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Trump Undermining Conflict Resolution in Syria
Stephen Lendman
Endless US-instigated conflict in Syria rages in its seventh year - near-term peace prospects virtually nil.
Trump made a bad situation worse, deploying hundreds more US combat troops illegally to northern Syria - on the phony pretext of combating ISIS America created and supports.
Attacking Syria’s Shayrat airbase in response to a likely CIA-orchestrated Khan Sheikhoun CW attack shows the lengths Washington will go to wage endless aggression - wanting Syrian sovereignty destroyed, its leadership ousted, pro-Western puppet rule replacing it.Since 2012, Washington undermined Russia’s consistent good faith efforts for conflict resolution. Sergey Lavrov blasted the Trump administration for sabotaging peaceful solutions, saying:
“(I)llegal and aggressive (US) strikes on an airbase in Syria…exacerbated the situation and hindered, maybe on purpose, the search for a political settlement.”
Pence Threatens North Korea
Stephen Lendman
In Tokyo during his East Asia tour, Pence told Prime Minister Shinzo Abe America is with Japan “100 per cent” in challenging Pyongyang.
Saying “all options are on the table,” he demanded denuclearization of the Korean peninsula - what Kim Jong-un and other government officials won’t ever accept as long as America remains an existential threat.
Vice Foreign Minister Han Song-Ryol said his government will “be conducting more missile tests on a weekly, monthly and yearly basis” - threatening “all-out war” if Washington launches aggression.
On Wednesday aboard the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier in Yokosuka, Japan, home of the Pentagon’s 7th Fleet, Pence called its “steel deck” symbolic of America’s “ironclad alliance…with Japan, and…enduring commitment to the Asia-Pacific.”
Americans Are No Different Than Germans Were (and Are).
Eric Zuesse
Daniel Goldhagen blamed the Holocaust on “the Germans” (by which he meant the German people), and said that they perpetrated the Holocaust because they positively enjoyed murdering “the Jews.” But, as has long been well understood by historians (except when they fail to point to it as being a disproof of Goldhagen’s bigoted and indefensible anti-German thesis), Hitler had to work long and hard in order to bring about a consensus, first amongst his own leadership group, and then in the population as a whole, favoring the extermination-option. Hitler, Der Fuehrer, “The Leader,” clearly was the catalyst turning the chemical mixture into the chemical reaction known as the Holocaust. Without Hitler, it would not have taken place. Thus, the issue that has always been failed by ‘historians’ is not why “the Germans” did it (which Goldhagen botched), but why the Nazi leadership did it, and ultimately why Der Fuehrer did it.
Orchestrated Anti-Government Violence in Venezuela
Stephen Lendman
Allied with Venezuelan anti-government fascists, Washington long sought regime change. So far, coup attempts and other destabilization efforts failed.
Perhaps Trump plans toppling its government, supporting tyranny over Bolivarian democracy, wanting another sovereign independent government eliminated, along with gaining control over Venezuela’s huge oil reserves, the world’s largest, including its heavy oil. In early April, violent anti-government protests erupted, similar to earlier ones, an orchestrated imperial plot, wanting Venezuela’s sovereignty undermined, Bolivarian fairness eliminated.
Anti-Erdogan Rage, Emergency Rule Extended
Stephen Lendman
Before Sunday’s constitutional referendum, Erdogan repudiated democracy, freedom and rule of law principles, governing as a tinpot despot.
Manipulated results officially empowered his iron-fisted rule. Criticism of his rogue regime is considered treason.
Opponents are targeted for elimination. He’s at war with Kurds domestically, in Iraq and Syria. Press and academic freedom are considered heresy. He’s ruthless and unforgiving, a regional menace, Turkey a launching pad and safe haven for ISIS and other terrorist groups, providing them weapons and other material support, treating their wounded, pretending to oppose the scourge he backs, wanting northern Syria annexed, Assad ousted.
