Big Secrets in Plain Sight

The hyperbolic news of the week has been "Russia invades Ukraine". I personally would phrase it differently, "Russia provoked to protect Russian speaking provinces in Ukraine from relentless shelling". Below is testimony from a citizen in Donbass which will explain the real situation. The so called invasion was met with cheers, flag waving, and fireworks. How is Russia's recognition of these regions any different than the US recognition of Kosovo, or for that matter recognizing Guaido as President of Venezuela? After all it was a US coup which installed the Nazis to power in Ukraine. This was avoidable simply by agreeing that NATO wouldn't incorporate Ukraine. This story and more below the fold...

How Did We Get Here?
The Strategic Blunder of the 1990s That Set the Stage for Today's Ukrainian Crisis

Putin goes into this history in his hour long speech.

This was a war of choice...

The US and NATO had to put it in writing that they would not expand east and invite Ukraine to join NATO.
...
But the US, UK, Germany and NATO had said before that NATO would not expand, and NATO metastasized to Russia’s borders. Putin is a student of history. And he is not going to go down in history as the second Russian leader to be deceived by verbal assurances that were not put down in writing.

They had to fulfill the promise of the Minsk agreement. The best chance for settling the Ukrainian conflict, the Minsk agreement promised autonomy for the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine. That agreement was endorsed by the Security Council. It was also endorsed by the US. But, though they were willing to grant the Donbas autonomy, they hadn’t. Richard Sakwa, author of Frontline Ukraine, told me that "Kiev openly declared that it would not implement the Minsk agreement." And the US declined to pressure them. But Russia was blamed. Sakwa says that "Moscow’s patience [was] exhausted."

Russia’ decision to recognize the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk comes only days after Putin met with French President Macron and German Chancellor Scholz. Presumably it became clear to Putin that France and Germany, despite the desire and intention, lacked the strength to enforce Minsk.

Why now? Ukrainian shelling of the region created a flood of refugees into Russia.

Moscow’s acting emergencies minister said Wednesday that over 96,000 refugees from the Donbas have crossed the border into Russia since evacuation began, Russia’s Tass news agency reported.

Good analysis by Pepe Escobar...
This is what happens when a bunch of ragged hyenas, jackals and tiny rodents poke The Bear: a new geopolitical order is born in breathtaking speed.

Russia says it has no intentions of controlling Ukraine and its military operation is only to “demilitarize” and “de-Nazify” Ukraine in an action taken after 30 years of the U.S. pushing Russia too far, writes Joe Lauria.

This is a long interview at 1.5 hours, but it was very informative to hear a feet on the ground resident of Donbass

Russell "Texas" Bentley is based in Donetsk and has been in Donbass since December 2014 as a soldier in the Novorussian Army in Vostok and XAH Battalions. He will detail the situation on the ground as Russia recognizes the breakaway republics and sends peacekeeping troops to end the grinding conflict with Ukraine.

Here's a much shorter (40 min) conversation with Max and Jimmy...

While the Biden administration and its mouthpieces in the mainstream corporate media beat the drums for war while labeling Putin an imperialist warmonger, few bother to mention the decades of intensive American “meddling” in Russian and Ukrainian affairs that have inexorably led to the current crisis.

Jimmy and Aaron had an illuminating discussion too. (40 min)

The media description of the Russian attack on Ukraine has almost universally elided and whitewashed the role played by the US and its NATO allies, including supporting a coup overthrowing the democratically elected president in 2014, refusing to support the Minsk Accords or refusing to engage in negotiations in the months leading up to the Russian invasion. Jimmy and Aaron Maté http://mate.substack.com discuss the lies and misrepresentations surrounding the lead up to the war in Ukraine.

Richard Sakwa. Professor of Russian and European politics at the University of Kent. His books include “Frontline Ukraine: Crisis in the Borderlands” and his latest, “Deception: Russiagate and the New Cold War.

(42 min)

After weeks of US claims that a Russian invasion of Ukraine was imminent, Vladimir Putin instead recognized the breakaway republics of Luhansk and Donetsk. The decision has triggered a new round of US-led sanctions while bringing attention to rebel-held areas, where, according to UN figures on the Donbas war, 80% of civilian casualties have occurred since 2018.

Professor Richard Sakwa analyzes the factors behind Putin's move, and its likely consequences. Putin's decision, he says, comes after Kiev refused to implement the 2015 Minsk accords, which could have ended the conflict, and a longstanding US-driven project to expand NATO to Russia's borders.

PROFESSOR JOHN MEARSHEIMER: THE SITUATION IN RUSSIA AND UKRAINE

The United States, mainly, and its allies are responsible for this crisis.

https://www.moonofalabama.org/2022/02/disarming-ukraine-day-1.html#more
lots more info here:
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2022/02/disarming-ukraine-day-3.html#more

George Galloway speaks with Russia's deputy ambassador to the UN. He spells out where his country stands over Ukraine (19 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBcSnpyxYu4

Hedges: Chronicle of a War Foretold

After the fall of the Soviet Union, there was a near universal understanding among political leaders that NATO expansion would be a foolish provocation against Russia. How naive we were to think the military-industrial complex would allow such sanity to prevail.
...
The war industry did not intend to shrink its power or its profits. It set out almost immediately to recruit the former Communist Bloc countries into the European Union and NATO. Countries that joined NATO, which now include Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Albania, Croatia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia were forced to reconfigure their militaries, often through hefty loans, to become compatible with NATO military hardware.

