" … behind the lofty rhetoric about solidarity and the images of heroic rescuers rushing in to save lives is an agenda that aligns closely with the forces from Riyadh to Washington clamoring for regime change. Indeed, The Syria Campaign has been pushing for a no-fly zone in Syria that would require at least “70,000 American servicemen” to enforce, according to a Pentagon assessment, along with the destruction of government infrastructure and military installations. There is no record of a no-fly zone being imposed without regime change following —which seems to be exactly what The Syria Campaign and its partners want.
“For us to control all the airspace in Syria would require us to go to war against Syria and Russia. That’s a pretty fundamental decision that certainly I’m not going to make,” said Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee this month." Max Blumenthal
—————
Dunford should be careful if he wants to keep his job until retirement. John McCain immediately and angrily denied that that a NFZ in Syria would inevitably mean war with Russia.
I agree with Dunford.
The wall to wall R2P and Ziocon campaign to destroy the Government of Syria is in high gear. Unfortunately for the R2Pers, Government of Israel and Ziocons the rebels are losing the war. The Borgist press talk endlessly of air strikes in Aleppo as part of the propaganda meme, and do their best to ignore the daily disintegration of the jihadi rebels in East Aleppo.
The SAA, Palestinian militias long resident in Syria, Hizbullah from both Lebanon and Iraq, Iranian troops and the Aleppo Kurds in the Sheikh Maqsood neighborhood are systematically disassembling the jihadi pocket in East Aleppo.
The more that progresses the more the IO war for American public acquiescence ramps up.
The "White Helmets" are reputed to be in line for a Nobel Peace Prize. pl
If the White Helmets win a Nobel Prize this year, maybe someone should nominate the President of the Philippines next year.
The Nobel Committee is determined to disgrace themselves beyond redemption.
My wife wanted to see “The White Helmets,” a Netflix doc I think she heard about on NPR. So we watched it yesterday. Thinly disguised propaganda against the Syrian “regime.” I love how the Syrian govt. is always referred to as a “regime.” She’s appalled by all the death and destruction but really has no idea about how it came about or what our role in facilitating the various actors is.
Max Blumenthal, who wrote that piece, is himself anti-Assad. He called people who wrote against the U.S. regime change operation “Assad apologists” and condemned them.
http://maxblumenthal.com/tag/bashar-assad/
My hunch is that someone is running a concentrated media campaign against the “Syria Campaign Ltd” and the “White Helmets” – a bit pro Syrian but still anti-Assad
See this in The National
http://www.thenational.ae/arts-life/newsmaker-the-white-helmets
and this in The Intercept
https://theintercept.com/2016/09/28/u-s-sanctions-are-punishing-ordinary-syrians-and-crippling-aid-work-u-n-report-reveals/
(like Blumenthal the author is anti-Assad)
and add the Blumenthal piece – all in last five days or so. This after years of silence in which only a few independent blogs took the White Helmets and the regime change efforts apart.
The White Helmets (or their money man behind it) put themselves up for the Nobel. They advertised for it on their own website. Shameless.
Receiving north of $70 million from U.S/UK/DE/NL/J governments they may well get. It has always been a political (NATO) price.
Russia just installed a S-300 variant in Tartus which is especially against cruise missiles. Not enough to withstand a full volley but a significant sign.
Will Obama launch the big war the Zionist demand from him?
May be our good noble, Noblers, should this time do it correctly, and give another one to Obama for ending his presidency. Hopefully that brings the world, more peace than since he began.
I cannot for the life of me fathom the thinking process of someone who does not realize that imposing a no fly zone over another country is intrinsically an act of war. The only thing that I can think of is that we are used to getting our way so much that many have become complacent to the point of becoming imbeciles.
The White Helmets get a good chunk of their funding from USAID which is managed by the U.S. State Dept.
Regarding complacency, the Russians claim that the S400 can target stealth aircraft. I do not think that it is a good idea to assume that this is propaganda on their part. In Serbia one of our F117’s was hit by an anti-aircraft system built in the 1960’s from a ground controller who had to periodically shut down his radar to avoid himself being targeted and destroyed. Yeah I know, the stealth bomber flew the same route everyday but it was targeted; it was not a random shot and Russian radar targeting has improved a real lot since then.
John McCain appears to have become the most dangerous person in America.
Col. Lang:
Will the Russian-Syrian operation in Aleppo end before the presidential election ?
Good piece by Max. He is Sid Blumenthal’s son, and has written good books on Palestine. But what is his relationship to his Dad, who is a key Clint ally and some kind of intelligence informant.
What kind of proof is there that the White Helmets are a ghoul squad? Is it solid or only circumstantial? Can someone put together a compilation web page or at least a blog page that people could refer back to?
b
Not sure what you are telling us. Is Max a good’un or a bad’un? As you all know I am a friend of his father and an acquaintance of Max. pl
Sir
I am troubled by the turn of events. We’re facing increasing instability in geopolitics as well as in global finance. The status quo is doing everything possible to preserve their advantage. Those who have been shafted no longer believe in the establishment. We are seeing anti-establishment political forces gaining strength as the Les Déplorables look for alternatives. The choices are not necessarily forces of deep reform and stability. The US, France and Germany are heading into elections with deeply divided populations. No one has any legitimacy any more. While majority rules apply only narrow electoral victories are possible leading to sense of illegitimacy for those on the other side. No matter how the election turns out half the people will feel they were disenfranchised. Political changes could provide the catalyst that knocks the thin reed of confidence that holds together the shaky edifice of leverage that underpins global finance. These extraordinary theories that claim infinite government spending and backstops of financial leverage will face their tests when psychology changes. The idea that central banks can inflate financial assets at will while providing governments with unlimited fiscal flexibility that will generate real economic growth that increase the median households income and standard of living will be shown to be the snake oil that it is. How far will these central planners go “buying” real assets and securities with financial liabilities conjured from thin air? Is this era of Mass Delusion now reaching or at its apogee? Are Howe’s notions of the Fourth Turning and it’s tumultuous times coming upon us?
https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_organizations/nobelfoundation/contact.html
if you have something solid, please send it to them.
