idem on this one; but keep on guessing who's behind it. I expect there will be yet more False Flags to move the U.S. in the right direction.Jackrabbit | Dec 31, 2016 4:33:01 PM | 27How John McCain and Mike Pence created a high value targetrg the lg | Dec 31, 2016 4:37:29 PM | 28Back door to war ... the way Roosevelt got us into WWII ... along with a whole string of alleged attacks on the most aggressive and hate filled empire the world has ever known. The Kahns of central Asia, the Romans at their most vicious, could have learned a lot of pure nastiness from the long string of American 'wars for empire' going from the New England and Virginia plantations to the present.Jennifer | Dec 31, 2016 4:40:57 PM | 29We hack, that is good. They (might have) hacked, that is bad. Sick ...
The chaos is cover for deep criminality that includes dems, repugs, dictators, respectable people, and criminals on many levels.Kalen | Dec 31, 2016 5:58:33 PM | 30This guy seems to be on the right track as to what's really going on.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrQ-wHKVi0JDWjQGcuoYnew
Here are some key videos, it is a complicated puzzle.
DAY 65 - Where is Eric Braverman? Part 1, The Crime
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UVkkLCrj3w
DAY 65 - Where is Eric Braverman? Part 2, Coverup
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjhfXhTVjJ4
Day 65 - Where is Eric Braverman? Part 3, Researcher Version
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvW4k3hDfLQI urge all of you to take a look at this ongoing expose and judge for yourself.
You will probably be shocked and disgusted at the ugliness of it all.
Download key videos, just in case it is taken down, and share.
Here are the latest video.
Day 68 - Where is Eric Braverman? Part 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUvoOVYjNuE
Day 68 - Where is Eric Braverman? Part 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTNPN0snwEUEarlier Videos
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfEgn8oXojIJQHhokupVf9w
How to investigate – lots of tips in these two
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBqX5FiinYM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K0k84CXkRM
We must confront these criminals if we are to have a future.
Happy New Year
Obama went berserk, he went insane showed himself as a puny vindictive partisan weasel not worthy presidency in the first place regardless of his murderous and imperial policies and utter submission to Wall Street thieves, with despicable character that shows itself in his childlike temper tantrum rants unworthy of any federal employee not to mention POTUS.Ken Nari | Dec 31, 2016 5:58:40 PM | 31I, as a harsh critic of Trump incoherent style must admit that Obama's abhorrent behavior made Trump look like statesman.
Obama unnecessarily, senselessly, horribly embarrassed the office of POTUS and destroyed any chance for another African American to be near the WH for another century. And what for?
For sore looser claims that elections were rigged against Hillary because of Podesta email hack? That's the nonsense, the only document rigging attempt was DHS in few states.
People must understand that any information could influence a voter but as long it is true it is legal and acceptable element of electoral process. It is an act of due influence performed by all candidates themselves, their campaigns as well as supporting special interests, investigative journalists and independent bloggers who work to reveal true picture of a candidate in relation to their qualifications, skills, experience and moral values that would inform his/her choices in office.
Only proliferated lies may be construed as "unduly" influencing public but only if not countered by the publishing the truth and evidence for it.
Podesta emails told the truth about Hillary and her insidious or even illegal manipulation of the primaries and her attitude of entitlement informed by her imperial hubris and likely illegal money manipulation. So told the truth disclosed of Trump scandals with Trump University or sexual harassment or bankruptcies.
And for that reason alone [the truth in Podesta emails] there could be no connection between elections outcome and alleged Russia hacks.
Hacks themselves even if true but no evidence presented as of yet, would have been a minor episode, worth of a brief headline especially when it is US and Israel who are real cyber aggressors.
Once, in less insane times, had some government been found to have tampered with elections, the heads of the agencies responsible for protecting against that would now be testifying before Congress and trying to explain how they let that happen.rm | Dec 31, 2016 10:04:40 PM | 33Some of the officials would resign in disgrace, some would no doubt have been found to have lied and to have tried to cover up their incompetence, and probably at least someone would have gone to jail.
That the U.S. is helpless in the face for foreign technology that information would be kept top secret while a huge effort would be initiated to catch up. The vulnerability would not be broadcast, you can be sure.
Probably nowhere has critical thinking been more effectively stamped out than in the American public. Gradually, however -- I think -- people in the U.S. are slowly beginning to awake from their comfortable stupor.
Proviso to the 'intelligence' report : (DHS) "does not provide any warranties of any kind regarding any informationPeter AU | Dec 31, 2016 10:14:56 PM | 34
contained within" (JAR_16-20296)RM 31ALberto | Dec 31, 2016 10:47:00 PM | 35
The disclaimer shows straight away it was written up as a political report. Nothing to do with intelligence in either sense of the word.The alleged Russian US hack is plainly a straw man distraction designed to divert the inquiring public.s attention away from the actual contents of the KKKLinton, DNC, Podesta, et al, emails. Same goes for the alleged Russian hacking of the US Presidential Election. Another childish misdirection play.MadMax2 | Dec 31, 2016 11:02:01 PM | 36Alternate medias have taken the bait hook, line unt sinker. Rather than concentrate on the actual contents of the emails which reveal immense crimes including war crimes, crimes against humanity and Treason the so called independent medias waste their time like dogs chasing their own tails pursing information that to a computer literate audience would find laughable. THERE WAS NO HACK OF THE GRID.
Get on to the publishing and dissemination of these emails rather than dancing for the self appointed 'Chess Masters' of the Great Game.
Just me opinion
Great post B. MSM born #Fakenews is the gift that just keeps on giving. So much mileage left. Viewing decay has never been so enjoyable.Hoarsewhisperer | Jan 1, 2017 12:00:11 AM | 37@8 mauisurfer
Fantastic reading. Indeed, if Trump wants to win back public faith in the NSA, he'll get on his hands and knees and grovel to bring back a true yank patriot in BinneyAmid the cornucopia of persuasive evidence that the barking mad neocons are barking up the wrong tree, this one pushes all the right buttons for me (given that only idiots allow themselves to think that Russians are incompetent fools).kraus | Jan 1, 2017 4:09:02 AM | 38John McAfee (now often nutty but right in this):
"If it looks like the Russians did it I can guarantee you it wasn't the Russians".
Q.E.D.
In 16 words.Trump says he knows something..A5 | Jan 1, 2017 7:29:31 AM | 39Trump questions claim of Russia hacking DNC, says he 'knows things other people don't'
https://www.rt.com/usa/372400-trump-doubts-russia-hacking/They want and must have war with Russia.Ghostship | Jan 1, 2017 9:43:19 AM | 40
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlC0vM0QvHo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dvj0v0W6yjk>>>> CHRISTINNE RADU | Dec 31, 2016 6:12:33 PM | 32Curtis | Jan 1, 2017 10:59:07 AM | 41
The Daily Mail featured on the World at One on the BBC today starting at about 23:28 in.
There is also a snippet at 16:10 about ISIS's avowed aim the break up the EU. Which is more important to the US? A stable EU or pushing regime change in Moscow. Putin has made it very clear that he wants a stable EU. So what's the problem?These stories reflect the demonize Russia as the latest enemy and throw as much "evidence" at the wall that will stick.anon | Jan 1, 2017 1:38:41 PM | 42However, it is obvious that the operating systems are not secure and cybersecurity efforts are not working.
While it looks like the DNC/email thing is the result of leaks not hacks and that Seth Rich may have been murdered for this, the reality is that govt/banking/businesses have endangered us by making our information vulnerable and then blaming those who get in when they leave the door open.
