pcr explores hurricane trump's braking yet another treaty and in this case a nuclear one created by acting pres reagan who i think on a par with all of the other acting presidents since the cia killed jfk but you will read and decide for your self;
It has taken the US military/security complex 31 years to get rid of
President Reagan’s last nuclear disarmament achievement—the INF Treaty
that President Reagan and Soviet President Gorbachev achieved in 1987.
The Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty was ratified by the US
Senate on May 27, 1988 and became effective a few days later on June 1.
Behind the scenes, I had some role in this, and as I remember what the
treaty achieved was to make Europe safe from nuclear attack by Soviet
short and intermediate range missiles, and to make the Soviet Union safe
from US attack from short and intermediate range US nuclear missiles in
Europe. By restricting nuclear weapons to ICBMs, which allowed some
warning time, thus guaranteeing retaliation and non-use of nucular
weapons, the INF Treaty was regarded as reducing the risk of an American
first-strike on Russia and a Russian first-strike on Europe, strikes
that could be delivered by low-flying cruise missiles with next to zero
warning time.
When President Reagan appointed me to a secret Presidential committee
with subpoena power over the CIA, he told the members of the secret
committee that his aim was to bring the Cold War to an end, with the
result that, in his words, “those God-awful nuclear weapons would be
dismantled.” President Reagan, unlike the crazed neoconservatives, who
he fired and prosecuted, saw no point in nuclear war that would destroy
all life on earth. The INF Treaty was the beginning, in Reagan’s mind,
of the elimination of nuclear weapons from military arsenals. The INF
Treaty was chosen as the first start because it did not substantially
threaten the budget of the US military/security complex, and actually
increased the security of the Soviet military. In other words, it was
something that Reagan and Gorbachev could get past their own military
establishments. Reagan hoped that as trust built, more nuclear
disarmament would proceed.
https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2018/10/22/it-is-like-a-western-movie-a-showdown-is-in-the-making/
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
this article pasted here in its entirety explores the surface of spending money we don't have. in this piece the writer focuses mostly on rethuglican hypocrisies while focusing on democrap hypocrisies, or is it the other way round;
If Republicans lose control over the U.S House of Representatives in the mid-term elections, they don’t have to be totally depressed. The reason? They will then be able, once again, to campaign in the 2020 elections on the promise that if control over the House is restored to the Republicans, they will be able to rein in the out-of-control federal spending and debt that is threatening to take our country down.
Remember: That has been a favorite campaign ploy of the Republican Party whenever there has been a Democrat president or whenever the Democrats controlled one or both houses of Congress. Republicans would tell voters, “Those big-spending Democrats are taking our country down with their out-of-control federal spending and debt. The reason we Republicans can’t rein in federal spending and debt is because the Democrat big spenders are blocking us from doing so. If the voters will just give us control of the presidency and both houses of Congress, those Democrat big spenders will not be able to stop us from finally reining in the out-of-control spending and debt and even abolishing a number needless departments and agencies.”
That campaign ploy was used for ten years — starting with the 110th Congress, which ran from January 2007 to January 2009, when the Democrats controlled both houses of Congress in the last two years of George W. Bush’s presidency.
After that, Barack Obama was elected president and then reelected, with his term ending in January 2017. For the first six years of Obama’s presidency, the Democrats controlled one or both houses of Congress, which enabled Republicans to blame the ever-increasing, out-of-control federal spending and debt on those Democrat big spenders.
In the 114th Congress, which ran from January 2015 to January 2017, the Republicans were in control of both the House and the Senate. Those were the last two years of Obama’s presidency. That enabled Republicans to say to voters, “If you’ll just keep us in charge of both houses of Congress and also give us the presidency, we will finally, finally, be able to rein in the out-of-control federal spending and debt. Those Democrat big spenders will not be able to stop us.”
In the November 2016 elections, the electorate gave the Republicans what they asked her: the presidency and control over the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.
But then you’ll never guess what happened. After 10 years of railing against those big spending Democrats and pleading with voters to give them control over the executive and legislative branches, it turned out that those Republicans were themselves big spenders and big borrowers too, just like the big spending Democrats they had railed against for a decade. Despite their ten years of promises to rein in federal spending and debt if the voters would give them full control of the federal government, the Republicans have supported the same out-of-control federal spending and borrowing scheme that the Democrats support.