I guess that the key question is what will Russia do when U.S. jets and cruise missiles attack Syrian troops, airfields, etc.?
Will Russia shoot down American jets attacking Syrian positions?
lord how our tax money just flows out so freely
“From 2007 to 2011, the Pentagon paid Bell Pottinger (British PR firm) $540 million, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism confirmed. The reporters were also told that the P.R. company made an additional $120 million in 2006, putting the potential total at at least $660 million.”
what did we buy?
“fake videos that appeared to be the work of al-Qaida, –. It also created news stories that looked as though they were produced by Arab media outlets, and distributed them through Middle Eastern news networks.”
Would we be surprised to find that the White Hats were actually paid by another P.R. firm for “good” visuals?
Oh, BTW. Kerry is all excised about “civilians” in Aleppo but not at all concerned with those at risk in Mosul?
I think we’d find out what’d have happened if Wesley Clark got his wish to storm the Russian paratroopers at the Pristina airport, except Russia is far stronger and led competently. British general Jackson, who refused to obey the order back then, was convinced that that would have triggered World War 3, as far as I know.
imagine
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/pentagon-paid-pr-firm-540-million-make-fake-terrorist-videos/
pl
from the bowels of Lord Tim Bell (ex-chairman of Bell Pottinger), what imagination.
“They would craft scripts for Arabic soap operas where characters would reject terrorism with happy consequences.”
that must be worth at least 10 million an episode.
https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/open-letter-to-ndp-re-their-support-for-white-helmets-nobel-peace-prize
In answer to my own question, because believe me I am thinking about it, I would say that Russia can either shoot down American cruise missiles and jets or it can go to the Security Council or both.
Strategically, I don’t see how it can stand aside while the U.S. destroys the Syrian military.
I guess the fig leaf would be that the anti aircraft missiles were fired by the Syrians.
How will the American public respond when American pilots are killed by Russian missiles/jets?
I do know that nominally very intelligent people I am acquainted with view Putin as a satanic monster. They have bought into the propaganda hook, line, and sinker.
IMO is Lindsey Graham. He is driving if not heading push to overthrow Assad at all costs to America and Europe.
Colonel Lang,
If true, I am not surprised.
If not true, how unlike the corporate / financial / military / health care / media “industrial complex”.
Only Iceland had the right idea. Jail the bastards.
Hopefully those how lean right in this election will vote for Gary Johnson and those who lean left will vote for Jill Stein.
One should not belittle our right to refuse to vote for the “least awful”.
Regards,
David
https://consortiumnews.com/2016/10/03/do-we-really-want-nuclear-war-with-russia/
“…a powerful bureaucratic machinery is in place to advance U.S. propaganda goals. … This machinery consists not just of outlets and activists funded by U.S. tax dollars via the National Endowment for Democracy or the U.S. Agency for International Development or NATO’s Strategic Communications Command, but like-minded “human rights” entities paid for by billionaire currency speculator George Soros or controlled by neoconservative ideologues who now run major U.S. newspapers…
There exists what intelligence veterans call a Mighty Wurlitzer, an organ with so many keys and pedals that it’s hard to know where all the sounds come from that make up the powerful harmony, all building to the same crescendo. But that crescendo may now be war with nuclear-armed Russia, which finds in all this demonizing the prelude to either a destabilization campaign aimed at “regime change” in Moscow or outright war.”
Comment section: “The major charge at Nuremberg was “conspiracy”. That’s right, conspiracy to wage aggressive war.”
That is the $64 question. I believe that there is greater likelihood that they would rather than not.
Syria is their strongest partner in the region where they have had a ‘Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation’ since the 1980’s. While this is not a defense agreement it would be very notable if the Russians did absolutely nothing while the U.S. launched an unprovoked attack on Syria.
Russia takes very deliberate steps. Currently, they have only warned the U.S. that attacking Assad would create a vacuum and have detrimental affects and that they would protect their personnel. I would interpret this is stage 1 in their escalation ladder. Saber rattling is not their style.
I do not believe that the Russians would do anything rash, if they saw us preparing an attack then they would issue a warning if they planned to do anything about it. If we launched a surprise attack, taking down cruise missiles would not kill any U.S. personnel so I can see them doing that as well as targeting U.S. Jets with RADAR to show that they can. I think that they would hold back as long as possible before firing on U.S. jets.
Regarding Russian capabilities, don’t forget to add in the S400 systems that they have on their various missile ships near Syria into the mix.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-400_(missile)#Base_statistics
One stat that caught my eye is that it can guide and track 80 missiles at once, I can’t find out its rate of fire but a few of these would definitely cut pretty severely into a cruise missile attack. I have no idea how the electronic warfare part would play out.
This is a lunatic scenario but I think we have a lot of lunatics in Washington today. I hope someone flushes out some of them. Anyone catch Breedlove on 60 minutes? I’ll do a separate post on that sometime.
In reply to Matthew 03 October 2016 at 06:56 PM
They routinely disgrace themselves. It seems to go with the territory.
