From jbn at forestfield.org Thu May 4 02:09:56 2023 From: jbn at forestfield.org (J.B. Nicholson) Date: Wed, 3 May 2023 21:09:56 -0500 Subject: [Peace-discuss] Sad news: Daniel Ellsberg is nearing the end of his life Message-ID: Daniel Ellsberg is in the last couple of months of his life. He's 92 and (per Glenn Greenwald) he has pancreatic cancer. He's easily the most important leaker of his generation and right up to the end he's warning us about the danger of nuclear war with Russia. Glenn Greenwald did a nice segment of tonight's show on him and Ellsberg's latest interview with (believe it or not) the New York Times. See https://rumble.com/v2lvak4-system-update-show-80.html for Greenwald's coverage and https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/20/opinion/daniel-ellsberg-pentagon-papers-final-warning.html https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/24/opinion/international-world/ellsberg-nuclear-war-ukraine.html for recent Ellsberg NYT articles. -J From jbn at forestfield.org Thu May 4 03:07:37 2023 From: jbn at forestfield.org (J.B. Nicholson) Date: Wed, 3 May 2023 22:07:37 -0500 Subject: [Peace-discuss] Pepe Escobar interviews Message-ID: <43d4e7e4-652a-d1bf-9c50-9544bac60b3c@forestfield.org> Pepe Escobar: Global De-Dollarization Nearing 'Crossroads Moment' https://sputnikglobe.com/20230503/pepe-escobar-global-de-dollarization-nearing-crossroads-moment-1110062907.html > De-dollarization is heading for a breakthrough due to rising global discontent > with US 'casino capitalism', Pepe Escobar, geopolitical analyst and veteran > journalist, told Sputnik News. New Rules Podcast: Pepe Escobar https://odysee.com/@SputnikInternational:c/7865458493 > In this episode of our fresh New Rules podcast we are joined by Pepe Escobar, > Brazilian journalist, geopolitical analyst and author. Find out in the video: > > ? how a multipolar world is established > ? if US hegemony is over > ? how the global trend of de-dollarization is going... and even more From jbn at forestfield.org Fri May 5 23:53:45 2023 From: jbn at forestfield.org (J.B. Nicholson) Date: Fri, 5 May 2023 18:53:45 -0500 Subject: [Peace-discuss] Russia 'did it to itself' again according to Western fabulists Message-ID: Russia bombed its own Nord Stream pipeline? Russia has the controls to turn off the flow of fuel through the pipeline. Seymour Hersh covered the Nord Stream bombing story. Quoting RT's coverage, "Hersh argued that US naval divers and their Norwegian counterparts planted explosives on the Russia-Germany gas lines in an operation organized by the CIA on behalf of the White House.". This was followed by Facebook censoring users who share that story (which only recently was somewhat recanted by changing a warning from "False information" to "Partly false information"). Now Russia launched a drone attack against the Kremlin? https://twitter.lacontrevoie.fr/KyivPost/status/1653769407099707395 says: > ?Ukrainian postal service #Ukrposhta announced the launch of a new stamp after > the night attack on the #Kremlin. Even some of the same language is used to explain this drone attack away--this is also pitched as a "Russian false flag" operation because it resembles 'Russian tradecraft' matching reports about Hunter Biden's laptop. The Hunter Biden laptop story was true throughout and later confirmed by the New York Times after Joe Biden had won the election. This is being covered by Glenn Greenwald & Michael Tracey in https://rumble.com/v2m860m-system-update-82.html now. The video should be available in full shortly. -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Ukrainian 2023-05 Kremlin drone attack stamp issued just after attack.