After the OPM data thefts, I asked my congressmen why such important data was put on the internet when they know they cannot protect it. I received form letters saying they took cybersecurity seriously and they believe the Chinese did it.
A non-answer if ever there was one. Back then I didn't care if a govt went after Microsoft as a monopoly when it should go after it for providing vulnerable systems to the govt (and the rest of us) in the first place.
In the internet's startups and non-profits, security was not taken as seriously as just getting some kind of system to work.
"In the late 1990s, when the utilities' vulnerabilities first came to light, Richard Clarke, then the White House counterterrorism chief, proposed imposing mandatory cybersecurity requirements on all industries connected to critical infrastructure. The companies lobbied against his plan, as did President Bill Clinton's economic advisers, who warned that the measures would cripple these companies' competitiveness in the global market. Clarke also suggested putting the government and critical-infrastructure industries on a parallel internet, which would be wired to certain agencies that could detect intrusions. This plan was leaked and denounced as 'Orwellian.'"
This current accusation of Russians hacking US utilities may be so much BS and propaganda. But the US/Israeli STUXNET attack on Iran proved that some things should be protected.
wow, friendly relations with other countries and potential business interests are bad? and would lead to a flaky electric grid in Vermont... because... ??Yonatan | Jan 1, 2017 2:14:22 PM | 43
our electric grids suck because of the friendly f-ing relations with our own bloodthirsty companies right here in the US. same for our lousy failing healthcare that only feeds the fat faces of the private owners...our freeways in Silicon Valley are lined with homeless people right now who are freezing at night, in a city that would shut off the outdoor outlets near city hall so that homeless disabled people will push their wheelchairs someplace else. the Bezos bozos are so out of touch. we know who to blame.
The report is clearly a fake. The authors are totally incompetent. They claim that CHOPSTICK is a Russian Intelligence Service Actor. It is so blatanly clear to anyone with any knowledge of international security threats that CHOPSTICK is Chinese.Yonatan | Jan 1, 2017 2:18:01 PM | 44/sarc
Christinne Radu @32, Ghostship @40Nott has form. His wife was highly placed in the Institute of Strategic Studies (a connected thinktank), and she now runs the Nott Foundation, a charity which finances and organises training in disaster medicine. I wonder if they get a good deal on bulk purchases of white helmets?
fredjc | Jan 1, 2017 2:41:10 PM | 46Is Obama dumb enough to attempt an executive order, which might, for example, claim that Russia had significantly affected the presidential elections and falsely maintain his own presidency?Yonatan | Jan 1, 2017 3:03:12 PM | 47fredjc @46So an actual coup? Everything the US does abroad works its way back home eventually, so I would not put it past his handlers to try it. The alternative would be to murder Trump. Either way, the US could then go into Ukraine-style meltdown.
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Dec 30, 2016 | www.politico.com
their quarter-century project to build a mutual buy-one, get-one-free Clinton dynasty has ended in her defeat, and their joint departure from the center of the national political stage they had hoped to occupy for another eight years. Their exit amounts to a finale not just for themselves, but for Clintonism as a working political ideology and electoral strategy.
Twenty-five years ago, Bill Clinton almost single-handedly repositioned the Democratic Party for electoral success, co-opting and defusing Republican talking points and moving the party toward the center on issues like welfare and a balanced budget, in the process becoming the first presidential nominee of his party since Franklin D. Roosevelt to win two consecutive terms.
... ... ...
"New Democrat" he'd once exemplified was now extinct, a victim first of Clinton's own successes, and then of the economic and social dislocations of the globalism whose inevitability he foresaw when he predicted that Americans would one day "change jobs four or five times in their lifetimes!"
Bill Clinton's "Third Way" ideology was also undone by sheer geopolitical realities -- there are almost no Blue Dog Democrats left after a generation of redistricting, primary challenges and electoral defeats in the South
...while Hillary Clinton recognized the change intellectually, she seemed unable to catch up to the practical realities of its political implications for her campaign
..."People thought she'd been conceived in Goldman Sachs' trading desk," says one veteran Clinton aide
...Obama had not only largely overlooked the concerns of white working-class voters but, with his health care overhaul, had been seen as punishing them financially to provide new benefits to the poorest Americans. Fairly or not, he lost the public argument.
...Bill Clinton himself was far from an unalloyed asset in Hillary's campaign this year. The rosy glow that had come to surround much of his post presidency, and his charitable foundation's good works around the world, receded in the face of Trump's relentless reminders of his personal and sexual misconduct in office, and his and his wife's tendency toward legalistic corner-cutting-a point Sanders also drove home, even as he disavowed any interest in "her damn emails."
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Jan 01, 2017 | www.nakedcapitalism.com
Release of Flame and Stuxnet against Iran was probably the real cyber Perl Habor. In this case the USA and allied played the role of Imperial Japan. Stuxnet Computer worm opens new era of warfare - CBS NewsPespi , December 31, 2016 at 2:04 pm
Katharine , December 31, 2016 at 2:52 pmI have a question for anyone who's been around a little while.
Has political/media rhetoric always been as inflated and over the top as it is now? ie Washpost calling Russian hacking "cyber pearl harbor."
Is this old hat or something caused by the attention economy?
Susan C , December 31, 2016 at 8:24 pmThis is way worse than it used to be. There was something to be said for stodgy journalism. Even when it misrepresented reality, it did so in terms that sounded comparatively measured and adult, not like hysterical kids on a playground.
I agree – I have never seen journalism like this before. Have been watching a lot of MSNBC and CNN during the past few weeks and I can't believe how over the top they are about the Russian hacking story – it goes on for hours. And the papers too. Is it that it is a slow news period and they have to keep their audiences shocked and awed all the time? I have no idea why this is going on about the Russian hacking unless the media is trying very hard to change people's opinions about Russia, and if they are, why? What's the objective? And the 99 senators too are in on this? They make it sound very serious and yet it seems everyone is being hacked all the time anyway.
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Jan 01, 2017 | www.nakedcapitalism.com
Elizabeth Burton , December 31, 2016 at 4:20 pmConsidering part of the original Cold War mania was devised to cover up the fact the US was importing a slew of former Nazis for varied and sundry reasons, not to mention allowing them to slip into hiding without any real effort made to find them, one does have to wonder at the coincidence that we are now engaging in neo-Cold War rhetoric just as the "alt-right" neo-Nazis have been granted dispensation to go public.
Of course, one could believe the idea that all those former Nazis were really just poor souls who only worked for the Third Reich out of fear for their families and were, therefore, only too happy to embrace the joys of American freedom. One could, were it not for the other coincidence that similar fascist organizations have arisen almost simultaneously to public attention throughout Europe.
But never mind. That's tinfoil-hat stuff. We trounced all that Nazi scum, and besides most of the people weren't really Nazis and didn't believe all that stuff. Right?
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Jan 01, 2017 | thehill.com
From thehill
.com - December 29, 2016 10:07 PM Enrique Ferro's insight: Who can believe them? Why is NSA silent? Their "evidence" is flimsy, based on hearsay. Obama's cybernetic false flag has been created to sway over Trump's future foreign policy at best, seeking to perpetuate the neocons' Russophobic approach. Or worse to delegitimize Trump's election. Obama/Clinton's game is to reverse one way or another the electoral result. With this stratagem now they intend to rally the die-hard warmongers in the Republican party, and set the frame for an impeachment. Disgusting.
