Called a "Alarmist" for Warning about Nuclear War.

 

Like other pundits across social media and the publishing world, particularly since the start of the US proxy war with Russia via Ukraine, I've been called an 'alarmist' or the default label, (mainly from ignorant neoliberal warpigs) 'Putin Puppet', On this subject, generally, all my political predilections go by the way-side, because above every other issue facing the survival of our planet today is nuclear war. 

We must take our heads out of the sand. 

It should go without saying, that 99% of politicians, celebrities and journalist who poo poo the possibility of a nuclear winter, are those individuals who've never seen or experienced war first hand. The cliche' is "armchair pro-war-cheerleaders." The vast majority of the unelected neocons running the US government right now have never seen a war they didn't love and promote. They sit around mahogany tables in air conditioned offices in their 'think tanks' figuring out ways for the US to attain world domination at any cost. In every survey I've ever read, asking what country is the most threat to world peace, 80% answer the United States. The reason for this overwhelming majority is obvious: the US has started more wars than any other nation in the last 30 years. 

Indeed, I was a child of the Cold War. In 2nd and 3rd grade, I remember nuclear bomb drills, where we had to hide under our desks to prevent exposure and death. This was absurd, however, the threat of nuclear war was real. One of which was the Cuban Missle Crises, where a low-ranking Russian submarine officer had the sense not to follow orders, believing the order was a mistake. The US, Russia and China have the nuclear capability to destroy our planet in a heart beat. More terrifying, like the Cuban Missle Crises, where it was a FALSE alarm, and someone had the sense to stop armaggedon, next time during this current intense period in Ukraine, we might not be so lucky.

If our world leaders and their political slaves had more sense, choosing diplomacy over perpetual war, would end the Ukranian conflict tomorrow. Ending the war for the US, NATO and Zelenski's fascist government, is not an option because for a few, cutting off Moscow's economic influence and weakening her military power is the goal. As the American's have said: 

"We will win this war against Russia with US bullets and Ukranian blood." The death of the Ukranian people in the 100 of thousands does not fit into the US and NATO's plan. These innocent people are simply collateral damage. 

When one considers the combined forces of the US and NATO against Russia, could well place Russia in an escapable corner. For sure, at some point the trapped bear will feel threatened enough and fight back with unbounded fury. Then. of course, we're all screwed. 

What is so sad and frustrating, a diplomatic solution in Ukraine could have been reached several months ago. The US made treaty's Russia not to spread NATO too close to their borders. The other agreement was Ukraine was off limits in terms of NATO membership. Like all of the treaties America has made over the century, they've broken them. NATO war bases surrounding Russia are numerous and would goad a saint to retaliate. 

Nuclear War is a very real possibility considering US and NATO aggression against Russia. 

Diplomacy is the only answer. 

 

 

Paul Auster - Burning Boy - Comment.

 

Author, Stephen Crane, was once a household name in the US and Europe. The writer's most famous novel, The Red Badge of Courage, continues to ring a bell for most Americans. Strangely, when you ask anyone who the author is: the response is usually a blank stare. It feels like over a hundred years ago in middle school when I was introduced to this pivotal Civil War novel; many comments Red Badge is the quintessential "war" novel of the 19th century - a novel that ranks with Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace. Paul Auster's biography of Crane is not an effort at literary criticism but a deep psychological dive into the artist and an explanation of 'feelings' towards the writer's entire body of work. Burning Boy, more than anything else, is a tribute from one writer to another. 

In Crane's short life, his literary production is off the charts. As a journalist, he was prolific, covering the Spanish American War and others. From what I can glean, Crane's journalism was to keep the wolves from the door. Throughout the writer's life, money was always a problem. Money was only his primary concern when interfering with his writing. One can connect unscrupulous editors and publishers and Crane's laissez-faire attitude to money. It's a wonder it didn't affect his literary output; on the contrary, it motivated him to write more. 

After 2 years of college, he ended up living with fellow artists (all poor) in New York. They would all chip in for food and the rent, helping each other hone their art form. Crane was described by many to be a bohemian, a disheveled young man with his mind only focused on writing. This bohemian persona seemed to stick with him all his life. Near the end of his life living in the UK, the old photographs show a well-dressed gentleman. By then, he had literary renown, but despite his famous short stories and Red Badge fame, he was only a breath away from poverty. 

Stephen Crane is said to write in the style of 19th-century realism and naturalism, and his works are described as impressionistic. At the time, a few prescient readers and critics placed the writer in a different category - one of the American Modernists.