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 197689 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Ukrainian postal service new stamp after the night attack on Kremlin.png Type: image/png Size: 366915 bytes Desc: not available URL: From jbn at forestfield.org Sun May 7 19:20:59 2023 From: jbn at forestfield.org (J.B. Nicholson) Date: Sun, 7 May 2023 14:20:59 -0500 Subject: [Peace-discuss] Pepe Escobar interviews In-Reply-To: <43d4e7e4-652a-d1bf-9c50-9544bac60b3c@forestfield.org> References: <43d4e7e4-652a-d1bf-9c50-9544bac60b3c@forestfield.org> Message-ID: I wrote: > Pepe Escobar: Global De-Dollarization Nearing 'Crossroads Moment' > https://sputnikglobe.com/20230503/pepe-escobar-global-de-dollarization-nearing-crossroads-moment-1110062907.html Relatedly, https://sputnikglobe.com/20230505/pepe-escobar-divisions-brewing-in-europe-1110123039.html covers: > Dissent is brewing inside the EU and inside NATO as old aristocracy and business > circles of France and Germany feel betrayed by Washington, Pepe Escobar, > geopolitical analyst and veteran journalist, told Radio Sputnik?s New Rules > podcast. including links to the complete interview. From jbn at forestfield.org Sat May 13 01:00:19 2023 From: jbn at forestfield.org (J.B. Nicholson) Date: Fri, 12 May 2023 20:00:19 -0500 Subject: [Peace-discuss] Recommended viewing: John Pilger interviewed on Consortium News Message-ID: <58c3f08f-a748-9dfb-aa47-a41733561801@forestfield.org> John Pilger interviewed on Consortium News about the use of Depleted Uranium in Ukraine war https://youtube.com/watch?v=YqlMrjMuFwI From jbn at forestfield.org Sat May 13 01:01:11 2023 From: jbn at forestfield.org (J.B. Nicholson) Date: Fri, 12 May 2023 20:01:11 -0500 Subject: [Peace-discuss] Recommended viewing: The Duran Message-ID: <9ad7d353-c733-7249-101f-864756cd5ee5@forestfield.org> Recent shows from The Duran, a highly recommendable series on recent events in international news Spring offensive false start https://rumble.com/v2ngccs-spring-offensive-false-start.html Zelensky to BBC, Ukraine needs more time. Zaluzhny, NATO no show. Syrsky, busy in Bakhmut https://rumble.com/v2n9s50-zelensky-to-bbc-ukraine-needs-more-time.-zaluzhny-nato-no-show.-syrsky-busy.html US bank problems expose deep economic problems https://rumble.com/v2mj0n8-us-bank-problems-expose-deep-economic-problems.html From jbn at forestfield.org Wed May 17 22:50:00 2023 From: jbn at forestfield.org (J.B. Nicholson) Date: Wed, 17 May 2023 17:50:00 -0500 Subject: [Peace-discuss] Durham report re-confirms what sensible people already knew: Russiagate was unfounded, Trump is vindicated, Clinton/DOJ/FBI are to blame Message-ID: <7fbcb36b-0f44-c087-cf87-2f79fd382ac8@forestfield.org> The Durham Report https://www.justice.gov/storage/durhamreport.pdf RT https://www.rt.com/news/576352-durham-report-trump-fbi/ https://www.rt.com/news/576411-graham-says-mainstream-media-is-dead/ Glenn Greenwald https://rumble.com/v2o5wgs-system-update-83.html Kim Iversen https://rumble.com/v2o0cty-politicization-of-the-fbi-exposed-in-long-awaited-durham-report.html Jimmy Dore is covering this live on his show now with Aaron Mat? (archived segment to come tomorrow) who won an Izzy award for his Russiagate debunking coverage. Even mainstream, corporate, establishment-echoing outlets like the USA Today and CNN admit (years too late) that there's no basis in fact in Russiagate, the FBI and DOJ broke the law, and Trump's claim of being victimized by Russiagate and the FBI investigation of Trump were correct. The New York Times in https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/15/us/politics/trump-russia-investigation-durham.html continues to minimize: > The special counsel?s final report nevertheless did not produce blockbuster > revelations of politically motivated misconduct, as Donald J. Trump and his allies > had suggested it would. It took 4 people to write that minimizing crap: Charlie Savage, Glenn Thrush, Adam Goldman, and Katie Benner. Apparently names to add to the list of writers from whom you can expect garbage writing for an unquestionably garbage outlet?the New York Times. Yes, the Durham report did just that but the NYT won't admit it even if they quote some of the damning parts (typical top of article not admitting what is in the article further down that makes the NYT a horrible outlet). RT covered this far more sensibly: > Durham condemned the FBI for treating incriminating information on Trump with a > ?serious lack of analytical rigor, especially information received from > politically-affiliated persons and entities.? and > The Steele Dossier was used by the FBI to obtain court