Years of Living Dangerously did a great job of showing the environmental factors of multiple years of drought and crop failures in Syrian that were part of the toxic brew in the first episode (available for free viewing). The documentary was a labor of love by Harrison Ford and Matt Dillon.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?list=PLmB1tUgTXBEpRhv9QuUf9NAKnU6Jsi1g5&v=brvhCnYvxQQ
Very watchable summary of many main points in 3 min. Warning: contains execution at around 2:40.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aAaReVn2I4
http://www.moonofalabama.org/2016/08/the-wounded-boy-in-orange-seat-another-staged-white-helmets-stunt.html
http://www.wrongkindofgreen.org/category/the-international-campaign-to-destabilize-syria/
http://21stcenturywire.com/2016/09/23/exclusive-the-real-syria-civil-defence-expose-natos-white-helmets-as-terrorist-linked-imposters/
http://www.alternet.org/world/inside-shadowy-pr-firm-thats-driving-western-opinion-towards-regime-change-syria
false rubble pictures @ 10%; etc. TLDR
http://21stcenturywire.com/2015/10/28/part-ii-syrias-white-helmets-war-by-way-of-deception-moderate-executioners/
https://www.scribd.com/document/169025372/Study-the-Videos-That-Speaks-About-Chemicals-Beta-Version
http://www.moonofalabama.org/2016/06/the-usuk-financed-white-helmets-shtick-fake-child-rescued-videos.html
http://www.globalresearch.ca/syria-fabricating-chemical-lies-who-is-behind-the-east-ghouta-attacks/5350211
there was a lot more research a couple years ago about people who had been kidnapped & held for ransom, including a young boy, showing up as bodies in several different places in White Helmet shots showing “victims of gas attacks”.
Go to moonofalabama.org. b has been tracking this for a year with links, photos, and articles written by independent third-parties. These will allow you to determine the veracity for yourself.
Max vitriolically damned defenders of the Syrian people when it was convenient for him – for years.
Max now writes a piece (most from material Vanessa Beeley and others already published over the last year: http://21stcenturywire.com/2016/06/21/who-are-the-syria-white-helmets/) against a regime-change-in-Syria PR company. He now gets hit on Twitter and elsewhere by regime changers just as he hit them before.
He kicks back:
/ Max Blumenthal @MaxBlumenthal
The ultimate purpose of the doxxing, threats, shaming and mockery is suppressing an actual debate on the consequences of regime change/
That is exactly what he himself did when he condemned AlAkhbar and various writers against regime change. This over several years and in vitriolic, personally insulting forms.
Now: Zero acknowledgement, zero apology, zero admitting that he was(?) on the wrong side.
A shameless hypocrite. I have zero respect for that self-serving idiot.
And > $70 for White Helmets.
Does anyone believe most of their photos and videos are NOT staged and produced for money?
Sir
The profit margins on this type of operation must be enormous. How much does it cost to produce such videos and then launder them through eager media channels. Eerily reminiscent of the Rendon Group in the lead up to the mushroom cloud campaign. How does one win such contracts?
Bill
My understanding is that the Russian-led coalition will do their best to defend against US missile and air attacks.
Regarding US attacks with missiles and unmanned aircraft I would expect Russia (and Syria) to target the missiles and drones and claim credit for it. Regarding US attacks with manned jets I would expect that something murky happens. I guess they will be targeted with top-notch air defense weapons like S-300/S-400 or their Iranian copies, but Russia and Syria would not claim credit for it. I would expect instead that some militia like “Palestianian” Liwa al Quds and Iraqi Nujaba would claim credit for targeting and shooting down US manned jets. It would place the US in an awkward position when seeking revenge. Would the US once again declare war on Baghdad, and if so, how would that end?
But the immediate reaction on the battlefield would surely not be the only reaction from the Russian-led coalition in Syria. From Russia I would expect that they put more weapons into Syria, likely including advanced ground to ground missiles and anti-ship missiles to threaten counter attacks on locations from where US jets started their bombing runs.
And then I would also think about off-theater reactions. Perhaps Iraqi militias say the US declared war on them and attack US troops in Iraq – and perhaps even in the GCC. Other indirect military reactions against the US could also happen in places like Afghanistan, Yemen, and Libya. And for sure, I wouldn’t expect any Russian or Chinese help in getting the DPRKs nuke programm curbed after an intentional US strike on Syrian government forces.
So, by striking Syrian government troops a bit, the US may get more tensions and war in a whole lot of places in the region and world wide than it begged for.
Thank you. To put this in perspective, Brad Pitt makes about $20M a movie, and a major Hollywood blockbuster with thousands of people working on it will cost around $60M to produce and $40M to roll out. Not just someone but several layers of someones are skimming bigtime.
Imagine,
Here is a link to an article on 21st century wire re the White Helmets; they also have a “Who are the White Helmets?” link to all their WH articles down the page:
WHO ARE SYRIA’S WHITE HELMETS?
http://21stcenturywire.com/2016/06/21/who-are-the-syria-white-helmets/
The author, Vanessa Beeley, has many reports there on them and other topics regarding the Syrian war. Currently she has a 2 part one from her recent visit to Aleppo.
Yes, yes. Another good choice would be a newly elected President Hilary Clinton. After all, there’s a precedent.
British journalist Vanessa Beeley, after spending the summer doing investigative work in Syria, exposes the White Helmets: https://youtu.be/8oGTkhPJKz8
Her disgust with how they are being lauded in the western media speaks volumes.
b’s blog (Moon of Alabama) has considerable material debunking the White Helmets, probably including what is known about who funds them.
A brave statement from a brave woman about the fraud of White Helmet:
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_us_breaks_off_military_cooperation_with_russia_syria_video_20161004
Excerpt: “My name is Vanessa Beeley. I am an independent investigative journalist, writer and photographer. I have recently returned from a four week stay in Syria from 24 July until 26th August…. My conclusion, after my eighteen-month long analysis and research into this organisation is that they are a US and UK Foreign Office construct, funded and equipped by nations that have a proven vested interest in their stated policy of regime change in Syria & a clear geopolitical agenda in the region.”