While living in England, he associated and became good friends with the great or soon-to-be famous writers of the time: Henry James, Ford Madox Ford, H.G. Wells, and Joseph Conrad. It appears that Henry James loved the man, and Conrad believed Crane to be a genius and his best friend. Their letters and comments about the young writer are undoubtedly from the heart. 

I was particularly impressed with Crane as the war correspondent. While Red Badge mostly came from his imagination, his reports on the battlefields of Cuba reveal a journalist of remarkable insight, bravery, or an individual unconcerned with death. Crane indeed had wanderlust and the spirit of an adventurer. He was the happiest abroad, writing about different cultures and the terrors of war. 

This intense biography is an actual labor of love: a 19th-century writer and a 21st-century writer in a strange artistic kinship across time. This connection gave the biography a spiritual connection between the writer, subject, and reader. 

It's obvious why the biography is titled Burning Boy. Like the great geniuses of our time, their creative furor burned hard for a short period, only to see their lives burn out too soon.  

A genuinely outstanding biography of one of the great American writers. 

Stopping the War Pigs and WWIII.

 

The United States of Corporations has been waging war since the mid-19th century. Excluding the revolutionary war, we have the Civil war, the Spanish-American war, and the invasion of the Philippines, excluding WWl and ll, the Korean war, the Vietnam war, and several coups in many countries in Latin America. Iraq l and 2. Afghanistan, and the proxy war in Syria. This is not to mention the NATO destruction of Libya, turning it into a slave state. The US backs the war in Yemen and fights with boots on the ground in Somalia. Currently, the US is involved in a proxy war with the Russian Federation via Ukraine. Many scholars worldwide believe we are not headed to WWlll, but we are already in WWlll's beginning stages. The US and its vast military have China in their sights. If a war with China occurs, this will be nothing less than Armageddon. 

What is most disheartening is our new generation is either blind to the signs, propagandized, or simply doesn't care. Is it our educational system avoiding the humanities and critical thinking methods? On a cursory look, it is a combination of all the above. The vast majority of antiwar activists are over 40 years of age. Confronting the possible end of the planet is a hard fact to face. This is the most important issue on the planet, though no one is protesting and only following what they are told, like so many lambs headed toward their inevitable slaughter. 

NATO is screaming for more weapons to annihilate Russia. The war pigs are screaming for greater confrontations with Russia. Germany is currently sending proficient tanks to Ukraine. I would suggest that the 100 billion worth of weapons sent to Ukraine can't be used because the Ukrainian army has no idea how to operate them. The Ukrainian people, the non-combatants, are dying by the thousands. As a well-known military man said on cable news the other week, we will defeat Russia with American bullets and Ukrainian blood. Why are not more people protesting this vile statement? 

A high-ranking American military man stated, (paraphrased) our war with Russia via Ukraine is 'practice' in preparation for our war with China. This incendiary statement was declared in the open without any world citizen batting an eyelid. I find this astonishing. 

Japan is currently building up its war arsenals like in the 1930s. This is at the behest of the United States government.  Japan has always had a right-wing government. Since the assassination of their last PM, the new one has been pushing hard on manufacturing sophisticated weapons. Japan is preparing for war with China. There are numerous American military bases surrounding China. Taiwan will be the spark that will send the planet to hell. 

To put this in perspective, China is not the country it was in WWll. Their weapons are sophisticated, with the capability to destroy entire islands. China's military is huge and well-trained. Its population is four times the population of the United States. It also has a nuclear arsenal level with Russia and the United States. Undoubtedly, they will use it if pushed into a corner. Added to the fact that China is one of the world's leading trade countries.  A war with China would plummet the world into economic turmoil. An economic depression like the modern world has never experienced. 

The vast majority of the 7 billion people on this planet do not want war. It's only a tiny minority of pigs at the top, managing our politicians, that are pushing the planet into total destruction. This cartel of banks and corporations runs the show. These elite economic war pigs make the Mexican drug cartels look like the peace activists of the 60s and 70s. What can we do?

To be certain, these assholes are moving so fast that it's hard to keep up. Knowing these war pigs exist is the first step to stopping them. A mass labor strike across the planet is the only thing these creeps understand because it will hit them where it hurts - their money. Spreading the truth about war is essential. A simple study of history would change the minds of many against war. This is not enough.