permission to spy on > Trump?s campaign. The FBI made ?basic, fundamental, and serious errors? in > applying for a warrant to surveil Trump, Justice Department Inspector General > Michael Horowitz declared in 2019. > > ?There was significant reliance on investigative leads provided or funded > (directly or indirectly) by Trump?s political opponents,? Durham wrote in his > report. ?The Department did not adequately examine or question these materials and > the motivations of those providing them, even when at about the same time the > Director of the FBI and others learned of significant and potentially contrary > intelligence.? > > ?Based on the review of Crossfire Hurricane and related intelligence activities, > we conclude that the Department and the FBI failed to uphold their mission of > strict fidelity to the law,? he stated. Durham let figures in the scam not talk to him, and in light of governmental illegality Durham did not recommend that the FBI make any "wholesale changes" to how it handles investigations. This is far too lenient given what Durham described. But Durham is going up against the weight of the US Government and he surely knows what happened to Assange for clearly describing American crimes. Sen. Lindsey Graham said Trump associates should "sue the hell" out of federal law enforcement authorities for harm in the Crossfire Hurricane investigation. From jbn at forestfield.org Sat May 20 03:44:50 2023 From: jbn at forestfield.org (J.B. Nicholson) Date: Fri, 19 May 2023 22:44:50 -0500 Subject: [Peace-discuss] Biden administration still killing innocents with drone war, still exposing the lie of the "surgical strike" Message-ID: Apparently, "The Biden Team Killed the Wrong Person Again" according to the townhall.com story at https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2023/05/18/the-biden-administration-launched-a-drone-strike-against-the-wrong-person-again-n2623459 which includes: > In Syria, the Biden administration announced that they had killed a top-level > al-Qaeda official, only to walk that back[1] when it turned out they killed the wrong > guy (via WaPo[2]): [...quotes Washington Post reporting...] [1] https://www.foxnews.com/world/us-walks-back-claim-killed-major-al-qaeda-leader-drone-strike [2] https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/05/18/pentagon-drone-strike-syria-civilian-al-qaeda/ Glenn Greenwald also covered this murder of the wrong person and fascistic lying about said killing (government lying plus establishment-serving stenographers repeating those lies) in tonight's System Update https://rumble.com/v2or48g-system-update-85.html (at 13m16s) pointed out that: > Joe Biden's drone program, once again, exterminated the life of an innocent > person, this time in Syria where a Hellfire missile fired by an American drone > killed a 56-year-old father of 10 who has spent his life languishing in poverty > working as a bricklayer. The US government, once again, lied about their victims > boasting that they killed a senior Al-Qaeda leader. And the US corporate media, > once again, mindlessly spread those lies, dutifully claiming took out a senior > Al-Qaeda official even through they had no idea whether that was true at all. It > turns out it wasn't. For those who are about to claim that drone war is insufficiently different from more traditional rocket launching or bomb dropping to warrant concern or merit special attention, consider that drone war is sold to the public on different terms in order to get us to go along with the killing. Drones, not traditional bombing or rocket firing, are described as meting out selective and lethal justice because killer drones can shoot missiles so precisely they warrant being called a "surgical strike" -- a way of killing people with a precision akin to a surgeon in surgery. This is meant to comfort us with the knowledge that we're not funding state-sponsored terrorism or wildly killing lots of innocent people but instead carefully ridding the world of a few select unsavory people who, we're assured, deserve to be killed. Is that true? Former drone operator for the Air Force Heather Linebaugh (who served from 