Russia’s Sound Proposal for Gulf Peace, by the Strategic Culture Editorial Board

Posted on August 18, 2019 | 2 comments

Russia’s proposal makes a lot more sense than anything Trump and Israel have proposed. From the Strategic Culture Editorial Board at strategic-culture.org:

There is an eminently reasonable and feasible way to avoid conflict in the Persian Gulf, and to secure peace. The principles of multilateralism and international law must be adhered to. It seems almost astounding that one has to appeal for such obvious basic norms.

Fortunately, Russia has presented a roadmap for implementing a security concept in the vital waterway based on the above principles.

Russia’s deputy envoy to the United Nations, Dmitry Polyansky, outlined a possible international coalition to provide security for commercial shipping through the strategically important Persian Gulf. The narrow outlet accounts for up to 30 per cent of all globally shipped oil on a daily basis. Virtually every nation has a stake in the safe passage of tankers. Any disruption would have huge negative consequences for the world economy, impacting all nations.

The Russian proposal, which has been submitted to the UN Security Council, is currently being considered by various parties. Crucially, the security concept put forward by Moscow relies on the participation of the Gulf nations, including Iran. Rather than being led by an outside power, the Russian proposal envisages a region-led effort.

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Posted in Energy, Foreign Policy, Geopolitics, Governments, Military, Politics, War

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Alarm as Trump Requests Permanent Reauthorization of NSA Mass Spying Program Exposed by Snowden, by Jake Johnson

Posted on August 18, 2019 | 1 comment

President Trump and company have never been big fans of civil liberties. From Jake Johnson at commondreams.org:

“The White House is calling for reauthorization of a program that security agencies have used to spy on innocent people, violate their privacy, and chill free speech.”

Former US National Security Agency (NSA) contractor and whistleblower Edward Snowden speaks via video link as he takes part in a round table meeting on March 15, 2019. (Photo: Frederick Florin/AFP/Getty Images)

Civil liberties groups and privacy advocates raised alarm Thursday after the Trump administration called on Congress to reauthorize an NSA mass surveillance program that was exposed by whistleblower Edward Snowden.

The New York Times, which obtained the Trump administration’s request to Congress, reported that “the administration urged lawmakers to make permanent the legal authority for the National Security Agency to gain access to logs of Americans’ domestic communications, the USA Freedom Act.”

“The law, enacted after the intelligence contractor Edward J. Snowden revealed the existence of the program in 2013, is set to expire in December, but the Trump administration wants it made permanent,” according to the Times.

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Posted in Civil Liberties, Government, Intelligence, Law, Privacy, Surveillance

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Writing on the Wall, by MN Gordon

Posted on August 18, 2019 | Leave a comment

There’s a real economy out there that’s a lot different, and worse off, than the one suggested by Washington’s statistics. From MN Gordon at economicprism.com:

One of the more disagreeable discrepancies of American life in the 21st century is the world according to Washington’s economic bureaus and the world as it actually is.  In short, things don’t add up.  What’s more, the propaganda’s so far off the mark it’s downright insulting.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports an unemployment rate of just 3.7 percent.  The BLS also reports price inflation, as measured by the consumer price index (CPI), of 1.8 percent.  Yet big city streets are lined with tents and panhandlers grumble “that’s all” when you spare them a dollar.

In addition, good people, of sound mind and honest intentions, are racking up debt like never before.  Mortgage debt recently topped $9.4 trillion.  If you didn’t know, this eclipses the 2008 high of $9.3 trillion that was notched at the precise moment the credit market melted down.

Total American household debt, which includes mortgages and student loans, is about $14 trillion – roughly $1 trillion higher than in 2008.  Credit card debt, which is over $1 trillion, is also above the 2008 peak.  To be clear, these debt levels are not signs of economic strength; rather, they’re signs of impending disaster.  Moreover, they’re signs that American workers have been given a raw deal.

