Purge of Russian Diplomats Leading to War?

Over the many years living here in Australia, it has become all too evident to me the governments lack of backbone and personal identity. This is not a “cultural” criticism, but a political one. Indeed, this country will follow the US and UK into illegal wars, based on vague intelligence reports; not to mention, never uttering a single word on the US’s campaign of torture, over the last fifteen years. Again, following the UK and US’s lead, are expelling Russian diplomats, based on accusations and spurious evidence. It’s a case of “monkey see, monkey do”, adding to a long line of questionable actions of international policy leading to war.    

Creation of a New Cold War

While the western world focuses on a 25 minute interview with a porn star, alleging having sex with president Trump in 2006, and paid hush money a month before the 2016 election, countries around the planet are expelling Russian diplomats from their respective sovereign soils. According to the Washington Post, these countries include:

— UNITED STATES: 60 Russian diplomats expelled; Russian consulate in Seattle ordered closed.

— BRITAIN: 23 Russian diplomats expelled.

— CANADA: Four Russians expelled; 3 applications for additional diplomatic staff being denied.

— UKRAINE: 13 Russian diplomats expelled.

— GERMANY, FRANCE, POLAND: Four Russian diplomats expelled from each country.

— CZECH REPUBLIC, LITHUANIA: Three Russian diplomats expelled from each country.

— SPAIN, NETHERLANDS, DENMARK, ITALY, ALBANIA: Two Russian diplomats expelled from each country.

— HUNGARY, SWEDEN, CROATIA, ROMANIA, FINLAND, ESTONIA: One Russian diplomat expelled from each country.

— LATVIA: One Russian diplomat expelled, plus one Russian representative of a Russian company blacklisted.

As of Tuesday March 27, 2018, AUSTRALIA, (as blind monkeys’ do) followed suit.

The reasons for this outpour of unprecedented “diplomatic action” since the 1950’s, are based on innuendo, fact less accusation, and particularly, the alleged attempted assassination, (poisoning) of a retired Russian/UK spook, and the alleged meddling of the 2016 US presidential election.

We must remember that this type of “diplomatic” behaviour, based on historical patterns, is a sign of a prelude to outright war.

This western escalation of a new cold war, that is, targeting Russia as the “enemy”, has been brewing since the Obama administration began arming jihadist, including Al Qaeda, in Syria, as part of its regime change occupation of that country. The major accusation currently, that the Russian/Syrian forces are killing civilians at an alarming rate. Add this to the arming of Ukraine, expanding NATO; forcing RT and other Russian media to register as foreign agents, and finally this diplomatic purge, we now see a clear path of evidence, towards WW3.

What happened to Reconciliation?

The US and their allies have never really applied proven diplomatic strategies to avoid violent confrontation. Since WW2, it has all been about propaganda to justify military aggression, including “regime change” of foreign governments who refuse to “go the American way”.

The majority of the world’s population do not want war. Those few elite sociopaths that have created conflict, based on lies and fear propaganda, do not have the interests of the people. Their true motivation is self-serving, based on power and money… and it’s that simple.

Since a child, my views on war have never changed. War is a lie. And when anyone tells you otherwise, my suggestion is to ruthlessly question their reasons.

Australia, unfortunately, has followed the US into illegal wars since Korea. Rather than question true motivation for conflict, we blindly ask, “You want me to jump? How high”? This is unacceptable.  

Let’s not allow these sociopaths in power to lead us into the utter decimation of our planet.

Opinion: John Bolton, Regime-Change & WW3

The most striking “new” scandal” that has ripped through the WH, apart from scurrilous innuendo of highly dubious allegations of sexual misconduct from the POTUS, is the firing of H.R. McMaster from the National Security Advisor post, and the appointment of the alt-right warmonger, John Bolton.

Who is John Bolton?

John R. Bolton served as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations from August 2005 to December 2006. He was a “recess” appointment by George W. Bush however, because under  a Congressional confirmation Hearing, this appointment would never had happened, due to Bolton’s hawkish views on Iraq, N. Korea, and particularly, Iran.

What are these “Hawkish” views?