Three points among 16:
“1: The White Helmets receive funding from UK ($65m via UK Foreign Office), US (US State Dept via USAID $ 23m), Holland ($ 4.5m), Germany ($ 7.87m) and Japan (undisclosed sum from the Intl Cooperation Agency), Denmark (undisclosed sum) – via the Mayday Rescue “foundation” that was set up by the British ex-military trainer of the White Helmets in order to transfer funding to the White Helmets…
7: Various other White Helmet operatives have posted videos of the torture and execution of Syrian Arab Army prisoners to their social media pages with celebratory comments…
8: The leader of the White Helmets, Raed Saleh, was deported from Dulles Airport in the US, April 2016. No real explanation was ever given for this decision. Mark Toner of the US State Department fielded questions from media but did (i) admit to funding the group with $ 23m and (ii) suggest that Raed Saleh might have “extremist connections”….”
Who are those idiots that have been nurturing the Nusra/ISIS/Al Qaeda monsters on the US taxpayers’ dime?
b
IMO that is a little harsh. My wife thinks that statement on my part is amusing since I am often harsh. In his defense I would point out that he has taken a hell of a beating from Zionists over their treatment of Palestinians. pl
Two drinking buddies.
@ b
Thanks for this. I doubted myself yesterday morning when I read his piece and the hits he was taking on on Twitter. I thought that the cold medicine was playing tricks to my grey matter and was surprised to see that most of his content came from Beeley’s piece. His back and forth with WH’s apologist McNeill is enjoyable to follow.
eP, in all fairness, we should, no matter who or what decided on matters, and maybe why, admit that the offer of change may have been ill-defined and last but not least that he carried what we call Altlasten=old loads, or the consequences of old approaches. And notice, I am not in the least trying to justify him.
Colonel:
I have come to the conclusion that folks want the other party in a debate to suddenly throw up their hands, admit they are wrong, and bow their head in an act of contrition.
When an opposing party accepts one of the tenets of an argument, and opposes the rest, they become “a hypocrite”.
Changing your mind just means that you changed your mind. It doesn’t require an extended mea culpa. You just start to act and speak using the new set of understandings.
For the most part we are expressing opinions, not facts. Only a few of are privy to the whole grab bag of data needed to be “right”. Juvenile thinking paints someone with an evolving world view as “hypocritical”.
I personally have had to eat crow many times in my life, while I have never cultivated a taste for the dish, people who harp at me for for eating it are usually just a^*holes.
The Nobel Committee is determined to disgrace themselves beyond redemption.
How much lower can they get after giving Obama his Prize just for … what was is again?
White Helmets are CIA-run, but does that necessarily mean the White House/Obama is running the propaganda operation?
Might it be that Hillary set up and Kerry is running the CIA operation out of State Department, behind the back of, or thumbing the nose at, the White House.
Vanessa Beeley is the daughter of Sir Harold Beeley, a British diplomat whose involvement was mostly in and about the Middle East, and so as a child sitting on her father’s knee, she doubtless heard a lot about that area. I appreciate her work because she tries to go the subject areas and takes most of her own photographs.
As noted above by others, she has done a lot of work on the “White Helmets”. She discusses the real Syria Civil Defense here–
http://21stcenturywire.com/2016/09/23/exclusive-the-real-syria-civil-defence-expose-natos-white-helm
ets-as-terrorist-linked-imposters/
Her second article from her recent trip to Aleppo addresses the issue about midway down under the subheading, “The white helmets are not the Syria civil defense”–
http://www.mintpressnews.com/journey-aleppo-part-ii-syria-civil-defense-aleppo-medical-association-r
eal-syrians-helping-real-syrians/220817/
The White Helmets are a clever PsyOp. The name White Helmets is a lot catchier than Syria Civil Defense. And the name ties in with a visual image, the white helmets that they wear. Pretty slick.
b: Your condemnation of Max Blumenthal is not only overly harsh, it is unfair. Max Blumenthal and Rania Khalek both opposed Assad before the full jihadi-ization of the opposition. Now they don’t.
Sometimes all choices are bad. Assad is the least-worst option. And he protects the Christians.
FWIW, Max Blumenthal has weathered a tremendous amount of personal abuse for defending Palestinians. I respect his courage.
I’ve always wondered with “stealth” – the basic mathematics was developed by a Russian during the time of the Soviet Union and was placed in the public domain. The United States then picked up on this believing that the Soviets must have been stupid for not understanding its significance and the US used the information in developing the early stealth aircraft. What if the Soviets put it out in the public domain with a complete understanding of its significance………
Since then the Russians have halfheartedly looked at incorporating stealth technology in their aircraft but not done much or probably spent much compared to what the US has, but just enough to spur on the US. Perhaps, they still remember the “bomber gap” and the “missile gap” and thought a “stealth gap” might be useful.
Croesus
The US government does not work like that. The Secretary of State has no authority over CIA, none at all, and the CIA would never accept direction from State. They are as proud as Lucifer and hold the State Department in contempt. pl
Bonnie: And now they tell us the Arab League matters. See https://twitter.com/Joyce_Karam/status/783306473346592769
I suspect the same people invoking the Arab League’s new moral authority will say “never mind” the next time the League condemns Israel.
b,
Quite a few college professors I know. Sadly they are busy indoctrinating their students.
I would say no so fast on the condemnation of Max.
I know Syrians who were very anti-Assad and public about it who have now decided that was a huge mistake and are supporting the government.
