Dan Lazare on impeachment. 8:30 Pacific 90.7 FM, KPFK in L.A.; kpfk.org
Category: Russia
This Morning on Antiwar Radio: Aaron Maté on Brennan’s Plot to Frame Trump
That’s at 8:30 Pacific on 90.7 FM, KPFK in Los Angeles kpfk.org.
Many, Many People, Sites Have Been Good On Russiagate
Check out this great list of Russiagate Skeptics by Koen Swinkles at Foreign Policy Follies: 138 people, 30 sites/institutions. And don’t forget Norman Soloman!
People
- Aaron Mate @aaronjmate
- Michael Tracey @mtracey
- Glenn Greenwald @ggreenwald
- The late Robert Parry @consortiumnews
- Scott Horton @scotthortonshow
- Stephen Cohen
- Richard Sakwa
- Gareth Porter @garethporter
- Julian Assange @julianassange
- Mollie Hemingway @mzhemingway
- Max Blumenthal @maxblumenthal
- Rand Paul @randpaul
- Ron Paul @ronpaul
- Kyle Kulinski @kylekulinski
- Robert Barnes @barnes_law
- Yasha Levine @yashalevine
- Daniel McAdams @daniellmcadams
- Stephen Kinzer @stephenkinzer
- Justin Raimondo @justinraimondo
- Caitlin Johnstone @caitoz
- Peter Hitchens @clarkemicah
- Thomas Woods @ThomasEWoods
- Patrick Buchanan @patrickbuchanan
- Stephen McIntyre @climateaudit
- Paul Jay @PaulJay_TRNN
- Jeffrey St. Clair @jsccounterpunch
- Justin Amash @justinamash
- Jimmy Dore @jimmydore
- Elizabeth Lea Vos @elizabethleavos
- Seymour Hersh @seymourhersh
- Noam Chomsky
- Matt Taibbi @mtaibbi
- John Kiriakou @JohnKiriakou
- Lee Camp @LeeCamp
- Philip Giraldi @philipgiraldi
- Oliver Stone @theoliverstone
- Will Porter @wkpancap
- Lucy Komisar @LucyKomisar
- Alex Krainer @NakedHedgie
- Mike Whitney https://russia-insider.com/en/mike_whitney
- Andrew Cockburn @andrewmcockburn
- Tom Luongo @tfl1728
- Alan R. Macleod @AlanRMacLeod
- Joanne Leon @joanneleon
- Dan Wright @aroundtheempire
- Jim Kavanagh @ThePolemicist_
- Gregg Jarrett @GregJarrett
- Tim Shorrock @timothys
- Bryan MacDonald @27khv
- Andrew McCarthy @andrewcmccarthy
- Abbie Martin @AbbyMartin
- Robbie Martin @fluorescentgrey
- Tim Black @realtimblack
- Lou Dobbs @LouDobbs
- Dana Rohrabacher @DanaRohrabacher
- Ray McGovern @raymcgovern
- Mary Dejevsky @marydejevsky
- ‘Moon of Alabama’ @moonofa
- Tucker Carlson @tuckercarlson
- Dan Cohen @DanCohen3000
- Katrina vandenHeuvel @KatrinaNation
- Lee Smith @LeeSmithDC
- Craig Murray @craigmurrayorg
- Scott Adams @ScottAdamsSays
- Ali Abunimah @AliAbunimah
- Mark Ames @MarkAmesExiled
- Margot Cleveland @ProfMJCleveland
- Chris Hedges @ChrisLynnHedges
- Kim Strassel @KimStrassel
- John W. Huber @JohnWHuber
- Dan Bongino @dbongino
- John Solomon @jsolomonReports
- Chuck Ross @ChuckRossDC
- ‘The Last Refuge’ @TheLastRefuge2
- Devin Nunes @DevinNunes
- Byron York @ByronYork
- Sean Davis @seanmdav
- Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity
- Rania Khalek @RaniaKhalek
- George Szamuely @GeorgeSzamuely
- Ben Norton @BenjaminNorton
- Jordan Chariton @jordanchariton
- Joe Lauria @unjoe
- Leonid Bershidsky @Bershidsky
- Neil Clark @NeilClark66
- Dennis Bernstein https://consortiumnews.com/tag/dennis-j-bernstein/
- Kevin Shipp @kevin_shipp
- Paul Craig Roberts http://paulcraigroberts.org
- Tara McCormack @Mccormack_tara
- Adam Johnson @adamjohnsonnyc
- Jack Posobiec @JackPosobiec
- Jeff Carlson @themarketswork
- Walker Bragman @walkerbragman
- Mark McCarthy
- Sharyl Attkisson @SharylAttkisson
