by Stephen Lendman

Western media scoundrels mock legitimacy. They march in lockstep with lawless US policy.

They misinform readers and viewers. They spurn truth and full disclosure. They proliferate Big Lies.

They violate core journalistic ethics doing so. They shame themselves in the process.

Ukraine is in the eye of the storm. Managed news misinformation persists daily. Irresponsible Russia bashing is featured.

Truth is twisted to fit US imperial policy. It's turned on its head. It's pure garbage. It doesn't matter. It's featured daily.

America's so-called newspaper of record matches the worst of irresponsible journalism. The New York Times fronts for monied interests, power and privilege.

Its reports, commentaries and editorials distort, misinform, suppress, and deny what readers most need to know. Bald-faced lies substitute.

Its Ukraine coverage is appalling. It reads like bad fiction. It makes ordinary propaganda look good by comparison.

Washington elevated illegitimate Kiev putschists to power. They represent fascism's reemergence in Europe writ large.

Obama bears full responsibility for Ukrainian crisis conditions. He's escalating conflict. He wants hardline rule institutionalized.

He wants democratic resistance crushed. He blames Putin irresponsibly for his crimes.

Russia's leader forthrightly supports peaceful conflict resolution. Not according to Times editors. In March, they headlined "Russia's Aggression."

They outrageously accused Putin of "exploit(ing) the Ukrainian crisis to seize control of Crimea (as well as) any other power grab he may be hatching."

They ludicrously claimed "an immediate threat to Ukrainian Russians is empty." Crimean self-defense volunteers put down attempts by Kiev infiltrators to seize government buildings.

Eastern Ukrainian freedom fighters face merciless military assaults. Right Sector thugs murder them.

Times editors repeatedly lie. They support Kiev fascists. They twist truth irresponsibly. They're consistent.

They're on the wrong side of history. They ignore facts. They bury them.

They make stuff up. They lie for power. They defend the indefensible. They endorse the unthinkable.

So do Times columnists. Thomas Friedman matches the worst. His commentaries reflect hack journalism.

They're deplorable. They're superficial. They're shallow. They're dumbed-down rubbish. They're polar opposite truth. They're featured on Times pages.

On May 6, he headlined "Go Big, Get Crazy." He maliciously bashed Putin. He lied claiming he "unleashed" "separatist forces" (in) eastern Ukraine and dial(s) them up or down as he pleases."

He misinformed readers about ordinary Ukrainian activists. They're not "separatists." They're freedom fighters.

They're Ukraine's best and bravest. They want local autonomy. They want fundamental democratic rights everyone deserves.

Friedman wants them eliminated. "Get Crazy," he urged Obama.

"With one initiative he could simultaneously make America stronger, Putin weaker, the planet healthier and our grandchildren safer," he said.

He "should throw caution to the wind and go big." He wants Russian energy targeted. He wants US resources replacing it.

"…Putin thinks he knows the Europeans better, since so many are beneficiaries of his oil and gas," said Friedman.

He called Kiev fascist putschists "reformers."

"The last thing Putin wants is a fairly elected reformist government," Friedman claimed.

He turned truth on its head saying so. He lied claiming Kiev's coup-appointed government is legitimate.

He ludicrously said upcoming presidential elections will be free, fair and open. They'll be farcical when held.

They're illegitimate. Results are pre-determined. Institutionalized fascist rule is planned.

Washington fully endorses it. So does Friedman. He ignored malicious US Russia bashing.

He lied claiming Putin "Goebbels-scale propaganda in eastern Ukraine…"

His columns mock legitimacy. They lie for power. They support fascist extremism. They cheat readers. They represent hack journalism.

Neocon Washington Post editors match him. Their Ukraine opinions barely stop short of urging direct US intervention.

They crave war. They deplore peace. They support Kiev fascists. They do so irresponsibly.

An earlier editorial headlined "President Obama's foreign policy is based on fantasy." They bashed Syria's Assad, China's Xi Jinping and Putin.

They want Obama confronting them more aggressively. If he "doesn't make the case for global engagement, no one else" will, they said.

They claimed "the tide of democracy in the world" is "retrenching." They ignored Washington's direct role in subverting it at home and abroad.

WaPo columnist David Ignatius has longstanding US intelligence ties. He's one of many WaPo neocon contributors.

He twists truths to fit US policy. He fronts for power. He supports the worst of US imperial rampaging. On May 6, he headlined "Obama tends to create his own foreign policy headaches," saying:

"(H)e acts as if he's talking to a rational world, as opposed to one inhabited by leaders such as Russia's Vladimir Putin."

"In the realm of power politics, US presidents get points not for being right but for being (or appearing) strong."

"Say less…do more, Ignatius urged. "Stay the course (with) sanctions, diplomatic pressure, NATO resolve."

"The counter to Putin is strong, sustainable US policy…Suck if up," Ignatius urged Obama.

Fact: It bears repeating. Ignatius fronts for power.

Fact: He's a neocon favorite.

Fact: Putin represents responsible geopolitical leadership.

Fact: Obama is a war criminal multiple times over.

Fact: He elevated illegitimate Kiev fascist putschists to power.

Fact: He supports the worst of their crimes.

Fact: He bears full responsibility for Ukrainian crisis conditions.

Fact: He deplores democratic governance.

Fact: He tolerates none at home or abroad.

Fact: Don't expect scoundrel correspondents, columnists, contributors or editors to explain.

Wall Street Journal ones match the worst of others. Their editorials irresponsibly bash Russia.

They target Putin. They consider him public enemy number one. So do neocon WSJ contributors.

William Galston heads the Ezra Zilkha Brookings Institution Governance Studies Program. He's a former Bill Clinton advisor.

He participated in six presidential campaigns. He's a regular Wall Street Journal contributor. His views are hard right.

On May 6, he headlined "The Ukraine Speech Obama Should Give."

He claimed "recent events in Ukraine…threaten a sovereign nation. (T)hey pose a profound challenge to the entire post-Cold-War order."

Putin "yearns to undo what he regards as the heart of that tragedy - the separation of Russian speakers into multiple countries divided by national borders."

"He is not free to achieve that objective through subversion and force - the means he has employed in Ukraine and may well use elsewhere if he is not stopped now."

Ukraine can't "protect itself against aggression" on its own.

"Will we abandon a nation that wishes only to integrate into the world economy and live in peace with its neighbors, or will we offer meaningful help in its hour of need?"

"We all have a responsibility to act, and the United States must lead."

Galston urges "a common (US/EU) front" against Russia. He barely stopped short of recommending direct US intervention.

"Events in Ukraine are part of a larger pattern: Around the world, threats to order and peace are intensifying," he claimed.

He wants Washington acting more aggressively. Misinformation, distortion and Big Lies infested his commentary.

Fact: It bears repeating. Obama created Ukrainian crisis conditions.

Fact: He toppled Ukraine's democratically elected president.

Fact: He elevated fascist putschists to power.

Fact: They have no legitimacy whatever.

Fact: They're societal misfits.

Fact: They represent mob rule.

Fact: The only external threats Ukraine faces are ones they invent.

Fact: Putin represents the best of geopolitical leadership.

Fact: Obama is polar opposite.

Fact: He threatens world peace.

Fact: He menaces humanity.

Fact: He risks global war.

Fact: Don't expect scoundrel media contributors to explain.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity"

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com

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