4473-ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? | View Thread

PUTIN’S CHEF ORDERED RUSSIAN MERCENARIES TO ATTACK U.S. TROOPS IN SYRIA, REPORT CLAIMS

ON 2/23/18 AT 9:40 AM

Yevgeniy Prigozhin is a man of many trades.

A failed cross-country skier from St. Petersburg, Russia, who once spent nine years in prison for robbery, Prigozhin rose from running a hot dog stand in the 1990s to owning an upscale restaurant frequented by Russian President Vladimir Putin and other members of the nation’s political elite.

Most recently, the man nicknamed Putin’s Chef was indicted in the United States by special counsel Robert Mueller for running a troll farm that conducted information warfare against the U.S. and attempted to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. Prigozhin also allegedly runs a business that profits off oil and gas deals in Syrian territories seized from the Islamic State militant group (ISIS).

And now, reports also claim Prigozhin is the Putin ally who allegedly controls Russian mercenaries working in Syria. He was responsible for ordering a recent attack by Russian mercenaries and pro-government Syrian forces on U.S. troops stationed in Syria.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) toasts with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu after a ceremony to bestow state awards on military personnel who fought in Syria, at the Kremlin, in Moscow on December 28, 2017. Yevgeniy Prigozhin, “Putin’s Chef,” rose from running a hot dog stand to owning an upscale restaurant frequented by Putin and other members of the nation’s political elite. KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

An unknown number of Russian nationals were killed in U.S. airstrikes in Syria on February 7 after about 300 fighters attacked U.S. troops stationed near a strategic oil field. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has called the attack “perplexing” and added he does not understand why pro-regime forces would fire on U.S. troops. No American servicepeople were killed in the fighting that ensued.

Russian officials initially distanced themselves from the reports, pointing out that the people killed were not Russian servicemen and that their nationals can be found in many places around the world. Russia and the U.S. are generally in communication over their positions in Syria in order to avoid clashes.

Sources, however, have said that dozens of Russians were killed in the recent attack while supporting the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Their deaths highlighted the murky role of Russian mercenaries in the ongoing conflict in Syria, and gave rise to questions about how much Putin knows about the activities of Russian mercenaries abroad.

Communications intercepted in January now provide some clues by demonstrating that Prigozhin had told a senior Syrian official that he had permission from a Russian minister to move “fast and strong” with the operation that led to the mercenaries’ death, The Washington Post reported Thursday evening. The communications show that he both knew about the planned attack and shared information with Syrian leadership.

Prigozhin is known to have close ties with Putin, and it is unlikely that he works without the permission of Russia’s most powerful man.

The mercenaries involved in the attack work for a company called Wagner, which employs Russian nationals and military veterans—many of whom are believed to have fought in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Wagner also provides foot soldiers who help fight ISIS in order to secure access to oil and gas fields that Prigozhin profits from.

(newsweek)

PALESTINIANS SLAM U.S. EMBASSY MOVE PLANNED FOR THEIR DAY OF 'DISASTER'

ON 2/24/18 AT 7:04 AM

Palestinians have condemned the news that the new U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem will open in May 2018, coinciding with the anniversary of what they consider to be their day of "disaster."

The State Department said on Friday: “We are planning to open the new U.S. Embassy to Israel in Jerusalem in May. The Embassy opening will coincide with Israel’s 70th anniversary.”

That day is also known as the Nakba, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were forced from their homes during the birth of the state of Israel in 1948.

"This is an unacceptable step. Any unilateral move will not give legitimacy to anyone and will be an obstacle to any effort to create peace in the region," Nabil Abu Rdainah, a spokesman for the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, told Reuters.

Palestinian militant group Hamas said it predicted an "explosion" in the region because of the move.

Saeb Erekat, the Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), called the acceleration a "flagrant violation of international law and agreements" between the Palestinians and Israel, one that would "destroy" any hopes of a Palestinian state living side-by-side with an Israeli one.

