War in Syria within 72 hours?
This post will be quite short because instead of writing, I prefer the readers to watch this Blackstone Intelligence video (no relation to Blackwater). 24 minutes
Brief synopsis:
1. Russia urges 24 hours be allotted for international experts in chemical warfare be allowed to examine Douma
2. Trump marshaling large naval taskforce off coast of Syria, some ships within 100 km of Russian base.
3. France eager to get in on the action
4. Saudi Arabia agrees to join in the action (but Israel staying mum!)
5. Russian military build up in Donbass and artillery shelling already occurring
6. Iran vows reprisals for killing of its citizens in Syria
7. James Bolton, John McCain, Lindsey Graham--need I say more?
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8HRcISVwYM]
Am I an alarmist? Listen to the video--then tell me.
In the meantime, I am renewing my relationship with Jack Daniels.
Comments
And why would you take the Blackstone Intelligence
network face value? Don't waste your whiskey. You will need it when the wars are happening, not before.
https://www.euronews.com/live
Try
Knob Creek, Bruddah, 100 proof and Much smoother. If it's the end of the world coming, indulge.
The crew I work with(basically good people) think the wars started already and murica will 'kick ass' like always. They ain't worried, and I tell them they Should be worried but no getting through to them. Either that, or they're fronting and really scared shitless.
I'm scared, and sad.
Stop These Fucking Wars
peace
Ya got to be a Spirit, cain't be no Ghost. . .
Explain Bldg #7. . . still waiting. . .
If you’ve ever wondered whether you would have complied in 1930’s Germany,
Now you know. . .
sign at protest march
Europe air traffic control
has sent out warnings of possible missile strikes affecting flight patterns in that area of the middle east.
Whiskey gives me a hangover, but I probably won't give a shit and just might drink some.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
forever wars
Wes Clark told us Syria was on the list.
Bolton was a PNAC signator.
Trump has always been part of the plan.
Maybe dust off the moonshine equipment.
'It's only empires burning...'
bygorry
People should stop worrying about what Trump said when,
what he really wants to do, how much the deep state is affecting him, etc., and focus on the fact that the dude is a war criminal that should be impeached and thrown in prison for the rest of his miserable life.
Have to impeach the ENTIRE Congress and Cabinet,
every last warmongering bastard down to the most recently elected/appointed. Otherwise we might as well stick with the Killer Klown, because there is no one better and a whole lot of them are worse. VP Pence, for instance.
There is no justice. There can be no peace.
How Was Drumpf "Always" Part of the Plan?
You mean back to a Clean Break for Securing the Realm? Or just back to Rebuilding America's Defenses? Or did he pop up in Joint Vision 2020?
Drumpf is an understudy - an unexpected free agent. If I had to guess, his inclusion into the cast bumped up the timeframe significantly, but other than that, not much change.
I'd like to know how Drumpf was "always" part of the plan. I think he's the catalyst for a speedier, more crude, plan B.
“Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” ~ Sun Tzu
understudy is right
a wannabe for the part. there's always one in the wings.
bygorry
More from Stefan Molyneux
Americans have only ever experienced war as a sanitized version - never viscerally like those on the receiving end have. Maybe that is why they are more eager for war as a solution.
A FINAL PLEA FOR PEACE
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr1sCHUg0tM]
With the continued push for war by elements of the deep state, mainstream media and international community, Stefan Molyneux makes a final plea for peace, sanity and salvation.
Not to mention they have no idea what is really happening
in Syria and why. They only know what the headlines tell them. Even those that know some or even most of the truth can't help sticking with the Assad is an evil dictator narrative, even though they're just parroting what's been drilled in their heads and don't really know the truth. That gives them the out to not oppose what's happening. It's like, "I don't agree with war, but Assad is an evil guy, so . . "
Nothing new of course, they do that before and during all wars.
Sadaam was a bad guy
so we took him out. Worked out pretty well.....for somebody. Same deal, Assad has WMD. We're number 1. I always thought it was funny how perplexed Bush was about WMD, they were so sure he had them. I figure it was because the U.S. GAVE them to Saddam to use against Iran, they must be there somewhere. They didn't think he'd actually destroy the stuff. Send in Hans Blix, stat!