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Jan 01, 2017 | www.nakedcapitalism.com
RenoDino , December 31, 2016 at 8:50 am
Arizona Slim , December 31, 2016 at 9:30 amI agree, Tabbi in his Rolling Stone piece is now, finally, after his Trump induced psychosis, back on form. Something about the Russian Story does stink. Summing up, if the Russians did steal the election why the weak response now? Or is it just a good excuse for losing to Trump and/or is Obama is trying to protect his legacy by delegitimizing Trump? Either way, Obama looks to be underplaying or overplaying his hand.
I wonder if this is really Obama, who is out the door, talking or is the national security state, who is not going anywhere? If it's the latter, then things start to make sense. It says to me, they are not happy with the new direction in foreign policy that Trump represents. In fact, they refuse to accept it and him.
How is this tension is resolved is the single most important question in the weeks ahead.
fresno dan , December 31, 2016 at 11:58 amAnd let's just say that the Russian Story isn't ringing true with the IT community. Data point:
https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2016/12/russia-malware-ip-hack/
Key point from the conclusion of this article:
"The IP addresses that DHS provided may have been used for an attack by a state actor like Russia. But they don't appear to provide any association with Russia. They are probably used by a wide range of other malicious actors, especially the 15% of IP addresses that are Tor exit nodes.
"The malware sample is old, widely used and appears to be Ukrainian. It has no apparent relationship with Russian intelligence and it would be an indicator of compromise for any website."
Grebo , December 31, 2016 at 3:01 pm'll leave you with some additional recent numbers on cyberintrusions, as reported by various actors:
- The energy company BP says it suffers 50,000 attempts cyberintrusion a day.
- The Pentagon reports getting 10 million attempts a day.
- The National Nuclear Security Administration, an arm of the Energy Department, also records 10 million hacks a day.
- The United Kingdom reports 120,000 cyberincidents a day.
- That's almost as many as the state of Michigan deals with.
Utah says it faces 20 million attempts a day - up from 1 million a day two years ago.
=============================================================
WOW!!!! Seems like a really big F*cking deal!!!!
Kinda makes me wonder how many laws and regulations have been enacted forcing internet companies and software companies to make their stuff more secure .Long story short – not too many
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyber-security_regulation
{{{{{{ In July 2012, the Cybersecurity Act of 2012 was proposed by Senators Joseph Lieberman and Susan Collins.[15] The bill would have required creating voluntary "best practice standards" for protection of key infrastructure from cyber attacks, which businesses would be encouraged to adopt through incentives such as liability protection.[16] The bill was put to a vote in the Senate but failed to pass.[17]}}}}}}
And of course (I don't want to over link so you have to look it up yourself) there are the laws that ALLOW intrusion by the US government into your computer, of course makes computer systems LESS SECURE .
So, almost makes me think Trump, OF ALL PEOPLE, was actually CORRECT when he said:
"I think that computers have complicated lives very greatly. The whole age of computer has made it where nobody knows exactly what is going on. We have speed, we have a lot of other things, but I'm not sure we have the kind the security we need. But I have not spoken with the senators and I will certainly will be over a period of time."
And how much the above is being mocked, by people without the presence of mind to ask, "how long, and how many hacks have already occurred, and WHAT WAS DONE ABOUT IT?"
Hacking, that happens millions upon millions of times a year now for near a decade, but apparently only a BIG F*CKING DEAL when an incompetent dem SAYS she has LOST the presidency due to hacking .
RenoDino , December 31, 2016 at 2:47 pmOver 40 million 'attacks' a day, on just three entities. Bollocks. 'Attack' is far too dramatic a word for a port probe.
NotTimothyGeithner , December 31, 2016 at 9:56 amCraig Murray asks why is there no evidence from the NSA:
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2016/12/exit-obama-cloud-disillusion-delusion-deceit/
Montanamaven , December 31, 2016 at 4:44 pmThe Russia hacking story goes back to early October with wiki leaks. Who is at fault for Trump?
Sherrod Brown, Senator of a state where Hillary lost and prominent Clinton supporter despite his previous support for good policy, DWS, Tim Kaine, Donna Brazille, or Russians?
Plenty of people are invested in not being held accountable for 2000. The front runner for DNC chair is a Muslim, Sanders supporter because even Democrats are growing upset, but one of the perks of Washington is celebrity.
My guess is going forward Dems will be under greater scrutiny and will find significantly less brown nosers.
Hillary is possibly the worst serious candidate ever. Emails and speeches aside, she was a disaster with no business running for President after her prominent national career.
This was obvious to any sane and decent human being. The lesson of 2016 is even the "good Democrats" such as Sherrod Brown and Liz Warren need short leashes. In 2020, all these people have to go to Iowa (very close), New Hampshire (a blowout), and Nevada (openly rigged by former Senator Reid). How does a candidate push their "progressive" credentials after throwing in with Hillary? Hillary primary voters have the unfortunate age issue.
Then of course, there are people who don't want to believe they bought this bs when Hillary should have been dumped ages ago.
timbers , December 31, 2016 at 10:25 amThe DNC is not the government. It's a private entity called a political party. Phishing or hacking it is not interfering with our government whoever does it.
And will somebody explain to me how Putin and his henchmen made Hillary say "basket of deplorables"? Was it an earwig they snuck in her ear? Did they sneak into her room and hypnotize her to say that horrible statement? Did they plan for Obamacare to become a major f**k up in October? I'm pretty sure Russia and China were really pissed at her adventure in Libya; so that escapade was not something they got her to do.
I negotiate for a living. I would not call the person I'm dealing with a thug like Hitler. I would not poke the guy/bear with pompous statements. That's just stupid. Maybe we do need people in charge who actually know how to negotiate to get the best possible deal without having things blow up in our faces.
All those Dems you named are mediocre managers without anything interesting or innovative to say. Even if the Russians did expose the DNC and Podesta emails, The Russians did not make these courtiers mediocre.tgs , December 31, 2016 at 9:05 amHow is this tension is resolved is the single most important question in the weeks ahead.
Sometimes the simplest "solutions" are the ones we never think of – Assassination of Trump by the Deep State, the Blob, whatever you call it. But this may take more that just weeks ahead to materialize if at all.
If you believe President Kennedy was killed by the Deep State (I'm agnostic on that due to never researching it), and if Trump does deal with the bi-partisan War Party Deep State Blob elements by standing them down as he did his Republican primary challengers and Apprentice guests . then this may be the logical way to put an end to the threat Trump represents to the establishment. And there is so much that is threaten by Trump of the established order.
Trillions of war armament purchase orders from NATO and the US military hinge in the balance by continued US and NATO belligerence towards Russia. Add to that the gas pipeline thru Syria that will be less likely to happen under Trump. The lost looting if no regime change in Russia like we did in Ukraine – all that lost oil and natural resource the global elites will be denied. All the lost military spending. The lost boogyman to instill fear for more surveillance of the citizenry. The Deep State, Blob, War Party will be furious.
That's a lot of trillions.
Bugs Bunny , December 31, 2016 at 9:27 amRe Taibbi:
Yes, it is positive that he openly expresses skepticism in the current environment. But why this?
If the Russians messed with an election, that's enough on its own to warrant a massive response miles worse – than heavy-handed responses to ordinary spying episodes.
Leaking emails would require a 'massive response'? Has he seen Zero Days? What kind of response would be appropriate for hacking a nuclear plant? Assassinating nuclear scientists? Is he aware that we have 'hacked' elections for years? Not to mention overthrown legal governments.
And this:
I have no problem believing that Vladimir Putin tried to influence the American election. He's gangster-spook-scum of the lowest order and capable of anything.