A picture taken on February 20, 2018 from the Mount of Olives shows a partial view of the Jerusalem's Old City with the Dome of the Rock in the centre.AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP/GETTY

Trump ignored the protests of leaders across the Arab world with his December 6 decision to relocate the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The decision has sparked weekly protests across the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, as well as given rise to more attacks by Palestinians against Israeli soldiers and civilians, according to Israel's domestic Shin Bet security service.

But not only is the embassy move going ahead, it could be part-funded by a key Trump donor, casino magnate Sheldon Adelson.

Four U.S. officials told the Associated Press that the Trump administration is currently considering an offer from Adelson. The administration, if it can accept private donations, is deciding whether it will raise the hundreds of millions of dollars required for the embassy's construction from Christian and evangelical supporters of Trump.

The opening of the temporary embassy, to be marked with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, will be at Washington's Arnona consulate in southern Jerusalem. It will take place on May 14, 70 years after Israel was created. Israel will this year celebrate its independence on April 19, according to the Hebrew calendar.

(newsweek)

KABUL — More than 20 security forces were reported killed Saturday in attacks by Taliban militants in various parts of Afghanistan, including Kabul — a sign of the insurgents’ resiliency despite a surge of offensives by U.S. and Afghan forces in recent months.

In Kabul, a suicide bomber on foot detonated explosives attached to his body outside an intelligence agency office near the headquarters of NATO-led troops, Afghan officials said.

Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said three Afghans were killed and six were wounded, but he did not identify the victims.

The death toll in Kabul could have been higher, but an official for the intelligence agency threw his arms around the bomber before he could reach an area where there was a larger group of officials and civilians, the Interior Ministry’s chief spokesman told The Washington Post.

“He did an amazing job, sacrificed his life to save others by embracing the bomber before he could detonate the explosives,” Najib Danesh said, adding that another intelligence official was also among those killed.

The Kabul attack followed two suicide car-bomb attacks targeting Afghan security forces in two different parts of southern Helmand province, he said. At least four policemen were killed in the two attacks.

The most deadly incident took place in the Bala Boluk district of western Farah province, where 18 troops were killed overnight in their camps, Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammad Radmanesh said.

The Taliban militants claimed responsibility for those two attacks, but not the one in Kabul. The Islamic State, in a statement posted by its affiliated news agency, Amaq, claimed responsibility for the Kabul bombing.

The attacks come after high-profile strikes by the Taliban and the Islamic State in January, when more than 150 people, many of them civilians, were killed in different parts of Kabul.

Those attacks seemingly put a dent in the prospects for peace.

“Believe me, I will take revenge,” President Ashraf Ghani said on Jan. 30, visibly angry after a week of suicide bombings and armed raids that killed more than 100 people and wounded nearly 300 others. The country’s enemies, he said, “should know that Afghans do not have a president who will give in.”

President Trump also seemingly soured on talks with the Taliban. “I don’t think we’re prepared to talk right now,” Trump said then.

In an effort to force the militants to negotiate, Afghan and U.S.-led forces in recent months have ratcheted up ground and aerial offensives. But 10 days ago, the Taliban issued a 17,000-word appeal to the “American people,” asking them to pressure U.S. officials to end the 16-year-old conflict and asserting that the protracted American “occupation” had brought only death, corruption and drugs to the impoverished country.

“Stubbornly seeking the protraction of this war,” the letter added, “will have “dreadful consequences” for the region and the “stability of America herself.”

Pamela Constable contributed to this report.

(The Washington Post)

Hysteria over alleged Russian meddling in US affairs hit a new low this week, with claims that Kremlin-controlled internet agents are exploiting the Florida gun massacre.

The New York Times' top story in its online edition Tuesday was headlined: "After Florida School Shooting, Russian 'Bot' Army Pounced".

Other US news media also gave prominent coverage to unsubstantiated claims that Kremlin-orchestrated internet agents, known as "trolls" or "bots", were heartlessly exploiting American public grief over the mass shooting.

The NY Times report stated: "Any news event - no matter how tragic - has become fodder to spread inflammatory messages in what is believed to be a far-reaching Russian disinformation campaign."

Under the headline, "Russia bots fuel Florida gun debate", CNN news channel reported: "Cybersecurity and media experts are not surprised that trolls and bots are leveraging the Florida school shooting to cause divisions."