- Victor Davis Hanson @VDHanson
- The Saker https://thesaker.is/
- Jason Beale @jabeale
- Paul Sperry @paulsperry_
- Adam Carter @with_integrity
- Mike Cernovich @Cernovich
- Sara Carter @SaraCarterDC
- Tom Fitton @TomFitton
- Katie Halper @kthalps
- Luke Rosiak @lukerosiak
- Pat Lang https://turcopolier.typepad.com/sic_semper_tyrannis/russiagate/ …
- Kit Klarenberg @KitKlarenberg
- Lee Stranahan @stranahan
- Eoin Higgins @EoinHiggins_
- Brian Becker @BrianBeckerDC
- Michael Krieger @libertyblitz
- the late William Blum http://williamblum.org
- Jeremy Scahill @jeremyscahill
- Peter B. Collins http://peterbcollins.com
- T. A. Frank @tafrank
- Shannon @Avery1776
- Carroll Quigley @CarrollQuigley1
- E. C. Everett @ECEverett1
- ‘Based Basterd’ @BasedBasterd
- Jenn @JennElizabethJ
- Rosie Memos @almostjingo
- ‘Ghost of Daniel Parker’ @SeekerOTL
- ‘BenKTallmadge’ @BenKTallmadge
- Brian Cates @drawandstrike
- Cassandra Fairbanks @CassandraRules
- An0maly @LegendaryEnergy
- Doug Johnson Hatlem @djjohnso
- Stef Zamorano @miserablelib
- Ron Placone @ronplacone
- Margaret Kimberley @freedomrideblog
- Glen Ford @glenfordbar
- Bruce Dixon @brucedixon
- Tracy Beanz @tracybeanz
- Teodrose Fikre @TeodroseFikre
- Piers Robinson @PiersRobinson1
- Pepe Escobar https://www.facebook.com/pepe.escobar.77377
- Jack Matlock https://jackmatlock.com/2018/06/musings-russiagate-hysteria/
- John J. Mearsheimer
- Scott Horton Show @scotthortonshow
- Consortium News @Consortiumnews
- Around the Empire @AroundTheEmpire
- The Jimmy Dore Show The Jimmy Dore Show
- Spiked @spikedonline
- Citations Needed @CitationsPod
- The Real News @TheRealNews
- The Liberty Report @RonPaulInstitut
- The Nation @TheNation
- Part of the Problem @comicdavesmith
- Antiwar.com @Antiwarcom
- The Federalist @FDRLST
- Wikileaks @wikileaks
- Naked Capitalism Naked Capitalism
- Zero Hedge Zero Hedge
- Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting @FAIRMediaWatch
- Humanist Report @humanistreport
- LewRockwell.com @lewrockwell
Counterpunch @NatCounterPunch- Media Roots @MediaRootsNews
- The Grayzone @GrayzoneProject
- Crowdsource the Truth @csthetruth
- World Socialist Web Site @WSWS_Updates
- Foreign Policy Focus @Kyaaale
- Disobedient Media @DisobedientNews
- CrossTalk @PLCROSSTALK
- Black Agenda Report @blkagendareport
- Unauthorized Disclosure @UnauthorizedDis
- Mint Press News @mintpressnews
- 21st Century Wire @21WIRE
NATO F-16 Buzzes Russian Defense Minister’s Plane
That’s the claim, anyway. And, not knowing for sure if the DM was on the plane or not, it looks plausible. ABC News is treating it so.
Why Ron Paul is Right about Ukraine
To debunk the distortions of warmongers is not to defend tyranny.
How should libertarians assess the crisis in Ukraine? Some would have us believe that a true commitment to liberty entails (1) glorifying the “Euromaidan revolution” and the government it installed in Kiev, (2) welcoming, excusing, or studiously ignoring US involvement with that revolution and government, and (3) hysterically demonizing Vladimir Putin and his administration for Russia’s involvement in the affair. Since Ron Paul refuses to follow this formula or to remain silent on the issue, these “NATO-tarians,” as Justin Raimondo refers to them, deride him as an anti-freedom, anti-American, shill for the Kremlin.