The troops did find the WMDs in Iraq
And you're right, they were the ones that we gave him. The troops then burned them in the burn pits that made them sick and so far congress hasn't declared the pits as causing disabilities. This will take another decade before they do that, just like it took them awhile to declare the air from 9/11 covered. This is why I don't understand why people keep joining the military. They have to know how congress feels about people who can't pull their weight.
Scientists are concerned that conspiracy theories may die out if they keep coming true at the current alarming rate.
Don't forget about agent orange
the "RoundUp" of Vietnam.
I saw a number of agent orange victims in my practice--they weren't a happy lot.
Didn't know that
just remember the pictures of Rumsfeld (Cheney?) chumming it up with Saddam and him being our guy in the ME against Iran.
Thanks, CB, for the eloquent video
Molyneaux expressed far more eloquently than I how helpless, totally powerless I feel. The pilot is putting the plane into a crash dive, tells the passengers what he's doing, smiling while they scream in fear. The pilot will eject, leaving the rest behind, including the crew, to their inevitable destruction. I held out one single hope for Trump. It wasn't for him to dismantle the deep state or put Hillary in jail. It was to keep us out of war.
If we do go to war, as now seems imminent, there will be no further elections, no more Democrats, no more Republicans, no more us. Proud to be an American? I was in the 50s and 60s--up to Viet Nam. Now my shame is that I cannot be proud of a country whose leaders wantonly kill and maim, as if it were sport--because to them it is. The elites care not one whit about you or me. If we survive this totally avoidable final conflagration, there cannot be more "business as usual".
Alligator Ed,
what you say here is so beautifully expressed. Wherever I look this week there are similar statements by people who understand what you do.
How is it possible that the pundits and politicians who say they are mortified by Assad killing babies have one plan in response: the killing of more babies and the possible killing of all babies who live today and who will ever live?
Does that mean they think they are stronger than Assad?
Does that mean they think Assad will learn never to do it again?
Yo!
You're assuming they're thinking At All! I have to believe they Are Brain Dead and truly do not know what they are fucking with.
I got nothing else to explain it?
Stop These Fucking Wars
peace
Ya got to be a Spirit, cain't be no Ghost. . .
Explain Bldg #7. . . still waiting. . .
If you’ve ever wondered whether you would have complied in 1930’s Germany,
Now you know. . .
sign at protest march
Never been a Scotch fan
But I may need to make an exception.
Heading to Ireland next week for a family event. I may just stay there.
@CB, I'm with you: sad, and scared.
Whoops
Reading too many essays on Syria simultaneously. I think CB's comment was in a different thread.
Alarmist?
I hope to hell you are but this sure does look like a powder keg about to explode.
However the country Jake didn’t mention was China who has said, ‘Don’t Do It’
I do wonder what role they will have to play?
Woke up this morning after most of the night up on edge, feeling the need to bake something sweet...
brownies. And firstly, I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, rarely ever bake except brownies and only when a hurricane is imminent.
Looks like a storm is coming but let’s hope cooler minds that seem in short supply will appear and prevail.
Thank you for your informative post.
Peace.
The Chinese in many ways are wiser than the West.
Although not overtly as "free" as we are, covertly, we are no more free. China knows that even if they merely stand by, the nuclear fallout from this wanton slaughter will harm their country more than their already terrible air pollution.
China has sensible plans to rid itself of American pressure. Should the world persist long enough, the One Belt, One Road program will slowly do us in. To which I say hurray. For better or worse, and I think worse, the USA's relative spatial isolation from other major countries protects us from armed invasion (immigration being another form of invasion). Not since 1865 have American citizens experienced such direct and personal violence. This is entirely a significant problem, which results in the ho-hum isolationist, national solipsism which many of the citizens do not comprehend. "Did you read my Twitter? I liked your FB post. The instagram of cousin Harry was awesome!" What wasteful, egocentric vain nonsense, even if not in times of war, is now starkly outlined for the stupid, vacuous, superficial, contentless void bereft of humanity.
I posted this essay because I am seriously worried that there might not be a Saturday this week. There might not be us, our community, our loved ones, hopes, dreams, simple pleasures. Yes, this essay is alarmist but it is also an elegy for all that we have known or ever will know. I wanted to share this with you because this might be our last time together as a community.
You are feeling
what many are feeling, not just in this group, but in many throughout this country and abroad. You are not alone in these thoughts.