There are several disturbing aspects to this latest anti-Russia media coverage in the US. For a start, the claims of Russian internet activity are being relayed as if they are verifiable fact when that is far from the case.

The media reports are based on private research and "monitoring groups" whose methods for tracking internet posts are not clear or verifiable.

The same criticism of unsubstantiated innuendo being embellished as "facts" applies to the more general US media narrative of Russian meddling in American politics, or so-called "Russiagate".

CNN cites one US-based group called Hamilton 68 and goes on to admit: "The group does not disclose which [Twitter] accounts it tracks and CNN has not independently verified its findings."

Yet that admission doesn't stop the channel, as well as the NY Times and others, from running sensational, factual-sounding headlines.

This is appallingly poor journalism. The words "alleged", "claimed" are no longer used to indicate unverified.

Another disturbing aspect is the way that US mainstream media, including the supposed "paper of record", the New York Times, are inciting rabid Russophobia.

Implicating Russia for exploiting the horrific mass shooting of 17 students at a Florida high school earlier this month is aimed at denigrating the Russian government and its people as having no morals or compassion. Demonizing Russia in this way is aimed at dehumanizing Russians.

CNN quotes one "expert" as saying: "This pattern of divisive propaganda is becoming a staple in information warfare fueled by social media".

The NY Times quotes Senator Mark Warner: "What we're seeing is a continuous assault by Russia to target and undermine our democratic institutions, and they're going to keep coming at us."

This plays into the wider narrative pumped out over the past year by Washington politicians and intelligence agencies that the Kremlin is ruthlessly waging an information war on the US.

Such thinking is, however, leading to Americans having no compass on reality or rationality.

Last week, the heads of the CIA, FBI, NSA and other intelligence agencies warned that the alleged cyber meddling by Russia in the 2016 presidential election is being repeated again for this year's congressional ballots.

There is simply no credible evidence for these outlandish "Russiagate" claims. Even after months of investigating alleged Russian interference, the US special counsel Robert Mueller could only come up with shoddy indictments against 13 Russian individuals published last week. There was not a shred of evidence, nor any kind of substantiation linking Moscow to the alleged scheme.

The alleged Russian scheme is so tenuous, the Americans might as well as blame internet scam-gangs operating from Nigeria, India or any other number of countries for meddling in US politics.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov dismissed the latest indictments as "blather", pointing out that no evidence is ever presented. Which is handy for the accusers. Because there is no evidence!

Nevertheless, based on this flimsy information, senior politicians in Washington are asserting that "Russian is engaging in an act of war on the US".

Following news of the indictments, Senator Ben Cardin said: "Russia's aggressive effort to interfere in the presidential election amounts to an act of war. It is time for [President] Trump to muster all the tools available to seek justice on behalf of the American people and protect our nation from ongoing attacks on our electoral and social systems."

Instead of the Russiagate nonsense dying a death, as it should from lack of evidence, the narrative is becoming even more frenzied and deranged.

Possibly that's because large sections of the US media and political establishment have invested so much capital in the narrative that they can't afford now to let it go and admit there is nothing to their claims about Russian interference.

Russia has repeatedly rejecting any such "influence operation" or cyberattacks on the US.

One gets the impression from American claims that the only "grounds" for their allegations are contrived from the legitimate operations of Russian news media like Sputnik and RT. Just because these news outlets are Russian state-owned and carry critical news and commentary concerning US politics, among many other issues, this appears to be "grounds" for American and European politicians making the wild mental leap asserting this constitutes "Kremlin meddling".

By that token, the same could be said for American, British, French and German state-owned media outlets.

The whole Russiagate myth has relied on US intelligence agencies propounding claims through dutiful American media outlets, amplified by partisan politicians and think-tanks, and repeated ad nauseam by European media and politicians. It's the Big Lie technique of Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels.

The irony of course is that American and other Western intelligence agencies are the most intrusive and insidious influence-merchants on the whole planet. Destroying and subverting governments, poisoning public opinion and demonizing individuals and entire foreign nations is how they operate routinely.