2009-2012) said this about drone war in the documentary "National Bird" (https://youtube.com/watch?v=cnc_pin3GhQ): > Hearing politicians speak about drones being precision weapons, being able to > make 'surgical strikes', to me it's completely ridiculous, completely ludicrous to > even make those statements. It's as flawed as it can be with those people > operating it from across the world. If they really think they can send a bomb > through a window of a compound and hit one militant then why are we seeing so many > civilians die of collateral damage? I'd like to ask those politicians have they > not been notified of that? Do they not know what's going on in their own war that > they're controlling? This documentary features Daniel Hale who was convicted and sentenced for the information he shared about the drone program -- (as reported by Marjorie Cohn), "During one five-month period during January 2012 to February 2013, nearly 90 percent of those killed by drone strikes were not the intended target ... But civilian bystanders were nonetheless classified as 'enemies killed in action' unless proven otherwise" in https://truthout.org/articles/drone-whistleblower-gets-45-months-in-prison-for-revealing-ongoing-us-war-crimes/ . Two years after that documentary was released, former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) did an interview with The Intercept with Jeremy Scahill in which she endorsed drone strikes in part based on this lie of precision. In that interview she repeated that pro-war propagandistic term while eschewing "causing, you know, a large amount of civilian casualties": https://theintercept.com/2018/01/17/intercepted-podcast-white-mirror/ > Jeremy Scahill: I?m wondering what your position, I know that in the past you > have said that you favor a small footprint approach with strike forces and limited > use of weaponized drones. Is that still your position that you think that?s the ? > to the extent that you believe the U.S. military should be used around the world > for counterterrorism, is that still your position? > > Rep. Tulsi Gabbard: Well, when we?re dealing with the unconventional threat of > terrorist groups like ISIS, al Qaeda and some of these other groups that are > affiliated with them, we should not be using basically what has been and > continues to be the current policy of these mass mobilization of troops, these > long occupations and trillions of dollars going in, really abusing the > Authorization to Use Military Force and taking action that expands far beyond the > legal limitations of those current AUMFs. > > So, with these terrorist cells, for example, yes, I do still believe that the > right approach to take is these quick strike forces, surgical strikes, in and > out, very quickly, no long-term deployment, no long-term occupation to be able to > get rid of the threat that exists and then get out and the very limited use of > drones in those situations where our military is not able to get in without > creating an unacceptable level of risk, and where you can make sure that you?re > not causing, you know, a large amount of civilian casualties. Despite saying this, Rep. Gabbard was described as being "anti-war" and a "peace candidate" when she ran for US President against Kamala Harris. Gabbard has gone on to renounce the Democratic party but she has, to my knowledge, never publicly addressed her self-contradictory pro-war propaganda. From jbn at forestfield.org Tue May 23 23:38:54 2023 From: jbn at forestfield.org (J.B. Nicholson) Date: Tue, 23 May 2023 18:38:54 -0500 Subject: [Peace-discuss] MintPress News in separate pieces: John Pilger and Chris Hedges Message-ID: <802aab0f-b5e7-723e-0422-92be8ff7a204@forestfield.org> John Pilger: From Yellow Journalism to China Bashing, the Media?s Enduring Role in Promoting War https://www.mintpressnews.com/john-pilger-propganda-journalism-china-bashing-media-role-promoting-war/284509/ Related war coverage also from MintPress News: LIVE w/ Chris Hedges: Weapons to Ukraine, Military buildup to China & Pentagon Spending https://rumble.com/v2opdfx-live-w-chris-hedges-weapons-to-ukraine-military-buildup-to-china-and-pentag.html