Oh you haven’t got rid of me or us that easily!!!
I suspect that in view of what The Wizard wrote we are going to see some hasty back pedaling.
In fact I think we already did this morning’s latest tweet. Whether it was because Cheeto got accused of spilling the orange jelly beans, or because like May, he is having some second thoughts.
Perhaps this isn’t the same scenario as NK where playing the Madman w several bolts lose works to his advantage and is too great of a risk to gamble with?
But in case if I’m wrong and you will never be able to tell me so, let me just say, I love me some reptilian too.
Congress is holding meeting about this serious event
yep. the dumb asses are holding meeting on Farcebook to get to the bottom of nothing. Meanwhile, their citizens are worried that the events in Syria might start a world war and are looking for congress to stop this asinine war.
That folks is what you have when you live in an empire that is spiraling the drain.
Scientists are concerned that conspiracy theories may die out if they keep coming true at the current alarming rate.
Yep, won't be nobody next week to FB or tweet.
Best bet is that Trump backs down, But???
China has assets in the Mediterranean and just said that they support Russia.
But the biggest problem for the US is that they have never had to deal with certain loss of major assets. Up to now the US naval fleet has been a stand-off weapon for the US because she picks on helpless third world countries. A retaliation from Russia puts Trump in an impossible bind. US major assets lost along with the crews. The pressure will be enormous to escalate. Russia's nuclear posture to to not go to first use unless the country is seriously in danger. Them let em rip. OK, Trump will risk this for what? A punitive measure against Assad? No way. Same issue with the DPRK. Two nukes, one over Tokyo one over Seoul and the stakes are suddenly way too high. So Trump bloviates and then backs down. My opinion is that the DPRK won and Russia has won, because the US cannot strike without dire consequences. The tell = Trump is screaming fire and brimstone again. Russia was caught napping with the last missile strike, now she has drawn a line in the sand. Will President Putin back this up? Does the Bear eat honey?
Capitalism has always been the rule of the people by the oligarchs. You only have two choices, eliminate them or restrict their power.
I Hear You, Wiz... Boats Are Pretty Big Targets for 1st World
armaments in the 21st Century.
They didn't do so well with the war games back in the 00s where we lost the whole damn navy to kamikaze peasant fishing boats in the Gulf.
Not thinking they are going to hold up to 1st world warfare in the 21st Century. They can deliver punishment, but how is their chin?
Someone mentioned China... Turkey is the country I'm worried about. Erdogan is a messianic loon, or playing one on TV, and it looks to me that they've got eyes on rekindling the Ottoman Empire.
That's all we need, right? Messianic empire culture reclamation amidst this cluster fuck.
You guys are all making me very nervous today, and yesterday felt completely weird for some reason... maybe we are perched on the precipice of something awesome (true intent of the word).
“Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” ~ Sun Tzu
Wizard,
your comments are among the most definitive that I've read in several days of non-stop reading of everything I can find about the crisis. My respect for you therefore is enormous. But I fear your hopeful view may be misplaced. I am re-arranging some of your comments here:
I agree with your logic that no sane person would risk war with Russia just to tag Assad on the chin. But are we dealing with sane persons here? That is the question.
No sane person would have gotten us into this. No sane person would re-vamp our nuclear weapons in order to make them "more useable." No sane person would risk the lives of all children on earth in order to avenge the lives of the children of Syria, nor the children of Douma.
What makes it more believable that our political/military leadership is nuts is that some of us are old enough to remember and to have studied the rise and specter of Hitler. Governments armed to the teeth and drunk with power do insane things.
I hope you are right. More substantially I hope Putin does something to diffuse this. But if he manages to do that, he is a lot smarter than I am. I'm desperate enough to hope he just hands over the keys to his country to Trump and the neocons, knowing he would save humanity, no, life on earth, in the process. But he has made it clear he will not do that. So Trump and Bolton are risking the lives of all babies and children and their parents to show how brutal they are.
I'm sorry to say, I think you have to trust them, the fascists who rule our government, to mean what they say.