No-one always gets it right, and the telling features of hypocrisy or not is the direction the person moves when informed.
They not only opposed Assad but personally vilified anyone who dared to have a different point of view. Calling Cythia McKinney and Ramsey Clark shills for a mass murderer because the visited Damascus and spoke out against the war?
I have no problem with the first, but the second is disqualifying without a decent public apology. That is why I am harsh with him.
How can they now lament about being attacked by regime changers? They were part of that pack when it suited them.
They, as far as I can tell, still oppose Assad but now also oppose the opposition. The fact that the “revolution” was from the very beginning foreign instigated, partially armed and deadly (80 dead police/military in first month) still escapes them. The idea that Syria right now would fall apart without Assad has still not entered their mind.
Thanks for the update, robt.
Maybe Max thinks (correctly so as best I can tell) that there are plenty of murderers on all sides of the conflict. I myself get a little suspicious when writers on either side (Syrian government or rebel) speak in broad terms of “the Syrian people”. A great many Syrian people seem to hate the government, while others support it. And if you say that the majority support Assad, that could be true for all I know, but it doesn’t mean there aren’t millions who don’t. I’ve seen the polls. I wonder how reliable they can be in a civil war where all sides kill civilians.
The most relevant point from where I stand is that the US took a bad situation and made it much worse by supporting the rebels. Even if one thinks Assad is bad, it was obvious that supporting the rebels would lead to exactly the sort of chaos we had seen in Iraq. My only question is whether the pro-rebel people in the US knew this would happen or if they thought that this time they would “win”.
b: Those are good points. Assad is certainly the best available (non-unicorn) option.
A revolution that relies on jihadis is a revolution that must be put down. Brutally.
The lunatic perfumed princess and princesses have firmly removed themselves from common sense to ensure their paychecks coming regularly and in time.
A couple of days ago the NYT had some bits from a leaked audio tape of a discussion of Kerry with some Syrians from the civilian opposition:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/09/30/world/middleeast/john-kerry-syria-audio.html
Now here is the full tape which provides the context of Kerry´s remarks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3grHmI44mg
It hasn´t received the attention it deserves as there is a lot of “hidden information”.
From 8:56 on I assume the person speaking is Raed al-Saleh, the public face of the White Helmets. He´s just been to Washington, speaking at the Atlantic Council
http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/waiting-for-death-in-aleppo
Kerry´s reaction (11:48) is highly revealing. In respect to the aerial attacks, including the one on the UN convoy: “Do you have any videos of the airplanes?”
Then someone else from the US side: “We get a lot of videos of the victims of these attacks that are terrible but they don´t help us. We need videos of the actual aircraft and ammunitions, and there is a lot of them on the internet and we don´t know whether they are real or not”
—-> In short: they don´t trust the “documentation” of the White Helmets.
As for the attack on the UN convoy they don´t have any proof whatsoever!
Yep. Or they’ll just assume it’s down the memory hole and act like it never happened.
The headchoppers are losing. Time for us to do something stupid. See https://twitter.com/lrozen/status/783367725888438272
Update: Solipsism v. independent observer. (Rozen v. Magnier).
The world is more than just John Kerry’s ego. See https://twitter.com/EjmAlrai/status/783350236475449344
Am I missing something, or do we still believe that Boris Yeltsin is president of Russia? Is this strategy still premised on a Russian stand down?
Can the VP control the CIA, or is this only the job of the Pres?
On Oct 1 ’16 social media had references to a White Helmets chinese-firedrill hospital video, with one of the “injured patient” actors who thought he was off-camera laughing at the soap-opera-level absurdity of the “doctors”. Does anyone have a link to this video?
Alternet has posted the second part of the Max Blumenthal story on the White Helmets.
/How the White Helmets Became International Heroes While Pushing U.S. Military Intervention and Regime Change in Syria
Created by Western governments and popularized by a top PR firm, the White Helmets are saving civilians while lobbying for airstrikes./
http://www.alternet.org/grayzone-project/how-white-helmets-became-international-heroes-while-pushing-us-military
Curiously that part of the story was posted on October 2, a day before the first part, but was NOT twittered by Max and NOT available at the Alternet homepage. Someone found it by chance. Max tweeted the link today AFTER other people had tweeted about it.
There is serious problem with it.
Max insists that the White Helmets really rescue people. He notes several numbers that other media have posted. He also notes that the WHs claim, 60,000 rescued, is likely wrong.
In my view the numbers by other media are just as wrong.
After reviewing hundreds of WH photos and videos I have found very little evidence that they ever rescued anyone.
At least 95% of the photos/vids are staged. It is impossible that 60-80 scenes of a “man with an (unharmed) kid in arm running towards the camera” get taken in excellent quality on a chaotic battlefields in mids of bombings. Impossible.
Also “miracle – kid (unharmed) pulled from under rubble – everyone happy” is a typical staged WHs video that has no connection to any real-life rescue situation.
(Just ask any professional in that business)
That boy on orange ambulance seat that hundreds of newpapers printed on page one is, in my view, also staged. Excellent production work, but staged.
Several website/blogs, which Max -it seems- all visited, have written at length about this. As he copied other findings I wonder why he didn’t touch that.
B: and then the madness comes. See https://twitter.com/Charles_Lister/status/783409122234335232
So “suppressible” means we can successfully attack the Russian sites.
Again, does every part of this strategy depend on the assumption that the Russians will back down?
Interesting, do you have a reference to the soviet development of stealth mathematics?
From my reading of PART TWO of Max Blumenthal’s report, I’d say that White Helmets are a creature of the British government and USAID; the CIA, it seems, handles the gun-running into Syria not the propaganda end, of which WH is a part.