In his 2019 budget proposal, President Trump is trumpeting the cuts in spending that he is proposing for particular welfare-state and regulatory-state agencies. But the bottom line? CNN points out that owing to Trump’s increases in money for his beloved national-security establishment, “The overall proposed spending is about on par with last year, at $4.1 trillion for 2018.”
Whoop dee doo! Let’s all celebrate Trump’s switching around of the chairs on the Titanic.
Republicans need not despair if they lose control of the House. Voters have short memories. If they lose the House, Republicans can return to the campaign trail in 2019 arguing that if voters will just reelect Trump and restore Republican control over both houses of Congress, Republican big spenders will finally, finally, be able to rein in the out-of-control spending and debt of those big-spending Democrats.
https://www.fff.org/2018/10/22/the-benefit-to-republicans-in-losing-the-house/
If Republicans lose control over the U.S House of Representatives in the mid-term elections, they don’t have to be totally depressed. The reason? They will then be able, once again, to campaign in the 2020 elections on the promise that if control over the House is restored to the Republicans, they will be able to rein in the out-of-control federal spending and debt that is threatening to take our country down.
Remember: That has been a favorite campaign ploy of the Republican Party whenever there has been a Democrat president or whenever the Democrats controlled one or both houses of Congress. Republicans would tell voters, “Those big-spending Democrats are taking our country down with their out-of-control federal spending and debt. The reason we Republicans can’t rein in federal spending and debt is because the Democrat big spenders are blocking us from doing so. If the voters will just give us control of the presidency and both houses of Congress, those Democrat big spenders will not be able to stop us from finally reining in the out-of-control spending and debt and even abolishing a number needless departments and agencies.”
That campaign ploy was used for ten years — starting with the 110th Congress, which ran from January 2007 to January 2009, when the Democrats controlled both houses of Congress in the last two years of George W. Bush’s presidency.
After that, Barack Obama was elected president and then reelected, with his term ending in January 2017. For the first six years of Obama’s presidency, the Democrats controlled one or both houses of Congress, which enabled Republicans to blame the ever-increasing, out-of-control federal spending and debt on those Democrat big spenders.
In the 114th Congress, which ran from January 2015 to January 2017, the Republicans were in control of both the House and the Senate. Those were the last two years of Obama’s presidency. That enabled Republicans to say to voters, “If you’ll just keep us in charge of both houses of Congress and also give us the presidency, we will finally, finally, be able to rein in the out-of-control federal spending and debt. Those Democrat big spenders will not be able to stop us.”
In the November 2016 elections, the electorate gave the Republicans what they asked her: the presidency and control over the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.
But then you’ll never guess what happened. After 10 years of railing against those big spending Democrats and pleading with voters to give them control over the executive and legislative branches, it turned out that those Republicans were themselves big spenders and big borrowers too, just like the big spending Democrats they had railed against for a decade. Despite their ten years of promises to rein in federal spending and debt if the voters would give them full control of the federal government, the Republicans have supported the same out-of-control federal spending and borrowing scheme that the Democrats support.
In his 2019 budget proposal, President Trump is trumpeting the cuts in spending that he is proposing for particular welfare-state and regulatory-state agencies. But the bottom line? CNN points out that owing to Trump’s increases in money for his beloved national-security establishment, “The overall proposed spending is about on par with last year, at $4.1 trillion for 2018.”
Whoop dee doo! Let’s all celebrate Trump’s switching around of the chairs on the Titanic.
Republicans need not despair if they lose control of the House. Voters have short memories. If they lose the House, Republicans can return to the campaign trail in 2019 arguing that if voters will just reelect Trump and restore Republican control over both houses of Congress, Republican big spenders will finally, finally, be able to rein in the out-of-control spending and debt of those big-spending Democrats.
https://www.fff.org/2018/10/22/the-benefit-to-republicans-in-losing-the-house/
every day i see variations of this crap always defended by zionists in the same way like 'it couldn't have been us, must have been them';
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20181022-israel-cancels-work-permits-for-family-of-murdered-palestinian-al-rabi/
Israel has cancelled work permits for the
relatives of Aisha Al-Rabi, the Palestinian mother who was stoned to
death by illegal Israeli settlers last week.