Would Taibbi ever use similar language to describe Obama? So many in the media and other elite circles are suffering from Putin Derangement Syndrome.
Eureka Springs , December 31, 2016 at 9:50 amIIRC, the US helped elect Boris Yeltsin when it looked like he was going to lose?
hunkerdown , December 31, 2016 at 5:36 pmHow many countries have Obama /Clinton attempted regime change to covert/direct interference in elections/leadership? I would imagine the answer is far more than my quick list below. We couldn't hack/leak internal emails among the players because our bloody hypocritical hands would be all over them.
As for Russia if all they did was expose truths via party emails, well I thank them for that. And considering what Clinton said and did to Russia over the years it would be irresponsible for a Russian leader to sit by idly and do nothing. Even though we seem to be destroying ourselves quite well enough on our own, we have and continue to threaten the rest of the world, beginning with Russia with nuclear holocaust.
If Taibbi can call Putin all those things, then what the heck are Obama Clinton?
Ukraine
Russia
Syria
Venezuela
Honduras
Egypt
Yemen
Iraq
Palestinians
Libya
Paraguay
Turkey?
Brazil?
Argentina?
Thailand?
Hong Kong?annie , December 31, 2016 at 9:57 amTaibbi has some personal journalistic history with previous Putin governments. It's understandable that he'd cast side-eye Putin's way, though none too healthy in this deranged environment (just wait until some corporate Dem tries to use him as a Surprising Validator). Let's keep Taibbi on turn watch though.
It seems the need to celebrate some leader is less conntected to said leader's performance than to some perceived need to be led, to believe that the very concept of hierarchy is just.
UserFriendly , December 31, 2016 at 12:00 pmI used to read and respect articles from Matt Taibbi.
This one is a revelation and what it reveals is that I have been mistaken.
I will skip his contributions in the future.
annie x , December 31, 2016 at 1:08 pmI do not understand this attitude at all. A writer who generally does good work says something that I disagree with so I will never read them again. It's tantamount to saying I refuse to read critically. I don't want to see anything I don't agree with 100%. It's petty.
Outis Philalithopoulos , December 31, 2016 at 2:22 pminteresting! someone has hijacked my user name to post an inane comment.
the real 'annie' says.
Steve H. , December 31, 2016 at 10:14 amHi, new annie.
It's true that the other annie has been posting comments on the site for a while, so it would be less confusing if you were to modify your handle so that people can tell you two apart.
On the other hand, don't take any of the comments from people who were concerned personally – obviously it's easy enough for two people to share the same name, and the software doesn't flag when you are using a name that has been used before.
Cry Shop , December 31, 2016 at 11:31 am– Putin Derangement Syndrome.
I heard a report that Lindsey McCain et al have armstwisted Trump into hearing the CIA report on the Russian hack. What are they going to say? 'You won the election because of teh Russians!'
"Good gracious me! You're the CIA, find me out what his favorite liquor is so I can send him a bottle!"
So they'll tell him to his face he wasn't competent to win the election himself? My guess is says brief me again when I'm President, they walk in the door and he properly fires them. And his face will be like this .
witters , December 31, 2016 at 8:02 pm"warrant" and "executing/capable of carrying out" are two different things.
As Putin has shown, Obama's capability threshold so low that it's rather moot to discuss warrant. It's now up to Congress to do something magnificently stupid, violent and utterly worthless, or rather worthy of the great American tradition.
hreik , December 31, 2016 at 9:09 amAnd what on earth is the journalistic point of saying "I have no problem in believing something for which there seems to be no credible evidence and which is being pushed by obvious partisan interests?" I think Taibbi is 'normalising' fast.
Pat , December 31, 2016 at 9:31 amI dunno. President Obama is not great but the comments here make me feel like it's time for me to skedaddle. Thinking he might be worse than Shrub? 6″ tall, smh
Lost in OR , December 31, 2016 at 11:14 amOh I admit it can be a tough choice, but you might really want to add up the good and the bad for both. Not surprisingly there is little good and a whole lot of long ongoing damage inflicted by the policies that both either embraced, adapted to or did little or nothing to stop. Even if the list of bad was equal, I have to give Obama for the edge for two reasons. First because Bush pretty much told us what he was going to do, Obama campaigned on change and vague promises, but still change. Instead he normalized atrocities that most of us had been screaming about in the Bush administration AND he didn't just squander the opportunities he had to change our course domestically because of the crash and the majorities in Congress, no he couldn't throw those away fast enough.
Your position is obviously different.
And I don't give a damn what height either of them are, both are small people.
ambrit , December 31, 2016 at 9:32 amIndeed. Bush was a known quantity. "Compassionate conservatism" was was blatantly hollow jingoism. My only surprise under W was how virulently evil Cheney was.
The big O, though, was handed the opportunity to change the course of history. He took power with Wall Street on its knees. The whole world hungered for a change in course. Remember "never let a crisis go to waste". O turned Hope into blatantly hollow jingoism.
In the end, the black activist constitutional lawyer turned his back on all that he seemed to be. Feint left, drive right.
With W we got what we expected. With O we got hoodwinked. What a waste.
craazyboy , December 31, 2016 at 11:47 amLook, if you don't like some of the comments you see, say so. We have some thick skinned people here. A little rancorous debate is fine. If some reasoned argumentation is thrown in, the comments section is doing it's job. (I know, I know, "agency" issues.)
Obama can be legitimately described as worse than Bush 43 because Obama ran as a "progressive" and flagrantly broke almost all of his promises and governed like a "Moderate" Republican. At the least, Bush, Sr. and Jr. ran as right wing politicos. The people basically got what they voted for with them.
Finally, " it's time for me to skedaddle." WTF? I'm assuming, yes, I do do that, that you are a responsible and thoughtful person. That needs must include the tolerance of and engagement with opposing points of view. Where do you want to run to; an "echo chamber" site? You only encourage conformation bias with that move. The site administrators have occasionally mentioned the dictum; "Embrace the churn." The site, indeed, almost any site, will live on long after any of we commenters bite the dust. If, however, one can shift the world view of other readers with good argumentation and anecdotes, our work will be worthwhile.
So, as I was once admonished by my ex D.I. middle school gym teacher; "Stand up and face it. You may get beat, but you'll know you did your best. That's a good feeling."ambrit , December 31, 2016 at 12:48 pmPicking the #1 Worst Prez is a fallacy inherent in our desire to put things on a scale of 1 to 10. It's so we can say, in this case, #1 was the WORST, and then forget about #2 thru #10.
It's like picking the #1 Greatest Rock Guitar Player. There are too many great guitar players and too many styles. It's just not possible.
Even so, I'd like to see the Russian citizen ranking of Putin vs. Yeltsin. Secret ballot, of course.
hreik , December 31, 2016 at 1:16 pmAmerica will be lucky if it avoids something similar to the earlier Russian people's ranking of Tsar Nicholas versus Karensky and subsequent events.
Vatch , December 31, 2016 at 3:46 pmI like your response. Thanks.
I don't think he's worse than Bush but I agree he was horribly dishonest to run as a progressive. He's far from progressive.
I think the ACA, deeply flawed as it is, was/is a good thing. It wasn't enough and it was badly brought out. I hope many thousands don't get tossed off health insurance.