How is it that the economy’s been growing for a full decade straight, but the average worker’s seen no meaningful increase in their income?  Have workers really been sprinting in place this entire time?  How did they end up in this ridiculous situation?

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Mass Media’s Phony Freakout Over Bernie’s WaPo Criticism Is Backfiring, by Caitlin Johnstone

Posted on August 18, 2019 | 1 comment

The media is getting pushback against its contrived outrage against Bernie Sanders for suggesting the Washington Post is biased. From Caitlin Johnstone at medium.com:

After days of ridiculous, hysterical garment rending by mass media talking heads in response to Senator Bernie Sanders’ utterly undeniable assertion that The Washington Post has displayed unfair bias against his campaign, people with extensive experience in the mainstream press who are fed up with the lies are beginning to push back. Hard.

Former MSNBC producer Jeff Cohen has published an article in Salon titled “Memo to mainstream journalists: Can the phony outrage; Bernie is right about bias”. Cohen details his experience with the way corporate media outlets keep a uniform pro-establishment narrative running throughout all their coverage without their staff having to be directly told to to do this by their supervisors (though sometimes that happens, too). He writes as follows:

“It happens because of groupthink. It happens because top editors and producers know — without being told — which issues and sources are off limits. No orders need be given, for example, for rank-and-file journalists to understand that the business of the corporate boss or top advertisers is off-limits, short of criminal indictments.

“No memo is needed to achieve the narrowness of perspective — selecting all the usual experts from all the usual think tanks to say all the usual things. Think Tom Friedman. Or Barry McCaffrey. Or Neera Tanden. Or any of the elite club members who’ve been proven to be absurdly wrong time and again about national or global affairs.”

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Trump’s Farm Bailout Flows To “City Slickers,” a D.C. Lobbyist and ‘Farms’ on Golf Courses, by Tyler Durden

Posted on August 18, 2019 | Leave a comment

Anybody who is surprised by the above headline, or thought that it wouldn’t happen under Trump, probably shouldn’t be on this website. From Tyler Durden at zerohedge.com:

About 9,000 “city slickers” living in luxurious neighborhoods of the nation’s largest cities received a farm bailout from the Trump administration to minimize the impact of the trade war with China, an updated Environmental Working Group (EWG) analysis of Department of Agriculture data shows.

The EWG analysis of USDA data revealed that “many recipients live not in farm country but in the nation’s 50 largest cities or in other decidedly nonrural locations.”

Urban recipients of the bailout include members of farm families, landowners, and investors. These people provide land, capital, or equipment for farms and make high-level decessions for operations.

EWG said bailout recipients include 70 people in San Francisco, 65 residents in New York City, 63 residents in Los Angeles, 61 residents in Washington, D.C., and 19 Miami.

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The Anglo-American Origins of Color Revolutions & NED, by Matthew Ehret

Posted on August 18, 2019 | 1 comment

If there’s upheaval in any country the US government doesn’t like, you can be almost positive that American and British intelligence agencies and non-governmental organizations are playing a part. From Matthew Ehret at strategic-culture.org:

A few years ago, very few people understood the concept behind color revolutions.

Had Russia and China’s leadership not decided to unite in solidarity in 2012 when they began vetoing the overthrow of Bashar al Assad in Syria- followed by their alliance around the Belt and Road Initiative, then it is doubtful that the color revolution concept would be as well-known as it has become today.

At that time, Russia and China realized that they had no choice but to go on the counter offensive, since the regime change operations and colour revolutions orchestrated by such organizations as the CIA-affiliated National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and Soros Open Society Foundations were ultimately designed to target them as those rose, orange, green or yellow revolution efforts in Georgia, Ukraine, Iran or Hong Kong were always recognized as weak points on the periphery of the threatened formation of a great power alliance of sovereign Eurasian nations that would have the collective power to challenge the power of the Anglo-American elite based in London and Wall Street.