Top U.S. Intelligence Analyst Accuses White House of Fraud About Syrian Sarin Gas Attack
Eric Zuesse
On April 18th, Washingtonsblog received from MIT’s Dr. Theodore Postol a detailed scientific analysis of the source-material for the White House Report on the gas-attack that occurred in Syria on April 4th. In it, he essentially accuses the Trump White House of having perpetrated a fraud so as to ‘justify’ its bombing of the Syrian Army’s air base. His article (along with a brief introduction about Dr. Postol’s background in the subject) can be found here: http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2017/04/67102.html
My summary of it by excerpts from it, highlights certain passages with boldface type, in order to expedite a reader’s understanding Dr. Postol’s analysis.
The cover-letter of his full analysis states:
This analysis contains a detailed description of the times and locations of critical events in the alleged nerve agent attack of April 4, 2017 in Khan Shaykhun, Syria – assuming that the White House Intelligence Report (WHR) issued on April 11, 2017 correctly identified the alleged sarin release site.
US/Russia Support Flawed Turkish Constitutional Referendum Results
Stephen Lendman
On Sunday, Turkey’s deplorably weak democracy died. Erdogan’s power-grab succeeded, ending it.
The constitutional referendum lets him declare emergency rule and govern by decree, including dissolving parliament and calling new elections if he wishes.
An OSCE observer mission monitoring the referendum campaign and Sunday’s vote raised serious questions about its legitimacy.
Procedures “fell short” of international standards, it said. Numerous irregularities occurred. On April 17, an OSCE press release said in part “The 16 April constitutional referendum in Turkey was contested on an unlevel playing field, and the two sides in the campaign did not have equal opportunities.”
Trump Delegates Warmaking to Generals
Stephen Lendman
Articles in the Atlantic and Wall Street Journal discussed Trump’s approach to militarism and warmaking.
He’s letting hawkish generals make battlefield decisions - overseen by Defense Secretary Mattis, National Security Advisor McMaster and Joint Chiefs chairman Dunford.
Last month, the Atlantic headlined “Trump and the Generals,” saying the president “is fixated on a more conspicuous form of winning.” Earlier he said “(w)e never win…(W)e don’t fight to win.”Generals always want more funding. No matter the amount budgeted, it’s not enough. Trump proposed an additional $54 billion for the next fiscal year.
Anti-Syria UK MPs Want Assad’s Wife Stripped of Her British Citizenship
Stephen Lendman
Asma Assad was born and raised in London. British law permits revoking citizenship of nationals on grounds of supporting terrorist activities.
Hardline Liberal Democrat MP Tom Brake said Britain’s government should tell her to “either stop using (her) position to defend barbaric acts or be stripped of (her) citizenship,” accusing her of harming UK interests - wanting her husband illegally ousted as Syria’s legitimate leader, he failed to explain.
A Home Office spokesperson said “we cannot discuss individual cases, but the Home Secretary can deprive individuals of their citizenship where it is conducive to the public good…”
According to London’s Sunday Times, UK MPs disgracefully accused her of spreading Syrian propaganda - for praising her country’s “martyrs” and “accus(ing) the West of spreading lies.”
WHY I WILL NOT BEND TO CALLS FOR CENSORSHIP AT THEATRE 80
GA: Facing some insidious calls to cancel a panel discussion related to my forthcoming book Being in Time – A Post Political manifesto, NYC Theatre 80's owner Loran Otway made a clear uncompromising statement. He will not bend to pressure. Otway published the following comment on his FB page.
Spread the message and see you in Theatre 80 on April 30th
https://theatre80.wordpress.com/
Lorcan Otway
In the 1950s, my father wrote a book, the Evangelist. It was a novel based on his experiences with the Salvation Army as a child. It made some of the many blacklists of the period, branded “anti-Christian” and the work of a “communist.” The book was pulled from a number of libraries and burned.
In October of 1960, Richard Buckley, Lord Buckley, was stopped in mid act, at The Jazz Gallery, now Theatre 80. His Cabaret Card was removed by the Vice Squad of the NYPD. A short time later, after going to the police to demand it back, he died under circumstances which led many to believe he was beaten to death by the police. This began a free speech fight, which eventually ended the Cabaret Card system.
In both these cases I believe the censorship was wrong and the speaker was right. However, my standard of right and wrong does not govern what goes on our stage any more than I believe the standards of the police or the Christian Right should have governed my father’s opportunities to be read (or red.)
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