My major criticism of him and most politicians is that he has no center. There is nothing for which he truly stands and he has a horrible tendency to try to make nice w the republicans. He's not progressive. Bernie, flawed also stands for something always has, always will.
ambrit , December 31, 2016 at 5:05 pmObama is highly deceptive, but I think that Bush (43) was worse. I doubt that Obama would have performed many of his worst deeds if Bush hadn't first paved the way. But we'll never know for sure, so it's possible to argue on behalf of either side of the dispute.
hunkerdown , December 31, 2016 at 5:40 pmSorry if I came across as harsh. I enjoy your arguments, so, I tried to encourage you to hang in there.
Happy New YearYves Smith , December 31, 2016 at 7:11 pmIn other words, Obama's a Kissingerian realist, or a businessperson (but I repeat myself): only permanent interests.
Happy New Year, and try to don't run off so easy. :)
wtf , December 31, 2016 at 10:02 amThe ACA was not badly thought out. It was written by insurance industry lobbyists. And Obama thought that was just ducky.
ambrit , December 31, 2016 at 10:58 amAgreed.
Putin's such a sweetheart to invite those children to the Kremlin. /s
wtf , December 31, 2016 at 10:03 amWell, it is a real recruiting opportunity.
Steve C , December 31, 2016 at 10:51 amAgreed.
Putin's such a sweetheart to invite those children to the Kremlin.
Arizona Slim , December 31, 2016 at 12:20 pmThe liberals have so much invested in Obama they can't bear to admit he's a backstabbing failure. There is no sugar coating Bush's awfulness. There also is no denying things now are worse than they were in 2007, before the Great Recession began. The liberals like to say things are better than they were when Obama took office. But that's a comically low bar. Rock bottom of the Great Recession. We have not recovered.
Obama isn't gaudy bad like Bush. Obama's pathologies are smoother, like his desperation for establishment approval.
polecat , December 31, 2016 at 12:31 pmThe liberals like to say that things are better than they were when Obama took office. Sorry to share this tidbit, but I must:
On Friday, March 18, I was among the 7,000 people who heard Bernie Sanders speak at the Tucson Convention Center Arena. Guess what he said.
And, to my utter and total amazement, the audience burst into applause. I couldn't believe it. Much of Sanders' appeal was based on how lousy the economy still was for so many people. Including Yours Truly.
My response to Sanders' praise of Obama's handling of the economy was a slow clap. A few minutes later, I left the rally.
Jeff , December 31, 2016 at 12:49 pm"Obama's pathologies are smoother"
Like a glass of fine bourbon downed with a shot of arsenic.
hreik , December 31, 2016 at 1:54 pmSo criticism of Obama isn't acceptable? Would it be better to let his poor decisions/actions just go unnoticed?
Or are you referring to something else?
Plenue , December 31, 2016 at 3:47 pmOf course it's acceptable. It's even important, vitally. But his height? I know I know it was not really an ad hom, but why even mention it?
He fetishized making nice w the rethugs to our and the country's detriment. He had 2 years to get something done. And honestly I have no idea if it would have been different w a less hostile congress. My complaint is he didn't really try. Everything was half measures, pablum.
reslez , December 31, 2016 at 7:16 pmFar too generous. He did try to get Republican policies enacted. He wasn't a weak Democrat, he was a driven Republican who was only thwarted by a comically, stupidly hostile GOP that sabotaged things like the Grand Bargain/Great Betrayal because they had such a virulent hatred of the black guy.
fresno dan , December 31, 2016 at 4:49 pmIf Obama had enacted the agenda he ran on– even in part - the Democrats would not have lost Congress in 2010. Obama's "only having two years" is thoroughly on himself and his party.
reslez , December 31, 2016 at 7:06 pmhreik
December 31, 2016 at 9:09 amThe site would be poorer and I would be sadder for the loss of your comments.
https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-12-30/can-this-political-union-be-saved
Shortly before I got married, I received a piece of sterling advice that I have been mulling a lot over the last year: "You have a big decision to make: Do you want to be married, or do you want to be right?"
.
The more determined you are to win every battle, the more likely you are to lose what's important: the person you love so much that you have chosen to spend the rest of your life with them. And so every time you have a real disagreement - the kind that cannot be finessed by agreeing that tonight you'll order Indian, and next time you'll get Chinese - you have to think carefully before you decide to have that fight. Is this really the hill that you're willing to let your marriage die on?
..
While traveling a few months back, I ended up chatting with a divorce attorney, who observed that what we're seeing in America right now bears a startling resemblance to what he sees happen with many of his clients. They've lost sight of what they ever liked about each other; in fact, they've even lost sight of their own self-interest. All they can see is their grievances, from annoying habits to serious wrongs. The other party, of course, generally has their own set of grievances. There is a sort of geometric progression of outrage, where whatever you do to the other side is justified by whatever they did last. They, of course, offer similar justifications for their own behavior.======================================================
Every friend, every association we make, every relationship with a relative, every political entity can be dissolved. One can insist one is correct on every matter, and live a long life with ever fewer associations until maybe one has none at all.As to which president is worse, your all wrong. Supposedly , 99 senators believe Russia hacked us. Our country apparently is composed entirely of imbeciles without regard to race, creed, sex, or party .
reslez , December 31, 2016 at 7:08 pmIf you can't bear to encounter comments that contradict your political opinion then you should probably also skip Thanksgiving dinner and other family get-togethers.
Whether you read the comments here is up to you, but I'd suggest continuing to visit for the articles at least. You won't find the same level of analysis elsewhere. The MSM is heavily invested in pushing their "narrative" whether or not it's true. I believe we have a duty as citizens to seek out the best sources of information. NC is on that list.
Montanamaven , December 31, 2016 at 10:21 pmIf you can't bear to encounter comments that contradict your political opinion then you should probably also skip Thanksgiving dinner and other family get-togethers.
I believe we have a duty as citizens to seek out the best sources of information, even if that results in encountering opinions that are uncomfortable to us. NC is one of those sources. Whether you read the comments here is up to you, but I'd suggest continuing to visit for the articles at least. You won't find the same level of analysis elsewhere. The MSM is heavily invested in pushing their "narrative" whether or not it's true.
Montanamaven , December 31, 2016 at 10:23 pmThe DNC is not the government. It's a private entity called a political party. Phishing or hacking it is not interfering with our government whoever does it.
And will somebody explain to me how Putin and his henchmen made Hillary say "basket of deplorables"? Was it an earwig they snuck in her ear? Did they sneak into her room and hypnotize her to say that horrible statement? Did they plan for Obamacare to become a major f**k up in October? I'm pretty sure Russia and China were really pissed at her adventure in Libya; so that escapade was not something they got her to do.
I negotiate for a living. I would not call the person I'm dealing with a thug like Hitler. I would not poke the guy/bear with pompous statements. That's just stupid. Maybe we do need people in charge who actually know how to negotiate to get the best possible deal without having things blow up in our faces.
All those Dems you named are mediocre managers without anything interesting or innovative to say. Even if the Russians did expose the DNC and Podesta emails, The Russians did not make these courtiers mediocre.timbers , December 31, 2016 at 9:16 ambye bye!
polecat , December 31, 2016 at 12:31 pmYou hit the right priority of issues IMO, and would add a few things Obamanation did:
1). Bombing more nations than anyone in human history and being at war longer than any US President ever, having never requested an end but in fact a continuation of a permanent state of war declared by Congress.
2). The massive destruction of legal and constitutional rights from habeas corpus, illegal and unconstitutional surveillance of all people, to asserting the right to imprison, torture, and assassinate anyone anytime even America children just because Obama feels like doing it.
3). Austerity. This tanked any robust recovery from the 2008 recession and millions suffered because of it, we are living with the affects even now. In fact Obamanation's deep mystical belief in austerity helped defeat Clinton 2016.