I hear you
But I suspect that the Generals have to think this out and present their best estimate of alternatives and consequences. The best evidence that I have heard of this is that Mattis said that they are considering the evidence. If Trump backs out he will have to cover for this and the only cover is that the evidence is faulty, which of course it is. The Generals must be pooping in their pants as the probable scenarios are horrific. Moscow will sink ships and shoot down airplanes if Russians are put at risk, and there is no definitive map of all locations of Russians in Syria. The hawks will be bullshit and demand extreme escalation. So my prediction is that this outcome is way too extreme to risk and therefore Trump backs off, but if I am wrong the consequences are disastrous. And remember that Putin just stated that a world without Russia is unthinkable, in other words there will be no world if there is no Russia. This is perhaps as serious a situation as the Cuban missile crisis. We backed into this because Putin was far to much of an optimist about the US being a rational partner, combined with totally sinister actors in the US government, a flake for a CIC and a monster who would risk destroying the world if she could not become president.
Capitalism has always been the rule of the people by the oligarchs. You only have two choices, eliminate them or restrict their power.
Linda and Wizard, both fine comments
One thing gives me hope. Putin years ago said the U.S. does not keep its agreements. He hasn't forgotten that. He is not optimistic; he is hopeful. Hopeful that some rational people in the US will take control of the situation before it is too late. Mattis et. al, realized that a hot war with NK would present enormous risks for all involved, especially SK and Japan. Perhaps sober assessment will lead to the same conclusion regarding Syria.
But the most sobering thought for me is that the elites don't give a damn about us. We, the useless eaters, will be sacrificed on the altar of Thomas Malthus.
Alligator and Wizard,
I am reading you both with hope and appreciation of your insights, your honesty, and your clarity. Wishful thinking is not going to do it for me this week.
I do have hopes that the American military will lay it on the line for Trump. Possibly he will see the difference between our military leadership and Bolton, as an incinerated America may not be his vision for a prosperous outcome. Somehow I think their real experience will hold up well against Bolton's fanaticism. The fact that Trump tends to respect Putin means a lot to me. Bolton and his brotherhood of screw-loose killers exhibits nothing but death.
We Should Probably Remember That the Only One in the Room
to not want to push the nuclear button in the Oval Office during the Cuban Missile Crisis was a 29 year old RFK... I think that's right. A 29 year old kid saved us from nuclear armageddon as advanced by the generals and top brass at the time.
Have to agree that we've got psychopaths at the top. All bets are off on logic and self preservation being first and foremost in their decision making process.
“Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” ~ Sun Tzu
Let all alligators be of good cheer.
I visit TOP to scan the headlines to get the latest DNC press releases. The Trump quotes were discussed. The front pager and minions agreed that Trump is colluding with Putin (on Putin's orders) to create this political theater to throw Mueller off the scent. See no war.
Oh, my God.
Is that where they are?
This alligator is currently not of good cheer
TOP denizens are clearly delusional and nothing they conjure up even has proximity to reality.
They've been left no choice.
The instant the first missile is triggered, they have to start decisively taking out as many attackers as they can as fast as they can; this is the final stage of the War On The World, TPTB are going to hit Syria, Russia and Iran all at once, for starters, ganging up like the rabid bullies they are, and if this psychotic lunacy cannot be stopped now, we are anyway doomed.
Trump, with Bolton and the rest, being brain-dead cowards, will probably turn to nukes once they start losing and that will be answered in kind, as it must.
The US President has been, by dint of Obama passing a 'law', been given the ability to shut down internet in any emergency, to try to limit us to 'The Official Story', so we'll have to bear this in mind.
And I've gotta say that I've never met a more wonderful/human/brilliant/interesting/informative group of people and feel damn lucky to have found 'here' and ya'll and hope that this works out OK all round, apart from The Psychopaths That Be, of course, who I hope rot in prison for war-crimes and other crimes, this starting right about now.
Sending massive hugs and best wishes to all humans, animals and other non-psychopathic/pathogenic life.
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
Ellen, your fears about massive first strikes are well-founded
But we will will lose. We don't have enough conventional missiles. The S400s and newer are better than our anti-missiles. But we have many "new and better small" nukes to use.
And I hope to gawd they don't start going for the nukes...
*sending hugs*
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
Thank you, Ellen,
you and all the humane writers here are keeping me from despair.
Thank YOU! Your posts/essays may not always
brighten my day, considering the important and often depressing subject matter, but they kinda do anyway, because of your humanity, balanced and informed perspective and good sense, as well as the quality of your writing. Good combination, lol, and I appreciate it.