The CIA's Operation Mockingbird set up in the 1950s recruited thousands of journalists to work in household news organizations to pump out disinformation to control American public perception, whether it was with regard to justifying illegal wars or covering up assassination of political leaders, including their very own President John F Kennedy.

American politicians, military and intelligence are congenitally programmed to pick a war with Russia.

The preposterous claims that Russia is attacking American democracy are at bottom dangerous warmongering. The Russiagate ruse is aimed at inciting hatred among the American public towards Russia to view it as an enemy who is "attacking our way of life".

The claims are totally untenable and unsustainable from the dearth of evidence. It is a myth concocted by ideologically sick people.

Because it is a myth, it is liable to fade from lack of substance.

That is why the Russophobia must continually be stoked with new twists in the narrative.

Alleged interference in American democracy is mutable with claims of Russia helping the "Syrian regime" drop chemical weapons on civilians; or Russian athletes "cheating" with drugs at the Olympics; or Russian military intelligence targeting critical civilian infrastructure in Western states.

The latest twist is particularly odious. To claim that Russia is dancing on the graves of American students and sowing social tensions over the harrowing controversy of guns in US society is a new, despicable low.

Finian Cunningham has written extensively on international affairs, with articles published in several languages. He is a Master's graduate in Agricultural Chemistry and worked as a scientific editor for the Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, England, before pursuing a career in newspaper journalism. He is also a musician and songwriter. For nearly 20 years, he worked as an editor and writer in major news media organisations, includingThe Mirror, Irish Times and Independent.

(sott.net)

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 2/25/2018 10:17:10 AM
	PUTIN’S CHEF ORDERED RUSSIAN MERCENARIES TO ATTACK U.S. TROOPS IN SYRIA, REPORT CLAIMS BY CRISTINA MAZA ON 2/23/18 AT 9:40 AM Yevgeniy Prigozhin is a man of many trades. A failed cross-country skier from St. Petersburg, Russia, who once spent nine years in prison for robbery, Prigozhin rose from running a hot dog stand in the 1990s to owning an upscale restaurant frequented by Russian President Vladimir Putin and other members of the nation’s political elite. Most recently, the man nicknamed Putin’s Chef was indicted in the United States by special counsel Robert Mueller for running a troll farm that conducted information warfare against the U.S. and attempted to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. Prigozhin also allegedly runs a business that profits off oil and gas deals in Syrian territories seized from the Islamic State militant group (ISIS). And now, reports also claim Prigozhin is the Putin ally who allegedly controls Russian mercenaries working in Syria. He was responsible for ordering a recent attack by Russian mercenaries and pro-government Syrian forces on U.S. troops stationed in Syria. Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) toasts with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu after a ceremony to bestow state awards on military personnel who fought in Syria, at the Kremlin, in Moscow on December 28, 2017. Yevgeniy Prigozhin, “Putin’s Chef,” rose from running a hot dog stand to owning an upscale restaurant frequented by Putin and other members of the nation’s political elite. KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP/GETTY IMAGES An unknown number of Russian nationals were killed in U.S. airstrikes in Syria on February 7 after about 300 fighters attacked U.S. troops stationed near a strategic oil field. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has called the attack “perplexing” and added he does not understand why pro-regime forces would fire on U.S. troops. No American servicepeople were killed in the fighting that ensued. Russian officials initially distanced themselves from the reports, pointing out that the people killed were not Russian servicemen and that their nationals can be found in many places around the world. Russia and the U.S. are generally in communication over their positions in Syria in order to avoid clashes. Sources, however, have said that dozens of Russians were killed in the recent attack while supporting the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Their deaths highlighted the murky role of Russian mercenaries in the ongoing conflict in Syria, and gave rise to questions about how much Putin knows about the activities of Russian mercenaries abroad. Communications intercepted in January now provide some clues by demonstrating that Prigozhin had told a senior Syrian official that he had permission from a Russian minister to move “fast and strong” with the operation that led to the mercenaries’ death, The Washington Post reported Thursday evening. The communications show that he both knew about the planned attack and shared information with Syrian leadership. Prigozhin is known to have close ties with Putin, and it is unlikely that he works without the permission of Russia’s most powerful man. The mercenaries involved in the attack work for a company called Wagner, which employs Russian nationals and military veterans—many of whom are believed to have fought in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Wagner also provides foot soldiers who help fight ISIS in order to secure access to oil and gas fields that Prigozhin profits from. (newsweek)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+2