Bugs Bunny , December 31, 2016 at 9:22 am"Obama's pathologies are smoother"
Like a glass of fine bourbon downed with a shot of arsenic.
beth , December 31, 2016 at 2:08 pmFacts on the ground in Mumbai re demonitization and how the poor are coping.
Dita , December 31, 2016 at 9:25 amI think the following quote summarizes the article and the writer's attitude toward those experiencing this tragedy:
Conclusion:
For the group as a whole, there was only a 10% loss in income in November. However, the impact on certain types of occupations was high, with income loss up to 44% among the self-employed.
NotTimothyGeithner , December 31, 2016 at 9:41 amRe Something About This Russia Story Stinks, I feel like Obama's weak response is a passive aggressive way of telegraphing that he doesnt believe The Russians Did It either.
Rhondda , December 31, 2016 at 7:19 pmSince the NSA not the CIA would be the main actor involved with cyber security and Obama has instructed the CIA to take action and noted his CIA reports, it's clear "OMG Russia" was always red meat to help Hillary with Republicans. The problem is the Dems told such an incredulous lie in early October many of their own voters and donors believed it because "Obama wouldn't make something up."
Obama needs to do enough to soothe Democrats who believe this nonsense while not gaining the ire of the sane. Obama will never utter the truth or do the right thing. Polling indicates his Russian story isn't catching on. When Congressmen go home to their districts, they might not be so eager to discuss Russia when they find the voters don't care Podesta's emails were leaked.
Certain Dems especially Clinton connected ones who swore Hillary was a tolerable candidate and the msm after being in the tank for Hillary for so long are desperate to regain credibility. Admitting the Russian story was an obvious sham means acknowledging complicity or being a mark. See how easy it is. It's not my fault. It's the foreign leader you have no control over who was at fault.
LT , December 31, 2016 at 1:30 pmI think "Russia hacked the election" is a (seemingly pretty successful) psyop to inoculate as many as they can against being willing to hear anything about charges for Hillary's basement server State Dept. They're sweeping hacks and leaks of different types and kinds into one big dust bunny and stuffing it under a rug misleadingly called "Russia hacked the election" - rather than "Russia hacked Hillary's illegal basement server" which would of course be a big legal problem for some people. Those people and their cadre don't want anyone saying that or even able to think it. Squirrel!! FakeNews!! Resist!!
Lemmy , December 31, 2016 at 1:47 pmObama knows he beat Hillary in 2008, when she was also expected to be crowned.
And he knows he beat her for the same reason Trump did: people wanted anyone who wasn't perceived (emphasis on perceived) to be if the long time political establishment.It's funny that no reporter, if they really nelieve this, has asked Obama how far back the intelligence committe was investigating "Putin's interference". Russia knew both Clinton and McCain had their hawkish sites set. The Clinton campaign was a leaky mess back then and no one once cried "hacking."
Imagine the hilarity if it were true and Russia helped elect Obama.Rhondda , December 31, 2016 at 6:59 pmI think you're right.
On the one hand, we are told to believe our intelligence agencies' assertions that Russia directly influenced the results of our Presidential election - in other words, that they intentionally subverted our democratic process (such as it is) in order to ensure the election of their preferred candidate. That's pretty heavy stuff.So what is the official U.S. response? We're gonna send some Russian folks home right before Christmas really screw up their holiday plans!
Well played Obama - that will totally make them think twice before installing the next puppet president.
Rhondda , December 31, 2016 at 7:20 pmI think "Russia hacked the election" is a (seemingly pretty successful) psyop to inoculate as many as they can against being willing to hear anything about charges for Hillary's basement server State Dept. They're sweeping hacks and leaks of different types and kinds into one big dust bunny and stuffing it under a rug misleadingly called "Russia hacked the election" - rather than "Russia hacked Hillary's illegal basement server" which would of course be a big legal problem for some people. Those people and their cadre don't want anyone saying that or even able to think it. Squirrel!! FakeNews!! Resist!!
tgs , December 31, 2016 at 9:28 amSorry for the doublepost. Comment system is acting strange.
Mariah , December 31, 2016 at 10:01 amThe Russians are at it again. The Washington Post
And Rt:
Meanwhile, a number of IT specialists that have analyzed the code and other evidence published by the US government are questioning whether it really proves a Russian connection, let alone a connection to the Russian government. Wordfence, a cybersecurity firm that specializes in protecting websites running WordPress, a PHP-based platform, published a report on the issue on Friday.
Wordfence said they had traced the malware code to a tool available online, which is apparently funded by donations, called P.A.S. that claims to be "made in Ukraine." The version tested by the FBI/DHS report is 3.1.7, while the most current version available on the tool's website is 4.1.1b.
The Washington Post seems to have a fake news problem.
Cry Shop , December 31, 2016 at 10:39 amI can't read the Washington Post story because of the paywall, but here is what VTDigger has to say about this story. While I didn't read the Post story, the difference in headlines is interesting. VTDigger's headline is "Russians Penetrated Burlington Electric Department Computer" which seems less alarmist than the Post's "Russian Operation Hacked a Vermont Utility, Showing Risk to U.S. Electrical Grid Security, Officials Say."
https://vtdigger.org/2016/12/30/russians-penetrated-computer-burlington-electric-dept/
Aside from the hysterical quote by our outgoing governor Peter Shumlin, the Vermont officials seem fairly calm about the incident. I would also note that Shumlin's failure to keep his promise on universal health care probably endangers more Vermont lives than the Russian hack attempt.
marym , December 31, 2016 at 10:56 amthe
Russianhack attempt.at this point, any claim of agency by this administration is almost proof of the opposite.
NotTimothyGeithner , December 31, 2016 at 11:02 amThe govt released a report of "evidence" for the alleged DNC hacks. Arizona Slim at 9:30 am here posted a link to a critique of this "evidence." Meanwhile, utilities and other entities started checking their systems for similar "evidence." Burlington found an instance on a laptop unconnected to the grid.
Here's a summary from emptywheel – she's actually somewhat of a believer in a Russian DNC hack, but not in this grid story.
fresno dan , December 31, 2016 at 11:13 amThe problem with the DNC hack story is "who cares?" The Democrats are a private organization* with very poor cyber security as evidenced by Hillary's basement server.
Podesta was not a government official conducting government business. Hacking and releasing his emails is simply not interfering with the election.
*They made this claim in the primaries. The Democratic Party is in no way part of the U.S, government. They warrant as much attention as a local business as they don't receive defense contracts.
NotTimothyGeithner , December 31, 2016 at 11:49 amNotTimothyGeithner
December 31, 2016 at 11:02 amDo you remember the Chinese hack of USA! USA! USA! SECURITY CLEARANCES!!!!!!! TOP SECRET STUFF!!!!
Do you remember the uproar and all the consequences to China?
All the trade sanctions???
The Chinese import restrictions???
DEF CON superduper ONE or what ever number they use for top DEF CONS now a days
How the world teetered on the brink of nuclear war and total global annihilation because of this ACT OF WAR????Yeah ..neither do I.
marym , December 31, 2016 at 11:02 amArms manufacturers have an interest. The Russia is too small and too distant to overwhelm most countries outside of the Baltics and the Caucuses. The Chinese if they are let in can overwhelm most countries through soft power. Why change U.S. shackles for Chinese ones? The Russians offer many of the same weapon and tech options as the U.S. and China without the soft power threat of being overwhelmed.