Actually Blumenthal had little to say about WH in Part 1 of his report. He saved that discussion for Part 2, headlined, “How the White Helmets Became International Heroes While Pushing U.S. Military Intervention and Regime Change in Syria”
http://www.alternet.org/grayzone-project/how-white-helmets-became-international-heroes-while-pushing-us-military
Here’s what jumped out at me from Part 1:
Blumenthal was intent on discussing underlying factors fueling the Syrian conflict that have been COMPLETELY MISSED not only by the MSM but also the blogosphere.
One of those factors is an expat Syrian billionaire named Ayman Asfari. Another is a public relations firm called Purpose. The company, which can deliver regime change on demand for its clients, would look on the CIA’s Cold War methods as hopelessly outdated.
A decade ago Purpose would have been a dystopian nightmare. It’s here now, and next to a major asteroid strike and nuclear war it is the sum total of all fears.
While Blumenthal doesn’t mention this, it is obvious that Purpose is making use of recent discoveries from US/EU government-funded brain research that leave the Pavlovian-based Behaviorist conditioning methods in the dustbin of history.
The research, already being used by Western governments to change behavior (see Charlie Rose’s interviews with brain scientists in 2013), is now in the hands of private firms that use the research findings to successfully market anything to anyone, including support for violent overthrow of governments, as Blumenthal makes clear. It’s no longer an art, it’s a science. They know exactly which buttons to push to achieve a specific response from the target audience.
Again, Blumenthal does not go into this part, but he most certainly alludes to it by zeroing in on Purpose’s boast, which “promises to deliver creatively executed campaigns that produce either a “behavior change,” “perception change,” “policy change” or “infrastructure change.”
It is not an idle boast.
@b
I think you are overstating your case in respect of WH fakery. I have seen many vids that appear to be genuine. After all, there is a bloody war, and there certainly are civilian victims, hence enough occasions for real footage.
I do understand your disgust at all the propaganda thrown at the Western public. However, if you want to convince people who happen to come to your blog but are not yet “on your side”, it would be much better to concentrate on proven fakes. No need to doubt the humanitarian work the WH (presumably) do do. That is part of the trick: as they are so “demonstrably” GOOD, the public will not easily believe they can be complicit with BAD. The problem here is not that the humanitarian work is faked, but that it is used as a vehicle and shelter for propaganda messages.
pundit
“not the propaganda end, of which WH is a part” I guess you don’t understand that the CIA would never launch a “gun running campaign” without the president’s direction. pl
Imagine
Nobody has any authority over CIA but the president. pl
Interesting. Thank you.
Kudos to Max Blumenthal for that excellent article that you posted Col.
The most dreadful thing that Mr. Blumenthal wrote about was in the section Targeting the UN in Damascus where the White Helmets undermine the UN’s humanitarian work in Syria so that they can be the sole source of information in rebel areas. It’s bad enough to be a political tool masquerading as an NGO doing humanitarian work but it’s an order of magnitude more evil to prevent others from doing real humanitarian work.
The forces of hell are relentless and must suppress all other voices in order to get a lazy public to believe illogical things, such as a victory by govt forces will actually increase chaos, so it’s better for the battle of Aleppo to drag on for weeks. One of our officials actually said that in an NBC report that someone posted. Yes, it’s better to have a pointless battle than hope for a quick victory or a surrender; unreal.
pundit
Your previous statement implies a separate and non-Obama driven decision on the part of the CIA to run a covert war. That could never be. The CIA answers only to the president, as does USAID through the State Department. pl
James,
Good observation. That would also be part of the subtle psychological effect of the program.
In thinking the situation in Syria over, it is clear that the United States has only one active option: a truly massive build-up of force around Syria, obviously intended to annihilate the entire Russian presence in that theater in a matter of hours. This would mean perhaps two aircraft carrier groups, a huge build-up of ground forces in the area ready to invade, and the logistic support for a long campaign. It would also involve an affirmative commitment from Britain, France, Germany, etc. (think Iraq I).
Anything less than that will not make the Russians move an inch.
Hence, it will not happen.
I also think that we do not know what electronic counter-measures the Russians have. I’m sure they don’t want to reveal what they have, but it may be considerable. Russia in Syria now is probably equivalent in preparedness to Russia at the end of WWII. A formidable foe.
Do I want to think about this? Who on earth wants to think about this?
War criminals, unite!
_________________________________________________
Presidential Proclamation — Death of Shimon Peres
DEATH OF SHIMON PERES
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
As a mark of respect for the memory of Shimon Peres, former President and Prime Minister of Israel, I hereby order, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America, that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and on all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, on September 30, 2016. I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same period at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-eighth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-first.
BARACK OBAMA
Thank you for clearing that up but it certainly wasn’t my intention nor did I mean to imply that the CIA was running its own war in Syria. I was always aware that the CIA answers directly to the president. Some years ago, reportedly, USAID was completely taken over by State but as you say, State would answer to the president.
I hope you won’t take this the wrong way but while I now understand how you interpreted my remark, I am still not clear how you could derive such a conclusion from my words. I am a stranger in these parts but even though I’ve only commented a few times here, that’s more than I’ve commented on all other blogs during the 15 years I’ve been writing for the public.
Why SST? Because I agree with your views 90 percent of the time and that’s a record for me. And actually it’s only 4 percent disagreement because I don’t understand the other 6 percent. Which is to say that sometimes you make remarks that are so ‘inside baseball’ regarding intelligence work that I can’t follow them.
Which leads me to wonder whether what I consider to be a ‘misinterpretation’ of my remark is grounded in your many years of intelligence work. In other words I am wondering if you ‘heard’ something that people outside the intelligence community wouldn’t hear.