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 2/25/2018 10:27:56 AM
	US Vows ‘Largest Ever’ North Korea Sanctions, Threatens Ominous ‘Phase Two’ February 24, 2018 at 7:14 am Written by Jason Ditz (ANTIWAR.COM) — President Trump has promised to impose a new round of sanctions that will be by far the largest ever sanctions targeting North Korea, with reports from the Treasury Department suggesting it targets as many as one person, and 28 ships of various make. Promises of record new sanctions are common, though the reality is the US has had no trade with North Korea for years, and subsequently nothing to really cut off. Instead, sanctions usually boil down to threatening Chinese banks or ships that deliver things to North Korea. Much more ominously, President Trump threatened a “Phase Two” if the sanctions didn’t work, declining to go into detail but saying it would be “very, very unfortunate for the world” if the US went that route. Presumably this is the latest in a long line of threats to attack North Korea, though it comes not long after recent admissions from other US officials that no such plans are ready for attacking North Korea. Trump made no serious mention of diplomacy in his comments, suggesting that either these record new sanctions will work or “Phase Two” will happen. By Jason Ditz / Republished with permission / ANTIWAR.COM
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+2

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 2/25/2018 10:39:22 AM
	PALESTINIANS SLAM U.S. EMBASSY MOVE PLANNED FOR THEIR DAY OF 'DISASTER' BY JACK MOORE ON 2/24/18 AT 7:04 AM Palestinians have condemned the news that the new U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem will open in May 2018, coinciding with the anniversary of what they consider to be their day of "disaster." The State Department said on Friday: “We are planning to open the new U.S. Embassy to Israel in Jerusalem in May. The Embassy opening will coincide with Israel’s 70th anniversary.” That day is also known as the Nakba, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were forced from their homes during the birth of the state of Israel in 1948. "This is an unacceptable step. Any unilateral move will not give legitimacy to anyone and will be an obstacle to any effort to create peace in the region," Nabil Abu Rdainah, a spokesman for the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, told Reuters. Palestinian militant group Hamas said it predicted an "explosion" in the region because of the move. Saeb Erekat, the Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), called the acceleration a "flagrant violation of international law and agreements" between the Palestinians and Israel, one that would "destroy" any hopes of a Palestinian state living side-by-side with an Israeli one. A picture taken on February 20, 2018 from the Mount of Olives shows a partial view of the Jerusalem's Old City with the Dome of the Rock in the centre.AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP/GETTY Trump ignored the protests of leaders across the Arab world with his December 6 decision to relocate the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The decision has sparked weekly protests across the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, as well as given rise to more attacks by Palestinians against Israeli soldiers and civilians, according to Israel's domestic Shin Bet security service. But not only is the embassy move going ahead, it could be part-funded by a key Trump donor, casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. Four U.S. officials told the Associated Press that the Trump administration is currently considering an offer from Adelson. The administration, if it can accept private donations, is deciding whether it will raise the hundreds of millions of dollars required for the embassy's construction from Christian and evangelical supporters of Trump. The opening of the temporary embassy, to be marked with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, will be at Washington's Arnona consulate in southern Jerusalem. It will take place on May 14, 70 years after Israel was created. Israel will this year celebrate its independence on April 19, according to the Hebrew calendar. (newsweek)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+2