Part of the neoconservative rationale back in the day was the state of defense tech advancement would neutralize our wunder weapons and soldiers on the ground would matter again. We needed to block the Chinese and Russians by destroying or assimilating anyone who wasn't 100% loyal or could move into the Moscow sphere or cut into profit margins. The neoliberals pushed the U.S. would dominate free trade because the US. would run defense, tech, and finance. Russia and China are threats to every neoliberal promise.
fresno dan , December 31, 2016 at 11:26 amAnother summary from Greenwald.
Arizona Slim , December 31, 2016 at 12:14 pmmarym
December 31, 2016 at 11:02 amThere was no "penetration of the U.S. electricity grid." The truth was undramatic and banal. Burlington Electric, after receiving a Homeland Security notice sent to all U.S. utility companies about the malware code found in the DNC system, searched all their computers and found the code in a single laptop that was not connected to the electric grid.
Apparently, the Post did not even bother to contact the company before running its wildly sensationalistic claims, so they had to issue their own statement to the Burlington Free Press which debunked the Post's central claim (emphasis in original): "We detected the malware in a single Burlington Electric Department laptop NOT connected to our organization's grid systems."
So the key scary claim of the Post story – that Russian hackers had penetrated the U.S. electric grid – was false. All the alarmist tough-guy statements issued by political officials who believed the Post's claim were based on fiction.
========================================
Thanks for that marym!
I guess – no, I now KNOW it was just idiotic of me and a naive and foolish belief in "progress" that I thought people could no longer be manipulated, like Americans in the 50's with the Red Scare. If anything, it seems the mechanism for ginning up mass hysteria is more effective now than it was than .Carl , December 31, 2016 at 9:56 amIf I may be permitted to comment on my comment, permit me to say this about my article link's origin:
The writer of said article runs a company called WordFence. Its flagship product is a WordPress plugin that protects websites against hacking.
If you ever get the opportunity to manage a WordPress-powered website that has WordFence among its plugins, be forewarned. You are going to be a very busy site manager.
Why? Because you'll get frequent e-mailed admonitions from WordFence. Better update this plugin, your WordPress installation, your website theme, or some combination of these things. Yeah, it's annoying at times, but the good news is that WordFence is a very vigilant plugin.
So, heed those admonitions and do those updates. Now!
dcblogger , December 31, 2016 at 10:00 amWow that Putin guy is smart. Brokering a cease-fire in Syria and brushing off Obama in one week. Forget the 11th dimensional chess, this guy's the real chess player. Really knows how to make a countermove. His exposing our failed policies is really what's driving the heated anti-Russian rhetoric by the political establishment, imo.
lyman alpha blob , December 31, 2016 at 10:34 amFrench workers win legal right to avoid checking work email out-of-hours
ewmayer , December 31, 2016 at 6:07 pmYesterday I mentioned having taken a class in Assyrian archaeology. Turns out the city I studied, Nimrud, has been turned to rubble by the Islamic state .
Katniss responded with a comment about it being harder to rewrite history if people were actually aware of it. Really at a loss for words as to how people could do something like this. You'd think these ISIS ass***es would revere the Assyrians, being fellow head choppers and all but instead they raze the place.
The city of Nimrud in northern Iraq is in pieces, victim of the Islamic State group's fervor to erase history. The remains of its palaces and temples, once lined in brilliant reliefs of gods and kings, have been blown up. The statues of winged bulls that once guarded the site are hacked to bits. Its towering ziggurat, or step pyramid, has been bulldozed.
Funny thing is most of the good stuff from these sites was pillaged by the Brits 150 years ago and a lot of the best reliefs can be found scattered through small New England liberal arts colleges. Always thought they should be repatriated. Love to see these slabs lowered back into place in Iraq someday especially if there are some Bush era neocons and ISIS types underneath them when it happens.
Jeff , December 31, 2016 at 10:39 amRemember the "bridge of death" scene near the end of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, where after seeing Knight #1 walk safely across the bridge after getting 3 really easy questions from the bridge troll, Knight #2 excalims "that's easy!", rushes to the front of the queue, and after getting 2 easy questions, is stumped by "what is the capital of Assyria?" Funnily enough, I actually knew that one – Nineveh. Or thought I did, because doing a quick lookup just now I see Nineveh was the oldest city in Assyria and its ancient capital until its destruction in 612 BC, but Nimrud was an earlier capital, from 879–722 BC. So the correct answer is in fact, "it depends."
Very sad what IS did to Nimrud, though.
Paid Minion , December 31, 2016 at 10:42 amHi,
Is there an update on the demands from NC towards WP and associated liars about the fake news stories?
Just saw a tweet mentioning the editorial WP added to their original stuff, but couldn't see an update in any of the ~posts here on NC.Thanks,
Lupemax , December 31, 2016 at 3:29 pm2016 Post Mortem
Can somebody please kill this fantasy that Clinton I was "eight years of peace and prosperity"?
For many of us, it was the beginning of 25 years of working harder and making less. And of hacked government stats to make the economy look better than it actually was.
Webstir , December 31, 2016 at 10:59 amClinton 1, the best repug in the dem party, gave us
1) Haiti – a failed state
2) telecommunications bill that has given us the 5 corporations that offer the worst lamestream media in the industrial world that lies endlessly.
3) end of the safety net (welfare as we know it) for those with the least increase in corporate welfare
4) Glass-Steagall and corruption on Wall Street and all white collar crime actually that goes completely unpunished
5) continuation of massive, runaway inequality
6) Hillary Clinton
7) NAFTA
8) increase in childhood poverty
9) sick care insurance that doesn't cover anyone for healthcare at all
10) and he also provided privatized social security with Newt Gingrich but Monica (good for her) intervened.HBE , December 31, 2016 at 1:32 pmWhile making no excuses for the ineptitude of our current establishmentarian politicos, I think many of the commenters on here who seem in awe of Putin's political savvy forget an important point: He's an autocrat. Whatever the U.S.'s current political failings, there is still a generally effective system of checks and balances. Putin, as an autocrat, does not face these challenges. He is free to shape his statecraft as he pleases and to implement tactics at the drop of a hat. Our political system does not (and lord help us under the trump regime - should not) enjoy this luxury. Whether you feel like the hacking is a ginned up conspiracy or not, cozying up to an autocrat like Putin is an existential threat to all democratic nations.
"11 dimensional chess" give me a break.
Webstir , December 31, 2016 at 2:38 pm"Whether you feel like the hacking is a ginned up conspiracy or not, cozying up to an autocrat like Putin is an existential threat to all democratic nations."
But what about about an oligarchy?
Our "democracy" has been dead for awhile for anyone not in the top 10%. You can't really be an "existential threat" to something that doesn't exist.
alex morfesis , December 31, 2016 at 2:00 pmThus my statement: "Whatever the U.S.'s current political failings, there is still a GENERALLY effective system of checks and balances." And yes, it can (and most likely will) get worse, before it gets better. I'm not blind to the US's frailties. However, I feel there is still a "chance" that we can step back from the brink of utterly destroying this 200 year experiment in representative democracy. The closer we step to abiding autocracy as a matter of course, though, the closer we step to the brink of not being able to reverse the considerable mistakes we have made.
Webstir , December 31, 2016 at 2:47 pmNo one anywhere ever is an autocrat no king, no dictator, no president, no fearless leader and certainly not raz-putin and no one has ever been that is a pedestrian image of what it takes to run an enterprise not castro, not saddam, not mao, not stalin .no one
hunkerdown , December 31, 2016 at 5:50 pmFine. I'll play the semantic game.