Russia’s 2015 expulsion of 12 major conduits of color revolution included Soros’ Open Society Foundation as well as the NED was a powerful calling out of the enemy with the Foreign Ministry calling them “a threat to the foundations of Russia’s Constitutional order and national security”. This resulted in such fanatical calls by George Soros for a $50 billion fund to counteract Russia’s interference in defense of Ukraine’s democracy. Apparently the $5 billion spent by the NED in Ukraine was not nearly enough (1).

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Posted in Foreign Policy, Geopolitics, Governments, History, Imperialism, Insurrection, Intelligence, Military, Uncategorized

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Has It Been Years Since You Read A Novel You Cherish?

Posted on August 17, 2019 | Leave a comment

Has It Been Years Since You Read A Novel You Cherish?

Remember the first time you read a favorite novel? Taking it to bed for a chapter…and staying up all night! Wishing it would never end…but knowing before it did that you’d read it again and again. It became yours, a part of you. Wouldn’t you love to find another novel like that?

A great novel journeys to new lands, distant times, and unforgettable characters. The story grabs you on page one and never lets go, ever

An Age of Giants

Almost every good, service, and technology you enjoy today had its roots in the Industrial Revolution. Long-haul railroads, telephones, electric lights, automobiles, airplanes, oil refining and mass production: a trove of exciting innovations…abundance and wealth the likes of which the world had never seen!

The era produced spellbinding stories, giant epics of larger-than-life men and women. You’ll have a front row seat! The Golden Pinnacle‘s Daniel Durand fights impossible odds and dangerous enemies on his journey from orphaned rags to Wall Street riches.

Endless Battles

Fresh from Civil War battles, Daniel must battle to win beautiful Eleanor’s hand. Her powerful father opposes both his marriage and business. In New York, the city that put the Gilded in the Gilded Age, Daniel builds a Wall Street empire. He finances industrial titans J.D. Rockefeller and J.J. Hill, and clashes with Theodore Roosevelt and J.P. Morgan.

A fascinating and engaging tale that weaves historical figures and events seamlessly into the life of Daniel Durand, an orphan and self-made man who throughout his life shows the strength of character and initiative to meet challenges head on with honesty and integrity.
bassplayer, Amazon reviewer

The Durand Family

Love compelling family sagas? Settle in with The Golden Pinnacle. One of Daniel’s most dangerous enemies is his own son! A ruthless dynasty uses him to uncover a secret that could send Daniel to the gallows. Eleanor’s steadfast belief in her son is his only chance of redemption…if it doesn’t destroy her marriage.

It will make you cheer, cringe and cry for characters you won’t soon forget.
Marshall Ellis, Amazon reviewer

Are You Tired of…

The same plots over and over again?
Stories that glorify human failings and depravity?
Authors who write by formula?
Boring, people-next-door characters?
Novels of no substance: intellectual bubblegum?

What Readers Say

Take it from regular readers, who thought so highly of The Golden Pinnacle they enthusiastically posted on Amazon.

I just finished the final chapter, and found myself moved to tears. This is a MUST READ for all who wonder what happened to the unflinching American spirit….
Let it inspire you as it did me.
VWPuck67

I could hardly put this book down much like when I read Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. It draws you in, making you believe it was real and it may have been real. Completely enjoyed!
Ed Weaver

I recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical novels. Not many are written for this time period, which made it doubly enjoyable.
Joanne M. Robbins

I have recommended this to many friends and all have thanked me.
Edmund Hasenjager

If I could give this book a 1000 star rating, I would. This is one of those books that clearly gets inside your mind and your soul…I found myself reading this book as slowly as I could just so it would last a bit longer. Can’t say I have ever done that before. My advice: when you decide to read this masterful piece of historical fiction, clear your schedule because you will not want to put this book down.
Curtis Dunne

Absolutely incredible.
Friedenmeister

Get Your Copy of this Great Novel Now!

You’ve been looking for something special. A novel you enjoy every page. One where you never forget the characters and their stories. You’ll cherish The Golden Pinnacle…forever.

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