Yaqoub Al-Rabi, the husband of 47-year-old
Aisha Muhammad Talal Al-Rabi, and her brothers were “surprised to find
out that they were punished for the settlers’ murder of Aisha by
revoking their work permit, even though they were victims of the
attack,” Wafa reported.
Aisha was killed
last week after illegal Israeli settlers attacked the couple’s car
while they were driving near Tapuah Junction (Za’atara), south of Nablus
in the occupied West Bank. Their car was hit by stones, leading Yaqoub
to lose control of the vehicle. In the midst of the assault, Aisha was
struck with a large rock on the right side of her head, causing her to
lose consciousness. Though Yaqoub tried to drive Aisha to hospital, she
was declared dead on arrival.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20181022-israel-cancels-work-permits-for-family-of-murdered-palestinian-al-rabi/
Monday, October 22, 2018
here's one i was working on some time ago about voting, and hope it provides some evidence to ponder upon in the coming days;
“I have solved this political dilemma in a very direct way:
I don’t vote. On Election Day, I stay home. I firmly believe that if you vote,
you have no right to complain. Now, some people like to twist that around. They
say, “If you don’t vote, you have no right to complain”, but where’s the logic
in that? If you vote, and you elect dishonest, incompetent politicians, and
they get into office and screw everything up, you are responsible for what they
have done. You voted them in. You caused the problem. You have no right to
complain.” George Carlin
Our First Amendment prohibits Congress and “our government”,
from violating the right that Chinese go to jail for; freedom of speech,
freedom of assembly, and the right to petition government about grievances.
Our American ancestors wrote the first amendment because
they knew that “our government” would attract politicians and bureaucrats who
had the same attitude that guides Communist officials in China otherwise,
there would have been no reason for the First Amendment.
It’s easy to look down your nose at China, but the situation there isn’t much different
in America.
We have an enormous welfare-warfare racket that enables the federal bureaucracy
to get its hands on trillions from the private sector. The Chinese Communist
Party, American officials and everyone else on the federal dole fight to ensure
that nothing interrupts the flow into their money bin.
Republicans and Democrats like to pretend that they’re
different from the Communist Party because, they say, people have a choice when
they go to the polls. The choice is false. In most political races, there are
no important differences between the candidates. They both believe in the
corporate, welfare-state, warfare-state way of life and oppose any dismantling
or repeal of welfare-warfare functions of the federal government. Their
arguments are always over how the welfare-warfare state should be rearranged,
not whether it should be dismantled.
For all practical purposes, “our government” is run by one
party, which is divided into two wings. They take turns in various offices but
for all practical purposes, they’ve cartel control over the system. Meanwhile,
the vast army of federal bureaucrats and people who receive federal dole
remains permanent.
Have you ever wondered why third Party candidates gather
signatures to run for public office? It’s to impose enormous requirements to
make it difficult and expensive for them to compete against the monopoly while,
at the same time, maintain the pretense of a competitive system.
The risk “our government” faces that Chinese officials don’t
is that there’s still some free speech about liberty in America, which
has the potential for inspiring Americans to demand a dismantling, not a
reform, of the corporate, welfare-warfare racket. The First Amendment prohibits
government from punishing freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and
petitioning for redress of grievances.
To reduce that risk, “our government” convinces people that
their corporate welfare-warfare racket represents “freedom” and is in their
best interests. This process starts in the first grade, indoctrinating
children with the notion that America’s
society based on a welfare state and warfare state represents freedom. By the
time they graduate high school, the programming has been successfully completed
for most people. The victims honestly believe they’re free and even express
thanks to the warfare-state government for protecting their “freedom.”
They scare “consumers” into believing that the corporate welfare-warfare
state is necessary for their survival and well-being. Without the welfare
state, you’re told, there would be people dying in the streets. Without the
drug war, everyone would quit working and just smoke weed, snort cocaine, and shoot
heroin all day. Without the warfare state, America would quickly be taken over
by the communists, terrorists, drug dealers, and illegal aliens. All this time
Americans are told corporate freedom to do anything they wish is required for
“jobs”.