Again, please don’t take offense. But I am making a little issue of this because no matter how much I like your blog and comment section, I don’t want to give offense and worry that I might be crossing lines which are invisible to anyone who’s not in the intelligence and/or military community.
Finally, it’s “Pundita.” I mention this only because it was the second time you addressed me as Pundit. I appreciate the compliment but I wouldn’t want to offend any Brahmins by using the masculine version of the term; that’s because I’m a dame.
As for the Nobel Peace Prize, it should go to Nadia Murad. Unfortunately, she does not appear to be in the running.
But how can they be serious to even consider Edward Snowden. Must be some serious whackjobs on the nominating committee.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/10/04/2016-nobel-peace-prize-favorites/91531894/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petr_Ufimtsev
“disgrace themselves beyond redemption”?
The Nobel Committee is an organization, a collection of individuals, which cannot neither be in a state of grace of disgrace; only individuals can be in such a state.
Likewise for Redemption, extends only to individuals and not institutions.
As far as I understand ideas of Christianity.
I think that is right and further, that people have a right to change their minds – even if they do not publicly admit that.
An earlier staged disaster in which dead bodies were used in propaganda videos, and moved from place to place for photo ops, goes under the name of “Zamalka Ghost House” and was substantially researched by “Urs” from Germany. This propaganda amplified the Ghouta chemical attack of August 21, 2013.
http://acloserlookonsyria.shoutwiki.com/wiki/Talk:Alleged_Chemical_Attack,_August_21,_2013/Locations/Zamalka/Ghost_house
http://clothcap.livejournal.com/137000.html?thread=1432616
Nice analysis by neuropharmacology PhD “Murder in the SunMorgue”:
http://logophere.com/Ghouta%20Massacre/Contents.htm
b, Max’ June 20, 2012 piece is quite interesting. One month later Obama issued his “red line” for Syria. But not least interesting is the article of the Al-Akbar’s editor in chief 9 days earlier, he apparently had mixed feelings about.
Ibrahim al-Amin, Fire in Syria (I): Preparations on the Turkish and Lebanese Borders
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/fire-syria-i-preparations-turkish-and-lebanese-borders
So Max didn’t believe the government’s intelligence about smuggled weapons surfaced among arrested terrorists at that point in time? I may have had mixed feelings too, admittedly.
Below a December 2011 interview with Bassel Shehadeh and Karam Nachar, Princeton on Democracy Now, there are passages in which Bassel admits it’s dangerous in the streets at night and hard to find out who shoots. Karam reports about the support for activists on the ground both concerning publicity and smuggling phones and other stuff to them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DokZOu4_pjI
Can there ever be a neutral word for someone that never errs? I wonder right now? Bassel may have erred too in trusting his guardian angle in a war context with a camera. He was aware the camera made it even more dangerous.
*********
The Tagesspiegel in Berlin had a guest comment yesterday. The White Helmets or Putin?
https://www.nobelprize.org/nomination/peace/
Are the nominations made public?
The statutes of the Nobel Foundation restrict disclosure of information about the nominations, whether publicly or privately, for 50 years. The restriction concerns the nominees and nominators, as well as investigations and opinions related to the award of a prize.
Check the suggested candidates for 2016:
http://www.nobelwill.org/
bomb, bomb, bomb Iran. … Ukraine, early visits? Not sure if it is “has become”.
Max now writes a piece (most from material Vanessa Beeley and others already published over the last year:
Are you suggesting he is plagiarizing matters already focused on by others, discussed or looked into by someone first, without acknowledgement by whoever picks up the relay later? … He should have linked to her research or blog including James’ comments, his earlier suspicions? Wrong to spread “the message further”? Update matters?
most from material
Could you be slightly less vague? Or define the rules? No one allowed to write about the matter by adding, choosing one’s own angle, perspective and/or update?
Personally, I was fascinated by Vanessa’s work, not least concerning matters Max doesn’t pick up in his pieces.
Now the UN officials are speaking out of turn. See http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-37561755
Vanessa Beeley has just released a statement via Facebook on Max’s article. She’s glad that he’s finally “seen the light” on Syria and hopes that he can bring the real story to a wider audience. But like Bernd, she’s upset that, after so many years of denigrating all those who were consistently saying exactly what he’s saying now as a bunch of ‘Assad apologists’, he hasn’t seen fit to apologize and acknowledge their hard work–work on which Max’s own article obviously rests.
https://www.facebook.com/vanessa.beeley/posts/10155610561998868
An election related update by Max:
http://www.alternet.org/grayzone-project/how-white-helmets-became-international-heroes-while-pushing-us-military
“An” UN official, rather. As per cited Reuters-bit:
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-convoy-idUSKCN1250QF
“UNOSAT manager Einar Bjorgo, who took part in the briefing, contacted Reuters hours later to say it was not possible to be 100 percent. “There is significant damage, and we believe it may be air strikes, but it’s not conclusive,” he said.
“Our observations of the imagery show indications of it possibly being an air strike. But it’s a very damaged area and we cannot definitely conclude that it’s an air strike.”
The United Nations has referred officially only to an “attack”, which led to a brief suspension of its convoys in Syria. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies initially referred to “air strikes” in a statement.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Friday he would establish an internal U.N. board of inquiry to investigate the attack and urged all parties to fully cooperate.
UNOSAT (U.N. Operational Satellite Applications Programme), which reviews only commercially available satellite images, has not been asked to share its analysis with the U.N. investigators, but is prepared to do so, Bjorgo said.
“Our images are from time to time used in order to brief Security Council members,” he said.
Bjorgo, speaking generally, said: “We are neutral. We don’t have a political agenda, we simply state the facts.”