Bolton is a highly outspoken advocate of “regime-change”, specifically on N. Korea and Iran. Along with other neoconservatives (though he denies neo-con affiliation, which is false) like Bill Kristol, lobbied relentlessly for the invasion of the sovereign state of Iraq. Now, fifteen years later, Bolton continues to justify the millions of Iraqi deaths and thousands of American and allied solider sacrifices for this illegal war. As military and neo-con journalists and “talking heads” on conservative news sites, like Breitbart and Fox News, down play this war as a “mistake” or a geo-political “miss-interpretation”. According to International Law, the Iraq war is nothing less than a war crime. And, most disgustingly, those responsible like V.P. Cheney and G.W. Bush dance like empty-headed fools with Ellen DeGeneres on day time TV, given a free pass, because most criticise POTUS Trump. Bolton makes no apologies, doesn’t use soft language nor diminished rhetoric, he states his intentions emphatically: regime change, invasion, torture, bombing and annihilation.

As mentioned above, Bolton has denied his neo-conservatism. This is simply not true. He is a member of the “Project for the New American Century”, whose members range from such warmongers as Bush 1 and 2, VP Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, Max Boot, Jeb Bush - the membership list reads like a who’s who of virtual Globalist sabre rattlers. Bolton is also a member of JINSA, the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, whose anti- Palestine voice is loud and clear.

Bolton has continuously supported and lobbies for military action and regime change in Syria, Libya, and Iran.

Ironically, and not surprising at all, a major aspect of Trumps MAGA presidential campaign, was clear disagreement with America’s “conflicts” overseas, namely Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. In fact he called it a waste of US resources, time and money…and a terrible sacrifice of innocent American lives. Since taking office, he’s seemed to have changed his mind. The military budget has exceeded previous budgets by billions of dollars. Only three months in office, he committed thousands more troops into Afghanistan. The president’s support of Saudi Arabia is almost unprecedented, selling billions of dollars in weapons, to the Islamic regime, to then brag about it only last week. He, as POTUS has rarely mentioned, if at all, the genocidal decimation of Yemen, while continuing to back the tiny country’s destruction.

Is it a surprise he appointed Bolton to one of the most powerful posts in the White House?  In hindsight, journalists’ like Michael Cole and Jeremy Scahil of The Intercept predicted Bolton’s arrival, well before the sudden firing of H.R. McMaster. Cole mentioned that, in a podcast, Bolton had been seen entering and exiting the WH for several weeks. It was only a matter of time.

John Bolton was a favourite on Trump State Television, (Fox News), spewing his xenophobia and hate for Iran, and the need for regime change in that country.

The non-nuclear deal with Iran, made by president Obama, is currently up for review. What can we expect from the POTUS, who has voiced his disagreements with the deal in the past?

The arrival of John Bolton to the NSA post in early April, one can only guess what hateful whispers of hate, he will blow in the president’s ear.

Combine Pompeo’s appointment to the Secretary of State, (a proven hater, bigot and regime change cheerleader), and Gina Hasprel to head the CIA (a war criminal for her pro-torture stance), and John Bolton, are we headed for WW3?

Time will only tell.                 

The Crying Girl

It was sometime yesterday or last week (my time perceptions are meshing) while traveling into the city of Melbourne for no reason other than to feel the energy of its streets, a beautiful young girl, no more than 25 years of age, suddenly fell into deep grief, sobbing, not the wailing type, though a quiet somewhat restrained release of pure sadness.

The woman’s sadness was palpable, contagious as I felt like weeping with her. But, no, I thought, do not interrupt, and let her sadness release naturally.

At first, I felt compelled to ask her if there was anything I could do to ease her pain. I wanted to help her but did not have the courage to do so…

Our train reached Flinders Street Station and finally came to a grinding halt. The passengers began standing up, gathering their belongings…but I waited. I could not even bring myself to look at her out of fear of possibly embarrassing the woman.

After a few moments, when most of the passengers had left the train, she gathered her small backpack and headed towards the outside platform. I slowly stood up too, trying to be as nonchalant as possible, walked directly behind her with the only thought in my mind: is there anything I could do to help this woman experiencing so much grief and sadness.

As we walked along with the crowded platform, I could not help looking in her direction. I noticed her long auburn hair caught under the strap of her carry bag, where, ever so gently and with such grace, she pulled her hair out from under the strap. She lifted her head, her body pushed consciously straight up and true as she ascended the escalators with the rest of the crowd. Through observing her subtle body movements, I saw raw courage in a fellow soul, feeling so much sadness only moments before, deciding to carry on with life despite life’s pain.

Some moments require us to ‘intervene’ in a strangers’ life, and the motivation to act is instinctive. In this case, a mere kind word might have helped this beautiful young woman, but out of a coward, she chose to sit back and let the important moment slip by.