When government critics speak many “consumers” act as though
someone has criticized their parents. Government defenders run to the State’s
defense and frequently slander the critics. Mainstream media outlets continue
to lie and distort information, propagandize on behalf of corrupt politicians,
banksters and military leaders. “Journalists”
have a gullible, naive blind faith in their “leaders” despite the ruin such
leaders have caused.
Americans are so controlled by government, at all levels,
they can’t move without bumping into it, sometimes with disastrous
consequences. From taxes, to permits and licenses for everything and to
never-ending laws and ordinances that regulate your money, your land, your
food, your water, your air, your energy, your guns, your children, your children’s
education and your health care. The difference is if you live in China, you know
you’re not free. American’s are told by “officials” that this is the land of
the free, the brave and our constitution guarantees freedom.
Your government is running up a debt so large that it may
never be paid back and will saddle generations to come with crushing taxes.
That government is threatening American sovereignty by asking foreign
countries, that don’t much like us and will hurt us when they can, to lend us
money.
The scandals are immigration, bank and corporate bailouts
and crony capitalism where government rewards its friends with your money and
punishes its enemies with regulations. Government is infected with the
incurable diseases of waste, fraud, abuse and corruption, massive programs that
don't work and two political parties that champion their differences but in the
end, they all bow to the will of the lobbyists.
When power rests in the hands of the governed, there’s freedom.
When power rests in the hands of government, there’s slavery. Whatever power
the governed had under our fading Republic and was intended by the framers, is fast
slipping away into ignorance, apathy, greed and dependency.
Voting legitimizes all the excess and sociopathic tendencies
of “our government” and ignores the practice of authorizing the tax man at all
levels coming into your house and stealing 35 percent of their resources on a
monthly basis and if you resist in any way, you get a boot on the neck and
maybe a surcharge for daring to question or resist the thief and his
army. Government is a highwayman and the voter is the waylaid traveler
who appears to smile happily at having a gun put to his head and his pockets
emptied. He then proudly wears the sticker on his jacket that reads: “I
was robbed and I voted for it!” A mass exodus from the voting cesspool may get
interesting responses from the elected sociopaths. Withdraw your support of a
sick and twisted system and stop rubber-stamping the violence against your
community.
short enough i could put the whole article here and the link below as usual. you may have noticed caitlin is joining some of my other favorites, and this article may show you some of why that is;
We are surrounded by screens full of voices that are always lying to us, and experts wonder why we’re so crazy and miserable all the time.
The screens tell us, “This is a perfectly normal and sane way of doing things. It is perfectly normal and sane to strip the earth bare and poison the air and the water in an economic system which requires infinite growth on a finite planet. People who say otherwise are raving lunatics!” And the social engineers wonder why there’s increasing disaffection and alienation among the populace.
The screens tell us, “Just spend your time in this world turning the gears of the machine and you will be happy. The machine is your friend. The machine takes care of you. Work hard pulling its levers and greasing its cogs until you are old and you will gain satisfaction,” and then they wonder why we’re all gobbling up antidepressants like candy.
The screens tell us, “We need to drop explosives on Nation X because they need Freedom and Democracy™. We know we said that about Nation Y and Nation Z and that went terribly wrong, but that’s because it wasn’t managed properly. Trust that it is good and proper for the citizens of Nation X to be killed with bombs and bullets,” and then they wonder why people keep snapping and committing mass shootings.
The screens tell us, “You are crazy and stupid if you want a functioning healthcare system. Are you trying to put our billionaires and military out of business?” and then they wonder why people are becoming paranoid and angry.
The screens tell us, “Look at that gibbering maniac trying to get a third party up and running in the most powerful nation in the world! Only someone who is deeply awful and defective would believe that the two party system isn’t serving us,” and they wonder why everyone feels disempowered and unheard.
The screens tell us, “Of course this is the way things are; it’s the only way things could ever be. Anyone who would try to change any part of this is either mentally ill or a Russian propagandist,” and they wonder why people shut down and numb themselves with opiates.