Maybe if the intended victims 'shock and awe' the attackers enough, they'll think a bit and decide not to go for Armageddon, realizing that their playing the 'chicken' game gets everyone - including them, roasted to a radioactive crisp, because these victims don't play games or bluff. Sometimes happens with bullies, when they realize they've 'picked on someone their own size', only tougher and smarter, rather than meaner and more ignorant.
And maybe the anti-war groups will start appearing, when they realize that these psychopaths hazarded their world for more crimes using false Flags and false accusations...
People can't actually 'get the government they deserve' without free and fair elections and a choice of real people with binding public-interest-serving platforms who and which the people've picked out themselves to suit their own public interests, rather than being stuck with the pre-selected 'choices' they're offered in serving the private greed of those predating upon them.
There must be some way to achieve that... extra incentive now, assuming all goes better than might be expected.
Edited because I'd missed changing a word when I changed a sentence. Sigh...
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
Ellen, if there is a Saturday
I will write another essay and after calm (!) reflection, will write an epic rant. My reptile brain has been triggered.
Well, now we have a reason to hope there's a Saturday, lol.
Maybe post it earlier, just in case, because I always hate the idea of missing anything you write?
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
“There must be some way to achieve that..”
We play Trump.
We all know he has an enormous ego, right? Bigly.
We have to make him think like when JFK averted the Cuban Missile Affair, he and he alone, saved the world from an impending disaster by backing off when the rest of the psychopaths wanted to go forward.
Make signs like ‘Yay Trump like JFK averted World Destruction’
He has to be able to walk away from this feeling like a hero.
I think you are correct.
I'm going back to my swamp.
Brilliant, actually!
And maybe add in the fact that he wouldn't have had a country to be President of anymore, even if he'd survived?
Not to mention the property damage to his fire-traps and leased buildings.
We must, however, bear in mind that Hillary Would Have Got MAD Done a long time ago, sparing us all of the worry we've undergone in the interim.
Not that the world isn't going to be destroyed piecemeal, one way, and another, and another, and so forth anyway...
https://sputniknews.com/us/201804121063498020-trump-tpp-rejoining/
It's a race to see which hell gets us all first.
'Chemicals weapons facility'? Nice propaganda effort, there, bud. Musta been a productive circle-jerk for the warmongers; wonder if they passed around the sexual humiliation pictures of kidnapped cab drivers and farmers* in one of their torture facilities to get them off and running at the mouth?
https://sputniknews.com/us/201804121063498907-syria-eight-possible-targe...
Why the hell aren't politicians making an illegal, immoral and (they think) self-serving choice to attack other people's countries forced to be the only ones manning the guns within range of return fire?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkhNM4pIKog
Well, the title fits, anyway...
No evidence necessary then or now. Or at any point in between.
And it certainly did, didn't it? Injustice for all! Torture/bomb, invade away! We don't need no stinking evidence!
After all, Bush Admin reps are active in the machinery still, Cheney himself personally mentoring Vice President Pence from the start, this perhaps explaining the rabid Bolton and the fact that a psychopathic torturer-for-fun is to be running an unbelievably 'more vicious' (and still terrorist-training) CIA...
Hitler failed the first attempt at global domination, mostly because of that pesky Russia fighting back against the Nazi invasion; US industrialists are going to do it right this time and do it themselves, with their own representatives running government.
* https://www.commondreams.org/views/2010/04/20/bush-insider-reveals-guant...
Some things never change. Although they must, and should have, long ago.
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
I want to thank everybody here
for all the great conversation.
As noted above, the internet will probably be gone when the first ship is sunk. All info coming to us will be carefully crafted propaganda thru the MSM.
When this is over, and should I/we survive, every ounce of energy should be devoted to destroying this fuck up regime we call a government. From the office of president,the Congress, the courts, the military, and all the alphabet agencies, all need to go.
Start anew.
With plain, sane, ordinary citizens the only ones eligible for elected office.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
If we could only make fMRI mandatory for political candidates
we could then eliminate the psychopaths, detecting them by their defective wiring.
Damn straight.
If they demand drug testing for people to qualify for jobs or assistance, where do they get off without empathy testing to establish whether or not they qualify as fit to run/apply/be considered for public service positions?
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.