Your statement does not; however, negate my assertion. Putin's ability to maneuver politically (within whatever system you'd like to call it) is substantially less hampered by checks and balances than ours. Our absolute polarization in this country has opened the door for "autocraticish" world leaders to seriously undermine our "admittedly weakened by oligarchic influences" system of representative democracy.
Webstir , December 31, 2016 at 7:13 pmOur checks and balances were designed to serve the oligarchy. For some reason, you don't seem to have a problem with things that are unfit for purpose as long as they demand attention.
hunkerdown , January 1, 2017 at 12:27 amI address the first sentence of your reply alone, because the second makes no sense.
So great, it's always been an oligarchy. I've read Zinn. But since you append no solution, am I left to believe that the solution is let Putin destroy said oligarchy and replace it with autocracy? Seems like throwing the baby out with the bathwater to me. But I get it. Some people just want to see the world burn.
hunkerdown , January 1, 2017 at 12:33 amThe world is not debate club and it is not a business. You are not entitled to a solution. I believe it's arrogant of you to believe that you are.
What's more, you're not ready to overlap your solution space with that of the people. Like I said, the world is not debate club. This is an attempt to meet minds, not to pray like a Pharisee.
Let's start with this principle: does human welfare "net out"?
witters , December 31, 2016 at 8:19 pmAdding, I understand that "world burm" stuff is on today's meme list, as I've seen it in plenty of comment boxes around the Web, so you can stop pretending you're not on assignment. I want to watch liberals' world burn for their arrogance, and I defy you to tell me why they don't deserve that or worse.
Carl , December 31, 2016 at 6:55 pmForgive me Webstir, but isn't Russia a capitalist democracy? Doesn't the UN etc get to monitor their elections? Putin gets voted in in the usual way. If that is a problem, then it is a problem for 'Democracy' generally. And remind me, these "checks and balances" – is that the CIA versus the FBI? Is it the the DOJ and financial crime? What is it?
Jeremy Grimm , December 31, 2016 at 7:28 pmI guess that comment was directed to one of mine. Sorry, but I was just trying to express how inept Putin makes our war-mongering political establishment look (probably because they are) just by making a few strategic moves. If that came across as "cozying up" to the man, well, you might be reading too much into it. And the 11th dimensional chess remark was /sarc.
Jeremy Grimm , December 31, 2016 at 7:34 pm"Cozying up to an autocrat like Putin is an existential threat to all democratic nations." Huh!????? Not maintaining "amicable relations" with Putin and Russia is an existential threat to ALL nations of the world.
And how is it cozying up to Putin to question the plainly false assertions by our Security Industrial Complex or admire some clever but relatively straightforward responses to Obama's "retaliations"?
Do you believe the President of United States has no capacity to control and direct the actions of the Executive Branch? The President has considerable autocratic power - little or not mitigated by "checks and balances" - as the head of the Executive Branch of the United States.
MyLessThanPrimeBeef , December 31, 2016 at 11:01 am"Cozying up to an autocrat like Putin is an existential threat to all democratic nations." Not maintaining "amicable relations" with Putin and Russia is an existential threat to ALL nations of the world.
How is it cozying up to Putin to question the plainly false assertions by our Security Industrial Complex or admire some clever but relatively straightforward responses to Obama's "retaliations"?
Do you believe the President of United States has no capacity to control and direct the actions of the Executive Branch? The President has considerable autocratic power - little or not mitigated by "checks and balances" - as the head of the Executive Branch of the United States.
flora , December 31, 2016 at 1:49 pmThe Aurochs, back from the dead.
Now, we can feel better about finishing of those bees, because we can bring always bring them back later.
More enabling of Nature-abusing, should it become a part of cost-benefit analysis – the cost of preserving a species, versus letting it die now and bringing it back 50 years later – because we humans know exactly what we're doing. Having more options is always better.
In the mean time, get the award ready for another display of superior intelligence.
jhallc , December 31, 2016 at 2:10 pmI don't disagree.
For me, teading the story brought up this segue:The general appearance of the auroch bull is similar to the smaller Spanish fighting bull. Which reminds me, there are several kinds of bull fighting. Portuguese bull fighting isn't featured in movies but wow is it something. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS4bGwA0QSc
There's the ancient /modern sport of bull-leaping. Sport in some form goes back at least 3500 years judging from Minoan frescos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AukHt8_N1zsfresno dan , December 31, 2016 at 11:02 amLook on the bright side. They might be developing a superior supply of rodeo bulls to ride. However, the clowns may need some extra padding.
Foppe , December 31, 2016 at 11:53 amIs Obama using Russia to force a wedge between Trump and his party? Guardian
Having compromised national security in order to defeat Hillary Clinton, the Republican leadership may now see Trump as expendable. After all, he chose a standard rightwing Republican, the Indiana governor, Mike Pence, as his running mate, which means McConnell and Ryan can always arrange to have Trump impeached if he becomes too much trouble.
For Obama, Russia is thus a uniquely effective wedge issue, with the potential to divide the president-elect from his party. If Trump tries to remove the new sanctions, he could face blowback from Congress; if he doesn't, his friendly relationship with Putin could be damaged.
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If Trump is truly not fervently anti Russian, than he was gonna have problems with the repubs soon enough. As I commented yesterday, to me the issue is Trump strong enough to resist the many and varied forms of persuasion that will be marshaled by the MIC and associated hangers on to continue the very lucrative cold war funding.I saw a retrospective on the Trump campaign, and the part where Trump got sat down and questioned on abortion. Trump finally answered the question, "do you think women who have abortions should be punished?"
Trump's answer of yes reveals two things to me:
1. Yes, of course he is a politician and gives an answer that he believes his base wants to hear. It took him a while to learn the standard inconsistent but repub politically correct answer.
2. I doubt very much, to the extent Trump has "core beliefs" that Trump was against abortion. But Trump, maybe more than most, will change to mollify the base.Now, I don't think the repub base actually gives a rat's as* about spending money to contain Russia, but I think the modern elites can sure make it seem like they do. I am hoping, but I doubt Trump, has the backbone, skill, and intellect to really counter a sustained effort to keep us at the status quo ante (i.e., keep us knee jerk anti Russian).
The question is: are there REALLY 99 senators who believe Russia hacked the election or same difference, 99 who will vote that Russia hacked us?
And you know what that means? It means that we are governed in mass, by seriously incompetent people with ideological blinders on – Trump is the least of our problems .HotFlash , December 31, 2016 at 4:50 pmFancy that, Harvard still has a "cold war center" with nitwits who sell this as "analysis"?
Mark Kramer, the program director for the Project on Cold War Studies at Harvard's Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, told Business Insider in an email Friday that Putin's "conspicuous announcement today was intended in part to give the impression that Obama's measure are weak and inconsequential (as indeed they largely are) and do not deserve a response."
"Putin can thus depict himself as taking the high road," Kramer added, "and undoubtedly will be praised in European and Third World countries that are always eager to condemn the United States."
If Trump is truly not fervently anti Russian, than he was gonna have problems with the repubs soon enough.
========================================I dunno. Mr. Trump, excuse me, President-Elect Trump, has a real gift for knowing what the people want, or at least what they want to hear. And the R's are conditioned (by the Tea Part et al) to fear their base. May it be that the Repubs (elites) will have problems with Trump? As for the Demos, Demo-friendly pundits and the vast "left wing conspiracy", I keep having the feeling that all this Putin-blaming stuff is because "Empress Hillary said so" and the DC/Demo-apparatus does not dare (yet) pile on the Trump wagon. See what happens on Jan 21.