The screens tell us, “Everything is great. Everyone is doing fine. Everyone is happy. Look how happy everyone is on this sitcom. If you aren’t happy like that, it’s not because of the machine, it’s because of you. People need to be protected from your insanity. You mustn’t be allowed on any screens. You need to be silenced on social media. Trust us. Don’t trust yourself. Don’t trust that growing, gnawing sense that everything is fake and everything you’ve been taught is a lie. We have never lied to you. We have never been caught red-handed deceiving you and then acted like nothing happened. We have never gaslit you. You are misremembering things because you are confused. Shut up. You are dangerous. Shut up. You are foolish. Shut up. You are insane. The machine is sanity. The machine is freedom. Everyone is equal here. Everyone matters. Everyone gets a voice. Except you.” And the social engineers wonder why people are trusting them less and less.
The screens tell us, “War is normal. Poverty is normal. Mass surveillance is normal. Censorship of dissenting ideas is normal. Mass media propaganda is normal. Escalating wealth and income inequality is normal. Escalating police militarization is normal. Escalating tensions between nuclear superpowers is normal. Looming ecological disaster is normal.” And people wonder why everything feels like a bubble balancing on a house of cards that was built on top of a ticking time bomb.
The screens tell us, “Insane things are sane. Sane things are insane. Up is down. Black is white. War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength. If you disagree, you are crazy. If you disagree, you are poison. Shut up. You will contaminate the herd. Shut up. You are garbage. Shut up. You are a disease. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up.”
And the experts wonder why the old tricks are finding less and less psychological purchase. And we wonder why it is beginning to feel as though we are being startled out of a very long and horrible nightmare. And our rulers wonder, in their very few still and sincere moments, if it was wise to build their empire upon a sleeping giant.
https://caitlinjohnstone.com/2018/10/22/the-screens/
We are surrounded by screens full of voices that are always lying to us, and experts wonder why we’re so crazy and miserable all the time.
The screens tell us, “This is a perfectly normal and sane way of doing things. It is perfectly normal and sane to strip the earth bare and poison the air and the water in an economic system which requires infinite growth on a finite planet. People who say otherwise are raving lunatics!” And the social engineers wonder why there’s increasing disaffection and alienation among the populace.
The screens tell us, “Just spend your time in this world turning the gears of the machine and you will be happy. The machine is your friend. The machine takes care of you. Work hard pulling its levers and greasing its cogs until you are old and you will gain satisfaction,” and then they wonder why we’re all gobbling up antidepressants like candy.
The screens tell us, “We need to drop explosives on Nation X because they need Freedom and Democracy™. We know we said that about Nation Y and Nation Z and that went terribly wrong, but that’s because it wasn’t managed properly. Trust that it is good and proper for the citizens of Nation X to be killed with bombs and bullets,” and then they wonder why people keep snapping and committing mass shootings.
The screens tell us, “You are crazy and stupid if you want a functioning healthcare system. Are you trying to put our billionaires and military out of business?” and then they wonder why people are becoming paranoid and angry.
The screens tell us, “Look at that gibbering maniac trying to get a third party up and running in the most powerful nation in the world! Only someone who is deeply awful and defective would believe that the two party system isn’t serving us,” and they wonder why everyone feels disempowered and unheard.
The screens tell us, “Of course this is the way things are; it’s the only way things could ever be. Anyone who would try to change any part of this is either mentally ill or a Russian propagandist,” and they wonder why people shut down and numb themselves with opiates.
The screens tell us, “Everything is great. Everyone is doing fine. Everyone is happy. Look how happy everyone is on this sitcom. If you aren’t happy like that, it’s not because of the machine, it’s because of you. People need to be protected from your insanity. You mustn’t be allowed on any screens. You need to be silenced on social media. Trust us. Don’t trust yourself. Don’t trust that growing, gnawing sense that everything is fake and everything you’ve been taught is a lie. We have never lied to you. We have never been caught red-handed deceiving you and then acted like nothing happened. We have never gaslit you. You are misremembering things because you are confused. Shut up. You are dangerous. Shut up. You are foolish. Shut up. You are insane. The machine is sanity. The machine is freedom. Everyone is equal here. Everyone matters. Everyone gets a voice. Except you.” And the social engineers wonder why people are trusting them less and less.