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 2/25/2018 11:11:52 AM
	Insurgents kill more than 20 security forces in separate attacks in Afghanistan Taliban militants have attacked an Afghan army post killing government soldiers. (Reuters) By Sayed Salahuddin February 24 at 6:33 PM KABUL — More than 20 security forces were reported killed Saturday in attacks by Taliban militants in various parts of Afghanistan, including Kabul — a sign of the insurgents’ resiliency despite a surge of offensives by U.S. and Afghan forces in recent months. In Kabul, a suicide bomber on foot detonated explosives attached to his body outside an intelligence agency office near the headquarters of NATO-led troops, Afghan officials said. Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said three Afghans were killed and six were wounded, but he did not identify the victims. The death toll in Kabul could have been higher, but an official for the intelligence agency threw his arms around the bomber before he could reach an area where there was a larger group of officials and civilians, the Interior Ministry’s chief spokesman told The Washington Post. “He did an amazing job, sacrificed his life to save others by embracing the bomber before he could detonate the explosives,” Najib Danesh said, adding that another intelligence official was also among those killed. The Kabul attack followed two suicide car-bomb attacks targeting Afghan security forces in two different parts of southern Helmand province, he said. At least four policemen were killed in the two attacks. The most deadly incident took place in the Bala Boluk district of western Farah province, where 18 troops were killed overnight in their camps, Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammad Radmanesh said. The Taliban militants claimed responsibility for those two attacks, but not the one in Kabul. The Islamic State, in a statement posted by its affiliated news agency, Amaq, claimed responsibility for the Kabul bombing. The attacks come after high-profile strikes by the Taliban and the Islamic State in January, when more than 150 people, many of them civilians, were killed in different parts of Kabul. Those attacks seemingly put a dent in the prospects for peace. “Believe me, I will take revenge,” President Ashraf Ghani said on Jan. 30, visibly angry after a week of suicide bombings and armed raids that killed more than 100 people and wounded nearly 300 others. The country’s enemies, he said, “should know that Afghans do not have a president who will give in.” President Trump also seemingly soured on talks with the Taliban. “I don’t think we’re prepared to talk right now,” Trump said then. In an effort to force the militants to negotiate, Afghan and U.S.-led forces in recent months have ratcheted up ground and aerial offensives. But 10 days ago, the Taliban issued a 17,000-word appeal to the “American people,” asking them to pressure U.S. officials to end the 16-year-old conflict and asserting that the protracted American “occupation” had brought only death, corruption and drugs to the impoverished country. “Stubbornly seeking the protraction of this war,” the letter added, “will have “dreadful consequences” for the region and the “stability of America herself.” Pamela Constable contributed to this report. (The Washington Post)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+2