To my mind this approach has long been promoted and enforced by the CIA. (52 min)

Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone joins Abby Martin to discuss his new film JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass, his journey into the case, the evidence of a CIA-orchestrated assassination and American foreign policy.
Another good interview with Oliver and Bob Scheer.

My thought is the MIC arms manufacturing industries are cheering on this conflict as Russia blows up the arms depots supplied by the US and UK insuring future sales.

https://sipri.org/databases

It's more than just the US war machine...there's a systemic array of big secrets in plain sight.

This is a great summary of our collapsing system of interrelated domains. (1.3 hour)

The US dollar is another big secret in plain sight.

Where does money come from? Who creates it? Who decides how it gets used? And what does that mean for the millions of ordinary people who suffer when money and finance breaks down?

97% Owned is a new documentary that reveals how the creation of credit and the mystery that surrounds it, is at the root of our current social and economic crisis.

Referring to the 97% of the world’s money supply that is represented by credit this thought provoking film presents serious research and verifiable evidence on our economic and financial system and is the first documentary to tackle this issue from a UK-perspective

Featuring frank interviews and commentary from economists, campaigners and former bankers, it exposes the privatised, debt-based monetary system that gives banks the power to create money, shape the economy, cause crises and push house prices out of reach.

Fact-based and clearly explained, 97% Owned demonstrates how the power to create money is the piece of the puzzle that economists were missing when they failed to predict the crisis.

The Great Reset and the Rise of Bitcoin - a 1.3 hour documentary that explores the current state of our economy and the impact a new monetary system like Bitcoin can have on the world. Learn about our economy, the long and short term cycles, inflation and Bitcoin.
The film is the official winner of the Best Documentary Feature and Best Indie Feature of the Oniros Film Awards.

Easy to see, but difficult to understand, is the corrupt nature of money itself.
End of the Road: How Money Became Worthless | Financial Crisis | Documentary from 2012
Another worthwhile watch...

In 2008 the world experienced one of the greatest financial turmoils in modern history. Markets around the world started crashing, stock prices plummeted, and major financial institutions, once thought to be invincible, started showing signs of collapse. Governments responded quickly, issuing massive bailouts and stimulus packages in an effort to keep the world economy afloat.
Although we’ve been told that these drastic measures prevented a total collapse of our system, a growing sense of unease fills the population. In the world of finance, indeed in all facets of modern life, cracks have started to appear. What lies ahead as a result of these bold money printing measures? Was the financial crisis solved, or were the problems merely kicked down the road?

The US economy is in danger of collapse.

I really enjoyed this 2 hour piece... covers a spectrum of dimensions...fun watch IMO

It is an addendum to...
The original Zeitgeist - The Movie | Sociological Documentary divided into 3 parts.
1. Religion: Pagan astrological beliefs compared to modern and ancient religions.
2. 9/11: An overview of the numerous questionable aspects of this immensely important event.
3. The Federal Reserve Bank: A history of its formation and ability to control the economy. With many news clips from tragic events in history, audio excerpts from those who believe people are being misled about the level of freedom they have.

Building upon the topics of social distortion and corruption, Addendum moves to also present possible solutions. Featured in the work is former “Economic Hit-man” and New York Times bestselling author, John Perkins, along with The Venus Project, an organization for social redesign created by Social Engineer and Industrial Designer Jacque Fresco.

The outcome of the scam is increasing inequality. https://inequality.org/

Other big secrets in plain sight...

Food

The Corporatization of Food
Joe Rogan, Diana Rodgers, and Robb Wolf (12 min)

Several good films have recently posted about diet, nutrition, and health. Why don't TPTB educate people about healthy foods and lifestyles? Well they prefer to to have a sick population to buy drugs. A population that doesn't realize simple dietary changes can reduce our obesity epidemic and eliminate most of our chronic diseases. At about 1.5 hours each, you'll need to pick and choose or stretch out the viewing over a few days.

The Big Secret
This documentary explores the truth behind some of today's most widely-accepted medical practices, and seeks to expose how the focus on corporate profits influences traditional medical treatment in the United States.

Food As Medicine is a documentary film that follows the growing movement of using food to heal chronic illness and disease.

I've featured this film a couple of times. I think it is well worth your time if you have not seen it.

Fat Fiction reveals how the United States government relied on questionable evidence to support one of the most damaging public health recommendations in the history of our country: the “low fat diet.” Featuring world leaders in low-carb nutrition

Another health tool is fasting. If you're metabolically healthy it is a fairly easy, effective tool for a variety of conditions and diseases.
The INSANE BENEFITS Of Fasting & Foods Your Need To STOP EATING!
Dr. Pradip Jamnadas
You probably wouldn’t expect a cardiologist to tell you that not eating is the key to better heart health. But today’s guest is a passionate believer in finding new solutions to old diseases – and in finding those solutions within ourselves.

My fasting mentor is Jason Fung.

So let's wrap up with something hopeful.
Is living a sustainable peaceful life possible?

I've cued this up 20 min which focuses on the problems we face, and moved directly to the solutions, but you can back it up if you want to see it all.

So that's more than enough to ponder, but I do want to add a reminder about Julian who is still in a maximum security prison for revealing US war crimes. It is reminiscent of Fahrenheit 451.
So just for fun...