The screens tell us, “War is normal. Poverty is normal. Mass surveillance is normal. Censorship of dissenting ideas is normal. Mass media propaganda is normal. Escalating wealth and income inequality is normal. Escalating police militarization is normal. Escalating tensions between nuclear superpowers is normal. Looming ecological disaster is normal.” And people wonder why everything feels like a bubble balancing on a house of cards that was built on top of a ticking time bomb.
The screens tell us, “Insane things are sane. Sane things are insane. Up is down. Black is white. War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength. If you disagree, you are crazy. If you disagree, you are poison. Shut up. You will contaminate the herd. Shut up. You are garbage. Shut up. You are a disease. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up.”
And the experts wonder why the old tricks are finding less and less psychological purchase. And we wonder why it is beginning to feel as though we are being startled out of a very long and horrible nightmare. And our rulers wonder, in their very few still and sincere moments, if it was wise to build their empire upon a sleeping giant.
https://caitlinjohnstone.com/2018/10/22/the-screens/
i don't vote. only did once. think the bumper sticker i saw: "no matter who you vote for the government always gets in" sums it up pretty clearly, and the following article provides even more reasons not to participate in their theater;
When I say there is nobody to vote for, I don’t just mean the familiar complaint that the candidates may be different shades of evil but are all too evil to support, that the earth’s climate does not recover one iota because some even worse policy has been averted, that sadistic bombings and humanitarian bombings actually look identical. I do mean all of that. But I also mean that candidates are campaigning as and being presented as nothing, as empty figures with no positions on anything.
What is the most common foreign policy position on the websites of Democratic candidates for U.S. Congress? Quick! It’s not hard! You got it? You’re wrong. It was a trick question. Most of their websites do not admit to the existence of 96% of humanity in any way shape or form — although one can infer that the world must exist, because so many of them express such deep love for veterans.
Numerous resources claim to fill the gap, but like private weather profiteers regurgitating federal data, they mostly just pick out bits of the almost nothing coming from the candidates and re-package it as Useful Voter Information. The Campus Election Engagement Project has nothing on Virginia’s Fifth District Congressional race, and on the Virginia race for U.S. Senate it has next to nothing. In a nod to the existence of the earth, it tells us the candidates’ positions on the Iran nuclear agreement, plus three questions on the environment. But the fact that one of the two candidates’ whole schtick is hatred of immigrants, glorification of racism, and fascistic devotion to Trump doesn’t come up in the predictable policy questions. Nor does the duplicity of the other guy’s constant support for presidential war-making, while claiming to oppose it, make the cut.
https://washingtonsblog.com/2018/10/nobody-to-vote-for.html
When I say there is nobody to vote for, I don’t just mean the familiar complaint that the candidates may be different shades of evil but are all too evil to support, that the earth’s climate does not recover one iota because some even worse policy has been averted, that sadistic bombings and humanitarian bombings actually look identical. I do mean all of that. But I also mean that candidates are campaigning as and being presented as nothing, as empty figures with no positions on anything.
What is the most common foreign policy position on the websites of Democratic candidates for U.S. Congress? Quick! It’s not hard! You got it? You’re wrong. It was a trick question. Most of their websites do not admit to the existence of 96% of humanity in any way shape or form — although one can infer that the world must exist, because so many of them express such deep love for veterans.
Numerous resources claim to fill the gap, but like private weather profiteers regurgitating federal data, they mostly just pick out bits of the almost nothing coming from the candidates and re-package it as Useful Voter Information. The Campus Election Engagement Project has nothing on Virginia’s Fifth District Congressional race, and on the Virginia race for U.S. Senate it has next to nothing. In a nod to the existence of the earth, it tells us the candidates’ positions on the Iran nuclear agreement, plus three questions on the environment. But the fact that one of the two candidates’ whole schtick is hatred of immigrants, glorification of racism, and fascistic devotion to Trump doesn’t come up in the predictable policy questions. Nor does the duplicity of the other guy’s constant support for presidential war-making, while claiming to oppose it, make the cut.
https://washingtonsblog.com/2018/10/nobody-to-vote-for.html
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