Activists must hit the streets and protest against the war pigs. The people of the United States must protest their politicians' path to WWlll. Forget the two-party system (both are pro-war) and vote outside the party. They will listen if we don't vote for the war pigs and their puppet politicians. This is easy to say but hard to do. As Chris Hedges once said in one of his lectures (paraphrased), the kindling is already here; it will only take a single spark, coming out of nowhere, to start a worldwide revolution against economic oppression and perpetual war. 

The war pigs are preparing for a full-blown WWlll. 

They must be exposed and stopped...or else.

"So that we can Fight Russia over there, and we don't have to fight Russia over here..."

 

After close to a year since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many people have realized that this is a proxy war between Russia and the US. The reasons for this war come down to pure economics. Russia has a 40% monopoly on gas in Europe. The US desires this market. War is an investment for the US, throwing billions into the Pentagon and weapon manufacturers. As Julian Assange once commented on the Afghanistan War (paraphrased), this war is a money laundering exercise, funneling money back to American business and government. He also commented that these wars are never meant to be won. They are meant to be perpetual - bullets for blood and continued profit. The US has been planning this proxy war with Russia for some time. This was revealed by Adam Schiff in his closing arguments at Trump's impeachment trial:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=adam+schiff+fight+them+over+there

In a previous article, I proposed a long-term propaganda campaign by US politicians pushed by the Security State to posit Russia as the US's number one enemy. This came in the form of Russiagate and other forms of media manipulation. My conclusion was this propaganda worked, and liberals across the board in Congress approved vast amounts of money in support of Ukraine. So far, it is estimated to be well over 100 billion dollars. See article:

http://sychronicity1.blogspot.com/2023/01/musings-on-russian-war-propaganda.html

To see "progressive" members of congress vote for this unhealthy amount of money for the most corrupt nation in Europe reveals the power of the military-industrial complex. This gets a little more serious.

Politicians and high-level military personnel have admitted that the Ukraine people are simply cannon fodder to achieve the American empire's goal of crushing Russia economically and otherwise. 

In fact, a high-ranking ex-military man involved in the now-forgotten Iran Contra scandal (Oliver North) more or less said that our war with Russia would be won with American bullets and Ukrainian blood.  

The US doesn't care about the Ukrainian people as long as they can use them to weaken Russia. 

I invite you to research our politicians' comments and guests on corporate media,  expressing this view on the war in Ukraine. These war pigs don't even attempt to hide this fact anymore. The propaganda has run so deep in the public consciousness that many seem to miss this nefarious point.

The neoconservatives and their corporate media talking-head megaphones, are currently preparing us for a war with China. Occasionally, I'll watch Australian mainstream news and find these "experts" continually spreading lies about China and how we must protect "democracy" and the freedom of Taiwan. A small faction in Taiwan desires to break away from China. These factions have US support in the way of CIA infiltration and propaganda. Before Labour was voted into office in Australia's conservative party last year, a week wouldn't go by without some diplomatic crises and lies coming out about China in the press. 

War with China would be a planetary disaster for Australia and the western world. I heard one politician say that Ukraine is a practice for our next conflict with China. 

As a people, if we can identify this continual war pig propaganda, stop falling for the age-old "freedom" and "democracy" excuses, and see that war is only about profit, perhaps something can change. 

For at the moment, WWIII can become a reality in the notso distant future. 

Musings on Russian War Propaganda - OPINION.

 

Now that we are close to a full year since Russia invaded Ukraine, the mainstream media in the US and Australia have deemed it not as newsworthy as before. Like all headline news, once its appeal has diminished, it drops down the editorial list. Despite this lack of coverage, the war has grown more intense while the propaganda has been reduced. COVID-19, for example, has not disappeared, though the virus continues to rage in many places around the planet. We just don't hear about it anymore. because its uses in "informing" the public have achieved its goal. Once the public's mindset has been adequately framed toward the establishment agenda, mainstream media will move on to the next "crisis." 

The propaganda and censorship surrounding Russia/Ukraine proxy war began years before the invasion in 2021. I believe Russian propaganda truly started in 2016 during the presidential election. What we now know as Russiagait primed the public to view Russia as America's number one enemy. Russia stole the election away from Hillary Clinton. The Podesta emails by way of Wikileaks were a Russian plot. Even though Assange denied the source of the emails came from a state actor, however, mainstream media continued to push this lie. Over the four years of Trump's presidency, one could not turn on the television, radio, and computer without hearing the word *Russia*. 