From jbn at forestfield.org Fri May 26 01:41:24 2023 From: jbn at forestfield.org (J.B. Nicholson) Date: Thu, 25 May 2023 20:41:24 -0500 Subject: [Peace-discuss] Interesting Assange videos on Consortium News' YouTube channel Message-ID: <2f2fa43c-e1d5-dbda-62f6-cfcb881c949b@forestfield.org> It's not clear to me why Consortium News doesn't publish on Rumble but I can't find their Rumble channel. I imagine that CN is likely to become another victim of private publisher-assisted censorship which is carried out at the behest of government authoritarians. This is well-documented to have happened at Twitter. There is no reason to believe that the US Government would only carry that out with one service. Consortium News on YouTube https://youtube.com/channel/UCDZuNFwJ4BIRV_Z5IxFXVrA/videos Just-uploaded videos concerning Julian Assange: Assange's lawyer Stephen Kenny rules out [guilty of something] plea deal for his repatriation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoevUHevUys John Shipton addresses Assange supporters in Hyde Park Sydney https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwHRbqM-hy8 David McBride blasts Albanese at Sydney event for Assange https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P6nz07a96w Stella Assange in Sydney: I'll return with Julian & the kids https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S50qYxxg4Io Gabriel Shipton defends brother Assange - Hyde Park Sydney https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seOaLOX8UCc Ex Senator Scott Ludlam Defends Assange - Hyde Park Sydney https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV0cxOjB3oc Stella Assange addresses National Press Club in Canberra https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRdiwExQ4QY From jbn at forestfield.org Sat May 27 22:45:27 2023 From: jbn at forestfield.org (J.B. Nicholson) Date: Sat, 27 May 2023 17:45:27 -0500 Subject: [Peace-discuss] Pepe Escobar's latest from sputnikglobe.com In-Reply-To: References: <43d4e7e4-652a-d1bf-9c50-9544bac60b3c@forestfield.org> Message-ID: <4eaebc4d-b21c-9b94-e7c4-1963ead889d7@forestfield.org> Pepe Escobar's latest https://sputnikglobe.com/20230526/pepe-escobar-eurasian-heartland-rises-to-challenge-the-west-1110600622.html begins: > President Xi Jinping telling President Putin at the end of their summit last March > in Moscow that we?re now facing ?great changes not seen in a century? directly > applies to the new spirit reigning across the Heartland. > > Cue to the China-Central Asia summit last week in Xian, the former imperial > capital, where Xi solidified the expansion of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) > from Western China in Xinjiang to its western neighbors and then all the way to > Iran, Turkey and Eastern Europe. > > Xi in Xian particularly stressed the complementing aspects between BRI and the > Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)[1], once again showing that all five Central > Asian ?stans?, acting together, should counter-act the proverbial external > interference via ?terrorism, separatism and extremism?. > > The message was stark: these hybrid war[2] strategies are all integrated with the > attempt by the Hegemon to continue fostering serial color revolutions. The > purveyors of the ?rules-based international order?, Xi implied, will go no holds > barred to prevent ongoing Heartland integration. > > The usual suspects in fact are already spinning that Central Asia is falling into > a potential trap, fully captured by Beijing. Yet this is something Kazakhstan?s > ?multi-vector diplomacy?, coined way back in the Nazarbayev years, would never > allow. > > What Beijing is developing, instead, is an integrated approach via a C+C5[3] > secretariat with no less than 19 separate channels of communication. [1] https://sputnikglobe.com/20230504/will-sco-become-new-united-nations-for-non-western-world-1110101791.html [2] https://sputnikglobe.com/20230520/what-is-hybrid-warfare-and-why-is-it-more-dangerous-than-missiles-and-bullets-1110481705.html [3] https://sputnikglobe.com/20230509/new-era-of-cooperation-xi-jinping-to-chair-china-central-asia-summit-1110218163.html