I regret this moment but must remember to act in the future when at least a simple kind word might ease someone’s pain…if only a little.

A Short Comment on Tillerson's Dismissal.

The sudden dismissal of Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, executed through a cowardly tweet from President Trump, has sparked a cacophony of alarm bells from all corners of media/political factions, not only in the US, but around the world.

The Secretary of State had many geopolitical views, not always aligning with Trump’s mercurial and often vague stance on China, Israel, Syria, Iran and particularly Russia. Mainstream outlets such as CNN, offered a lame yet incendiary reason, following their unrelenting anti-Russian propaganda, that Tillerson named Russia as the culprit in the UK story of two Russian spy’s, found on a park bench, poisoned by a strain of nerve agent. The UK prime minister called the incident, “highly likely”, that Russia had been responsible. This well may be part of the reason the president fired Tillerson, but it gets worse.

CIA Director, Mike Pompeo, Trump’s pick for SoS, a neo con, whom would prefer to tear-up the Iran nuclear agreement (ratified by Obama) and go to war, is well known in Intelligence circles. To add insult to injury, Pompeo’s replacement is Gina Haspel, a career CIA spook, who supported and executed torture, during the Bush administration, establishing a black site in Thailand, where torture was applied to suspected Al Qaida members. This woman is considered a “war criminal” in many European countries. In fact, she could be arrested in Germany (once landing on European soil) for her crimes.

Combine the UN ambassador, Nicky Hailey, an outspoken Zionist and sabre rattler to topple the Assad government in Syria; Pompeo, a man intent on war with Iran, and Haspel, a wanted war criminal, is a sure fire recipe for a heightened conflict in the middle east.

We should not allow these CIA and political warmongers repeat the similar lies and propaganda like Iraq, resulting in millions of Iraqi deaths and thousands of solider deaths – all based on deception.

CM

The Rising of a New McCarthyism

Since the beginning of the “Mueller Investigation” the corporate owned media has been hammering an anti-Russia narrative, a Trump alleged collusion with Putin, helping a republican win in the 2016 election. To be clear, the only evidence of this interference, are numerous twitter and fb ads, run by 13 Russians in an attempt to rein havoc in the US democratic process. To a miniscule extent, this may have turned a few votes to Trump, but the actual evidence of “collusion” is simply no there.

 From my observations of corporate owned news networks, i.e., BBC, CNN ABC, etc., these are the true propagators of conspiracy and decent.

Russia is now portrayed to Americans as the new evil empire, (along with North Korea) when Russia or North Korea has committed no acts of aggression, aside from shooting off a few rockets, and Russia, have only been looking out for their own interests in Syria, Crimea and the Ukraine.

We must put a few key points into context:  

According to international stats, Russia’s economy is equal to the size of Spain.

In 2014, Russia's military budget of 2.49 trillion roubles (worth approximately US$69.3 billion at 2014, approximately 1/7th (14%) of the US military budget.

The US military budget has the base budget of $523.9 billion, which includes an increase of $2.2 billion over the FY 2016 enacted budget of $521.7 billion. Since Trump has taken power, the budget has risen to well over $750 billion. Further a budget of $80 billion over the next 5 years.

 Where and who is the actual threat?

A New McCarthyism.

Managed to stumble upon an excellent documentary last night and it was part of a series on great American minds. The film’s subject was the legendary 50’s director, Elias Kazan, ( On the Waterfront, A Streetcar Named Desire, East of Eden) and Arthur Miller, Pulitzer prize winning playwright, ( Death of a Salesman, View from a Bridge, The Crucible) focusing on their highly creative relationship, and their infamous “falling out”, after Kazan named names with his testimony as a witness before the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1952, at the time of the Hollywood blacklist, which brought him strong negative reactions from many liberal friends and colleagues. Arthur Miller, on the other hand, gave testimony that he knew of communists in the entertainment industry, but refused “snitch”, or name names. Consequently, he was charged with contempt of congress, but later the charges were dropped. During this time, the “red scare” enabled by such “luminaries” Senator Joseph McCarthy, to ruin lives and create an anti-Russia sentiment that seemingly, remains, and currently being pushed today.

If one takes a cursory glance at America history, knows all too well the number of “regime-change” projects executed by the CIA and hence, the US government: Iran, Colombia, Venezuela, Libya and Iraq, to name just a few.

The enemy is not on the outside, our enemy is within…

C. Middleton