MSNBC's number one show was Rachal Madow. This "journalist" could not stop her hype and fear-mongering about Russian interference in our elections and, later, Russia influencing all aspects of our lives. She claimed that Russia would likely tamper with the US eastern power grid during winter to freeze Americans to death.  These "news reports," although 100% speculation and anti-Russian propaganda, her audience of millions believed her every word. American propaganda was in full swing. 

After these four years of anti-Russian propaganda, Rachal Madow was taken to court for spreading false information. The woman's defense was she wasn't reporting the news and that her show was entirely for entertainment purposes. After this court case, Madow retired and disappeared from the public landscape. 

The number of lies and deception about Russia continued post-Madow, though it slowed down after the Mueller Report was published. The reason was there was zero evidence revealing any collusion between Trump and Russia. It also turned out that the FBI and certain democratic operatives pushed this agenda, despite zero evidence. 

Countless articles and books were published, pushing the "collusion lie." The problem is that 99% of these published lies have never been retracted. This was a diabolical disinformation campaign on the American people and the world. The damage was done - Russia was bad; Russia desired to conquer the world like Hitler. Russia and Putin is the west's greatest enemy. All lies.

The fact that most people do not have the time or inclination to investigate this disinformation is what those spreading the bs are counting on. We accept what's given to us at face value. 

The spread of anti-Russian sentiment goes even further. When watching espionage thrillers in movies and television, 9 times out of 10, the antagonist is Russian. This was prevalent during the Cold War - in a way that's understandable. Continuously placing Russia as the "bad guy" on film will seep into people's brains, reinforcing the lie. It should be common knowledge that the CIA has a considerable foothold in Hollywood. In many instances, film scripts are sent to the CIA for approval. And if you need Black Helicopters and certain inside information militarily, bringing the CIA on board for a film is highly advantageous. Constantly placing Russia as the evil antagonist in films will affect the public psyche. 

Another anti-Russian phenomenon that was ongoing before the invasion of Ukraine was any journalist, politician, or pundit who questioned American imperialism around the planet was called a Putin puppet, Kremlin spy, or traitor. Hillary Clinton called Congresswoman and presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard a Russian dupe. (paraphrased) Gabbard responded on Twitter, calling Clinton the queen of warmongers. For a high-level statesperson, a once first lady and presidential hopeful, to call Tulsi Gabbard a Russian spy reveals the depths of this anti-Russian propaganda. Suddenly anyone was called a "Putin puppet" who questioned US foreign policy. It became insane, bordering on psychotic. 

So in 2021, Russia invaded Ukraine for apparent reasons. These reasons were hidden from the general public, and Ukraine flags sprung from the lawns of "patriotic" Americans like weeds in a bean field. No one wanted to understand the history of Ukraine and its relationship with Russia. No one wanted to know that the Ukraine government had been bombing Russia leaning Donbast, killing 14 thousand of innocent civilians. Why? Because in counterintelligence, the *silence* of information is just as efficient as *misinformation*.  

In the west, we have been groomed to despise Russia. To offer any alternative perspective is met with antagonism and childish name-calling - worst, banishment from media platforms that offer different voices. 

We have been groomed to view Russia as the west's enemy. This grooming has been going on for some years. Censorship has risen in leaps and bounds since 2020. 

Why?

Censorship is a tool of authoritarianism. 

Corporate Media Attack on Matt Taibbi.

 

American corporate media have been on the offensive this week against the independent journalist Matt Taibbi. The writer's reporting on the Twitter Files exposes the collusion between MSM, Intelligence agencies, and Twitter. What is certainly not surprising, those on the attack are mostly ex-intelligence employees and government attorneys. From what I can glean, the criticisms are directed at Tiabbi's character and authenticity as a journalist. They also propose an insane conspiracy theory that his writing fuels far-right and far-left views in politics. In a recent article Taibbi published on his substack page, titled, On MSNBC and Authoritarianism, he writes: 

 Even by the low standards of the genre, "How the populist left has become vulnerable to the populist right" is a humorous standout. It argues that after I spent a month detailing how the FBI, DHS, DOD, CIA, and other agencies built a system for mass delivery of censorship requests to firms like Twitter and Facebook, I helped fuel a subculture that "could funnel people from leftism to authoritarianism." 

I must admit that these vacuous establishment types have become a little more clever in their criticisms of those who oppose or question their political opinions. Any complaint of them was responded to with "Putin Puppet," "Russian Agent,," Assad Apologist," etc. Again, calling leftist commentators 'funnels for an extreme political view' is clever, though, on its face, this claim is insane. Taibbi goes on to write: 

MSNBC and similarly foundering competitor CNN (which lost 19% and 27% of their audiences, respectively, last year) have been open for years now in their desire to serve as final revolving door destinations for the shadiest conceivable military and security officials.