Seems Mr Bromley didn’t give much attention to not having a “political agenda”. Further, images perused came via this particular connection here, as per AP:
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/89510182bb754c12a5f9a7f6df766fb2/latest-un-releases-images-damage-syrias-aleppo?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=AP
“12:10 p.m.
The U.N. has released satellite images showing most recent destruction of Syria’s embattled northern city of Aleppo. Officials with the U.N.’s satellite imagery program say new pictures from rebel-held parts of Aleppo show “an awful lot of new damage” — presumably by airstrikes.
Lars Bromley of UNOSAT says the commercial images from Digital Globe, obtained by the U.N. agency through an arrangement with the U.S. State Department, show mostly “formerly blasted and blown-up areas” during Syria’s 5-1/2-year war “experiencing a great deal of additional damage.”
He told reporters on Wednesday in Geneva: “To a certain extent you’re looking at rubble being pushed around.”
The images mostly show before-and-after pictures from mid to late September showing destruction of buildings, including homes, after the breakdown of a short-lived U.S. and Russia-brokered cease-fire.
One image, dated Saturday, shows the damage to a school or athletic facility in Aleppo’s Owaija district.”
Digital Globe, same source provided the couple less-than-clear pictures on MH17, and going by Bjorgo, they are less than clear once more.
So spinless UNSG, on his way out, is saying, based on internal report and expertise, that the Red Crescent convoy bombing is from air strikes. Guess someone wants Russia to be blamed for it.
However, Matt Lee from ICP is reporting that :
the new UNSG will be from Portugal ( all those members of the gent feminine that 2016 would be their year for the first female UNSG – from NZ to Eastern Europe must be dissapointed) and that there will be some musical chair going on as far as Deputy SG and Political Affairs. Jeffrey Feltman may have to look for another job, should Antonio Guterres decide that he would rather see another American in that post. Everyone knows that Feltman is/was controlling Ban Ki Moon.
I think Col Lang will answer to your question.
IMO, no.
Before installation of the next POTUS ? Yes.
SAA is advancing on a good pace in east Aleppo, and at the end, terrorist defence line will collapse rather quickly.
Should be over before the end of the year.
1) You can’t stay in power 5 years during a civil war without a strong support of your people.
2 ) They think they will ” win”. And that’s terrific
I think the russians will retaliate with a Kaliber against an US ship as a strong warning first.
Then if necessary they will destroy the 7 fleet.
Cut the logistic lines.
And manage a global uprising in ME against US troops.
I think it’s the unicorn disease, one that has been around for centuries.
These people (or, at least people like them) would believe (and probably did/do believe) that if some “good and competent” people rather than Kerensky took over Russia in 1917, there would have been neither Tsars or Bolsheviks and Russia would be a perfect democracy.
The same people would believe that, if there were some miracle worker instead of Mao and Chiang, China would be a perfect democracy.
I suppose the same people would believe that, if there were some morally perfect people instead of Washington, Jefferson, and Adams, there would have been no Civil War, no slavery, and no federalism questions either.
Some people oppose everything because of a lack of moral perfection, and, in so doing, enable hucksters who weasel their way around the universal vilification. I miss cynics.
The problem here is not that the humanitarian work is faked, but that it is used as a vehicle and shelter for propaganda messages.
Exactly!!!! Vanessa gets that. Qoppa, I love you!
The Portuguese nominee to replace Ban Ki Moon, Antonio Guterres, is said to be a “close friend” of Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, former President of Iraq, and founder of the Kurdish PUK (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party).
Guterres is favored by Vitaly Churkin, Russia’s ambassador to the UN.
Guterres used to be Director of the UN’s refugee body, the UNHCR, from 2005 to 2015 and frequently visited Iraq when Talabani was President.
On another blog I read, I found posted a “travelogue video” featuring a younger Barack Obama on a family-reunion visit to Kenya. I don’t know whether this video would offer any not-yet-known insights into the Obama of from-then-to-now. And I wasn’t sure what thread ( if any) this would really fit into. So I post it here in case it might be useful. If the video is considered to offer no insights worth being published for, then I expect it won’t be published. I just take a chance posting it here in case it might be considered useful.
Here is the link.
https://crayfisher.wordpress.com/2016/10/04/a-deplorable-open-thread/
That would. Indeed, be perfect.
Ask and you shall…
https://off-guardian.org/2016/10/05/fact-sheet-on-the-white-helmets/
Exactly
sorry, my response was a bit superficial. I understand it was sarcasm. But, while it was easy to understand Pat’s outrage against the decision of the Nobel Price committee at the time, I wonder to what extend the decision was inspired by the hope and change meme the Obama campaign propagated.
Let’s see, if they dare to give the price to the White Helmets.
LeaNder
Obama’s image in Europe has never been matched here. ironically the strength of the anti-Russian/R2P/Ziocon forces here is now so great that Obama appears to be one of elements of the remaining forces for peace. pl
If these elements have hijacked foreign policy then how is that different from a putsch?
Colonel,
Speaking of peace.
The Dauphin of KSA was meeting some Syrian govt. representatives in Moscow. They were told to drop Iran and then Syria will not be the enemy of KSA.
I guess he must think that he is another Bandar. They know that AQ is losing Aleppo to the R+6.
Guterres was elected by all the members of the UNSC and now it will be a formality as far as UNGA is concerned.
Ban Ki-Moon did not want to extend his contract at UNHCR last year. Now I would like to see what he will do with the nomination of Ban Ki-Moon son in law as the UN rep in Kenya ( he was given the job even though he does not merit it and his selection was iffy)
Found the video of the actor laughing in the White Helmets’ hospital:
http://en.farsnews.com/player.aspx?nn=13950706001386