Dr. Paul takes it all in stride of course, having endured the same kind of smears and dishonest rhetorical tricks his entire career. As he surely knows, the price of being a principled anti-interventionist is eternal patience. Still, it must be frustrating. After all he has done to teach Americans about the evils of empire and the bitter fruits of intervention, there are still legions of self-styled libertarians whose non-interventionism seems to go little further than admitting that the Iraq War was “a mistake,” and who portray opposition to US hostility against foreign governments as outright support for those governments.
“Yes, the Iraq War was clearly a mistake, but we have to confront Putin; we can’t let Iran ‘get nukes;’ we’ve got to save the Yazidis on the mountain; we must crush ISIS, et cetera, et cetera. What are you, a stooge of the Czar/Ayatollah/Caliph?”
Some of these same libertarians supported Ron Paul in 2008 and 2012, and presumably laughed along with the rest of us when the neocons tried to paint him as “pro-Saddam” for opposing the Iraq War and for debunking the lies and distortions that were used to sell it. Yet, today they do not hesitate to tar Dr. Paul as a “confused Pro-Putin libertarian” over his efforts to oppose US/NATO interventions in Ukraine and against Russia. Such tar has been extruded particularly profusely by an eastern-European-heavy faction of Students for Liberty which might be dubbed “Students for Collective Security.”
The Tragedy of Flight MH17: Who Benefits?
Cui bono? Who benefits? Who stood to gain? That is the first question everyone should ask with any potential crime (although of course it’s not the only one). Yet, that is the question that is being generally ignored regarding the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17. Instead, the western media leaps to “whodunnit?” only to immediately answer their own question with, “Well obviously either Russia, the separatists, or both.”
The reason for this is obvious. If they were to even consider the “qui bono?” question, they would have to admit that there is virtually no way that either Russia or the Donetsk separatists could possibly have expected to benefit from downing an airline full of internationals. There was no strategic value in it, and they couldn’t have expected it to be blamed in western media on anyone else or to do anything other than galvanize world opinion against them. Therefore, if either did do it (which is highly unlikely, given that the Russians were not directly fighting in the area, and the separatists were most likely not prepared to reach a flight at that altitude, given the limitations of their equipment and experience), it was almost surely by mistake.
This does not eliminate any culpability and liability they might carry, but it does make ridiculous their characterization by some as mustache-twirling super-villains, on the part of the Russians, or crazed international terrorists, on the part of the separatists, out to murder any citizen of the free world who wanders into their grasp. It should also knock the legs out from any attempt to use this tragedy as a justification for the U.S. to increase intervention, for the E.U. to increase sanctions, or for world opinion to deny the separatists’ right to self-determination.
If the Ukrainian government downed the plane (which they were fully equipped to do), it might have been by mistake on their part as well, but not necessarily. That is because they, in contrast, could very well have expected to gain by downing the plane, for precisely the opposite reason: namely, that it was very likely that the western media, already sympathetic with them anyway, would pin the blame on their enemies, as of course they actually did.
The situation is similar to the gas attack that was almost used as casus belli by the U.S. for bombing Syria to overthrow Bashar al-Assad. Especially after Obama declared that the use of chemical weapons would be a “red line”, the international fighters trying to overthrow Assad had everything to benefit by attacking locals with such weapons, since it could easily be pinned on the Syrian government, and Assad had nothing. Ignoring this obvious fact, the political class used the incident to (unsuccessfully, thankfully) try to convince the western public to support airstrikes on Syria. And the most likely interest-analysis assessment of the situation turned out to be the correct one, as subsequent conclusive evidence showed that Syrian government forces could not have been behind the sarin attack, and it very likely may have been Syrian rebels provided with chemical weapons by Turkey.
And yet, Russia and the separatists had even less to gain from an atrocity than the Syrian government, since Assad could have at least conceivably gained extremely short-sighted strategic benefits from gassing his enemies, whereas the former could gain absolutely nothing from killing tourists.
Speaking of cui bono, not even the biggest sell-outs in the establishment media stand to gain from the nuclear holocaust they are risking by whipping up anti-Russian hysteria in the west and tension between two nuclear powers. So they should seriously consider going off-script for once, ask the most basic questions, and be honest about the most obvious truths for a change.