If anything, these "left" commentators and journalists have only reported on the lies and propaganda that the government and MSM have told the general public for years. A prime example was the Russiagait disinformation campaign, lasting over 4 years, pushing unfounded conspiracy theories, calling the 2016 presidential election Russian-influenced, and calling the then President Trump, an agent of Putin, a traitor to his country. This was created by the Clinton campaign and fueled by the MSM by way of the intelligence agencies. All this disinformation turned out to be just that, conspiracy theories presented as fact. Somehow, high-profile leftist journalists and commentators funnel propaganda to shepherd people into a world of authoritarianism. 

A 2nd grader would see through this unfounded claim. 

What is that age-old adage in journalism: 'Never let the facts get in the way of a good story.' The corporate media practices this style of tabloid 'entertainment' and misinformation daily. 

In recent history, the CIA launched Project Mockingbird, where agents would infiltrate influential news organizations to plant stories that promoted their own ends. In the 21st century, no subterfuge is required because they hire ex-spooks and establishment shills right out in the open. 

The Twitter Files revealed this collusion between Intelligence agencies, corporate media, and social media to plant disinformation or prevent other news that might affect public opinion. 

Taibbi names these people. Most of which are ex-spooks and ex-political influencers. 

(See article).

Rather than report on Taibbi's factual reporting, these establishment geeks come out swinging with more lies and conspiracy theories. 

Considering corporate media's drastic plummet in their audience, they would try another tactic. Only more lies will do when you deal only with lies and propaganda. 

As the saying goes: 

You can't teach an old dog new tricks. 

Bukowski - Women - Review

Bukowski's Women was first published in 1979.  The setting is LA, California, which, in the late '70s, rings of an atmosphere familiar to my memory. I can see the author driving down the freeway in his 69 Volkswagon, speeding towards LAX to meet another "poet groupie" with who he had a brief correspondence. The pattern is the same: the women are between 20-32, and they've read his books. Before picking up their baggage, he insists on going to the bar for a few drinks. On arriving at his shitty apartment, they drink much more and end up in his bed, either performing miserably (too much to drink) or having a good exchange. The groupie will stay a couple of days and leave from where they came. 

The book is this, though much more. As a reader, there were so many 'encounters' and short-term relationships that it was difficult to separate them. All the names melded together as one woman, different only in age and profession. The woman he devotes the most words is Lydia. She's in her mid-twenties, beautiful. and a ticking time bomb that occasionally explodes dramatically. In one scene, the author returns to his apartment to find all his books gone and his beloved typewriter missing. He ventures outside only to be physically attacked, and later watches her smash his typewriter on the street several times. The woman is jealous. She has spent time in psychiatric care and is hooked on various drugs. The strange thing is Lydia is the woman who the author truly loves. 

As readers of Bukowski know, his main focus in life is booze, gambling, women/sex and writing. In his descriptive, and at times raunch prose, he can describe a sex scene graphically and with honest emotion. The author is old, ugly, and has acne scars and a pot belly. This does not stop the slew of women that knock on his door weekly. He loves women but treats them like meat; the younger, the better. The interesting point is all these women know the author is an alcoholic sex fiend, yet fall in love with the man anyway. This begs the question: are these women in love with the man or the writer? After finishing the novel, I believe it's a little of both. 

As one woman comments, once meeting the man, the tender and the honest poet doesn't exist, only on the page. After watching a short documentary on Bukowski, a journalist asks his young wife if she's in love with the writer or the man. She answered the "man," which noticeably pleased the writer. 

This novel of the late seventies is a cultural relic, where women, at least in public, were treated as merely baby-making machines and sexual objects. In our modern cancel culture, this book would never have been published. Different views, different attitudes, and a different culture in 1979. Despite the author's apparent 'disrespect' for women generally, close to the novel's end, he experiences an emotional breakdown, realizing he treats women like shit and is just an old, selfish asshole, only out for his own ends. This was a healthy epiphany, though. Despite this newfound self-realization, his behavior doesn't change - he returns to being a selfish prig.

This book is undoubtedly a relic of times past. I would not recommend this novel to young people searching for a literary example, forging ahead on their own writing path. However, the writing is crisp, descriptive, and honest. Bukowski doesn't care what we think and writes without literary pomp like he has something to prove. 

He's telling it like he sees it and nothing more.