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Oligarchs Succeed! Only the People Suffer!
James Petras
Introduction
On a scale not seen since the ‘great’ world depression of the 1930’s, the US political system is experiencing sharp political attacks, divisions and power grabs. Executive firings, congressional investigations, demands for impeachment, witch hunts, threats of imprisonment for ‘contempt of Congress’ and naked power struggles have shredded the façade of political unity and consensus among competing powerful US oligarchs.
For the first time in US history, the incumbent elected president struggles on a daily basis to wield state power. The opposition-controlled state (National Public Radio) and corporate organs of mass propaganda are pitted against the presidential regime. Factions of the military elite and business oligarchy face off in the domestic and international arena. The oligarchs debate and insult each other. They falsify charges, plot and deceive. Their political acolytes, who witness these momentous conflicts, are mute, dumb and blind to the real interests at stake.
Putin Straight Talk
Stephen Lendman
Differences between Putin and US presidents are stark. He’s overwhelmingly popular in Russia for good reason.
On the right side of major issues, he’s believable, candid and straightforward, saying what he means and meaning what he says - polar opposite serial lying and demagogic doubletalk from US leaders, con men serving monied and imperial interests exclusively.
Interviewed in France by Le Figaro, Putin commented as follows:
He accepted French President Macron’s invitation to meet at the Elysee Palace, coming with “expectations. If there are no expectations, it is pointless to hold meetings of this kind,” he explained.
“I certainly had expectations this time” - despite knowing France is a close US ally, a NATO member, hostile to Russian interests.
Putin in France
Stephen Lendman
At French President Macron’s request, Putin met with him on Monday at the Elysee Palace in Paris.
Differences between them are stark - Putin a world-class leader/statesman, a peace champion, a multipolar world supporter, an anti-imperialist, a believer in mutual cooperation among all nations.
Macron is polar opposite - a world-class scoundrel, a former predatory Rothschild banker, a neoliberal globalist, an imperial supporter, an anti-populist, serving privilege interests exclusively at the expense of liberte, egalite and fraternite.
Russian/French relations at most might improve rhetorically, not substantively with Macron in power - beholden to monied interests and America’s rogue agenda, not peace, equity, justice and normalized relations with Moscow.
Iran and the 9/11 Attacks
Eric Zuesse
The official U.S. government line is that Iran is the main country responsible for the 9/11 attacks in America. On 9 March 2016, a U.S. civil court ruled that Iran must pay to some victims of the 9/11 attacks $10.5 billion in fines, and the Obama Administration had no comment, so the U.S. press ignored the verdict almost totally. But this verdict was the only official U.S. court ruling thus-far about state-sponsorship of the 9/11 attacks, 16 years after the event. It was therefore huge news on 9 March 2016 — it created a precedent, for the U.S. government to allege that Iran had caused the 9/11 attacks and is consequently ‘the number one terrorist state’ (as Israelis have long claimed). But it received very little coverage at the time.
Hawkish Russophobe Zbigniew Brzezinski Passes
Stephen Lendman
He served as geopolitical counselor to Lyndon Johnson, later as Jimmy Carter’s National Security Advisor.
At Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, he was Robert E. Osgood Professor of American Foreign Policy.
He was a Center for Strategic and International Studies counselor, trustee, and advisory board member. He directed master spider David Rockefeller’s Trilateral Commission, created to address the crisis of democracy - too much of it, along with pursuing America’s imperial agenda.
Russian Special Forces in Syria
Stephen Lendman
They’ve been active since Russia began combating terrorism in the country in September 2015 - greatly aiding Syrian and allied ground forces turn the tide of battle in many areas.
They’re mainly involved in directing Russian aircraft to targets, according to General Alexander Dvornikov, commander of Moscow’s Syria campaign.
Last year, he said “I am not going to conceal the fact that our (elite Spetsnaz) special operations forces (KSO) are working in the territory of Syria. They are doing reconnaissance checks prior to the Russian air strikes, heading the planes to targets in remote regions as well as fulfilling other special tasks.”
They help “their Syrian colleagues plan and conduct” anti-terrorist operations, along with teaching them how to use Russian weapons.
Trump in Rome
Stephen Lendman
On Wednesday, he arrived following his Riyadh and Israel visits. He and the pontiff are more alike than dissimilar, despite Vatican pretense.
Papal history isn’t pretty. Pontiffs notoriously meddle where they don’t belong. Liberation theology supporting social justice is verboten.
Pope Francis’ high-minded rhetoric belies papal tradition, supporting wealth and power interests, paying lip service alone to popular needs and welfare.The papacy is notoriously ultraconservative. In his book titled “God and His Demons,” Michael Parenti exposed the myth of organized religions being above reproach, criticizing Old and New Testament dogma.
Does the Washington Post Have Fake News?
Eric Zuesse
There are two kinds of fake news:
One is a report of something that actually didn’t happen, which for a newspaper to do can reasonably be called lying, inasmuch as a newspaper is expected to report only things that happen, and any violation of that strict standard — which separates journalism from propaganda — is at least negligence violating the very reason why consumers purchase or subscribe to a newspaper (that reason being trustworthiness). This deception amounts unqualifiedly to lying, in any case where a reasonable assumption can be made that the given false ‘news’ report’s falsehood results from the publisher’s propagandistic orientation and intention to deceive on that given matter. (This might be done in order to please the controlling stockholder of an advertiser, or for many other reasons.) In such cases, the fake news is propaganda instead of news. To sell to consumers propaganda as ‘news’ is additionally to deceive them into paying the publisher in order to become deceived by the publisher; so, it’s a deception on top of a deception; it is actually deception-squared. That’s why selling such ‘news’ is even worse than merely giving it away for free (such as honest PR or propaganda is — it is free).
Trump’s Draconian Budget
Stephen Lendman
Supported by congressional hardliners, his agenda is all about benefitting Wall Street, war-profiteers and other corporate predators more than ever - at the expense of America’s most vulnerable.
His FY 2018 budget proposes enormous Medicaid and food stamp cuts, along with letting states cut safety net programs on their own.
His plan follows House members passing legislation to cut Medicaid spending by more than $800 billion over the next decade, ending benefits for at least 10 million impoverished Americans, endangering their lives.
Long Sought US Regime Change in Venezuela
Stephen Lendman
Venezuela’s sovereign independence, Bolivarian fairness, and world’s largest oil reserves make it a prime US target for regime change - wanting pro-Western puppet rule replacing democratic governance.
In mid-February, before taking office as secretary of state, Rex Tillerson said “(i)f confirmed, I would urge close cooperation with our friends in the hemisphere, particularly Venezuela’s neighbors Brazil and Colombia, as well as multilateral bodies such as the OAS, to seek a negotiated transition to democratic rule in Venezuela” - code language for lawless regime change.
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