Luis Miguel 1162 61587 Lima	RE: ARE WE NOW IN THE END TIMES? 2/25/2018 5:33:48 PM
	Mass Media Reaches New Low Stoking Russiaphobia in Wake of Florida School Shooting Finian Cunningham Sputnik Thu, 22 Feb 2018 18:42 UTC © Reuters/ WSVN.com Hysteria over alleged Russian meddling in US affairs hit a new low this week, with claims that Kremlin-controlled internet agents are exploiting the Florida gun massacre. The New York Times' top story in its online edition Tuesday was headlined: "After Florida School Shooting, Russian 'Bot' Army Pounced". Other US news media also gave prominent coverage to unsubstantiated claims that Kremlin-orchestrated internet agents, known as "trolls" or "bots", were heartlessly exploiting American public grief over the mass shooting. The NY Times report stated: "Any news event - no matter how tragic - has become fodder to spread inflammatory messages in what is believed to be a far-reaching Russian disinformation campaign." Under the headline, "Russia bots fuel Florida gun debate", CNN news channel reported: "Cybersecurity and media experts are not surprised that trolls and bots are leveraging the Florida school shooting to cause divisions." There are several disturbing aspects to this latest anti-Russia media coverage in the US. For a start, the claims of Russian internet activity are being relayed as if they are verifiable fact when that is far from the case. The media reports are based on private research and "monitoring groups" whose methods for tracking internet posts are not clear or verifiable. The same criticism of unsubstantiated innuendo being embellished as "facts" applies to the more general US media narrative of Russian meddling in American politics, or so-called "Russiagate". CNN cites one US-based group called Hamilton 68 and goes on to admit: "The group does not disclose which [Twitter] accounts it tracks and CNN has not independently verified its findings." Yet that admission doesn't stop the channel, as well as the NY Times and others, from running sensational, factual-sounding headlines. This is appallingly poor journalism. The words "alleged", "claimed" are no longer used to indicate unverified. Another disturbing aspect is the way that US mainstream media, including the supposed "paper of record", the New York Times, are inciting rabid Russophobia. Implicating Russia for exploiting the horrific mass shooting of 17 students at a Florida high school earlier this month is aimed at denigrating the Russian government and its people as having no morals or compassion. Demonizing Russia in this way is aimed at dehumanizing Russians. CNN quotes one "expert" as saying: "This pattern of divisive propaganda is becoming a staple in information warfare fueled by social media". The NY Times quotes Senator Mark Warner: "What we're seeing is a continuous assault by Russia to target and undermine our democratic institutions, and they're going to keep coming at us." This plays into the wider narrative pumped out over the past year by Washington politicians and intelligence agencies that the Kremlin is ruthlessly waging an information war on the US. Such thinking is, however, leading to Americans having no compass on reality or rationality. Last week, the heads of the CIA, FBI, NSA and other intelligence agencies warned that the alleged cyber meddling by Russia in the 2016 presidential election is being repeated again for this year's congressional ballots. There is simply no credible evidence for these outlandish "Russiagate" claims. Even after months of investigating alleged Russian interference, the US special counsel Robert Mueller could only come up with shoddy indictments against 13 Russian individuals published last week. There was not a shred of evidence, nor any kind of substantiation linking Moscow to the alleged scheme. The alleged Russian scheme is so tenuous, the Americans might as well as blame internet scam-gangs operating from Nigeria, India or any other number of countries for meddling in US politics. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov dismissed the latest indictments as "blather", pointing out that no evidence is ever presented. Which is handy for the accusers. Because there is no evidence! Nevertheless, based on this flimsy information, senior politicians in Washington are asserting that "Russian is engaging in an act of war on the US". Following news of the indictments, Senator Ben Cardin said: "Russia's aggressive effort to interfere in the presidential election amounts to an act of war. It is time for [President] Trump to muster all the tools available to seek justice on behalf of the American people and protect our nation from ongoing attacks on our electoral and social systems." Instead of the Russiagate nonsense dying a death, as it should from lack of evidence, the narrative is becoming even more frenzied and deranged. Possibly that's because large sections of the US media and political establishment have invested so much capital in the narrative that they can't afford now to let it go and admit there is nothing to their claims about Russian interference. Russia has repeatedly rejecting any such "influence operation" or cyberattacks on the US. One gets the impression from American claims that the only "grounds" for their allegations are contrived from the legitimate operations of Russian news media like Sputnik and RT. Just because these news outlets are Russian state-owned and carry critical news and commentary concerning US politics, among many other issues, this appears to be "grounds" for American and European politicians making the wild mental leap asserting this constitutes "Kremlin meddling". By that token, the same could be said for American, British, French and German state-owned media outlets. The whole Russiagate myth has relied on US intelligence agencies propounding claims through dutiful American media outlets, amplified by partisan politicians and think-tanks, and repeated ad nauseam by European media and politicians. It's the Big Lie technique of Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels. The irony of course is that American and other Western intelligence agencies are the most intrusive and insidious influence-merchants on the whole planet. Destroying and subverting governments, poisoning public opinion and demonizing individuals and entire foreign nations is how they operate routinely. The CIA's Operation Mockingbird set up in the 1950s recruited thousands of journalists to work in household news organizations to pump out disinformation to control American public perception, whether it was with regard to justifying illegal wars or covering up assassination of political leaders, including their very own President John F Kennedy. American politicians, military and intelligence are congenitally programmed to pick a war with Russia. The preposterous claims that Russia is attacking American democracy are at bottom dangerous warmongering. The Russiagate ruse is aimed at inciting hatred among the American public towards Russia to view it as an enemy who is "attacking our way of life". The claims are totally untenable and unsustainable from the dearth of evidence. It is a myth concocted by ideologically sick people. Because it is a myth, it is liable to fade from lack of substance. That is why the Russophobia must continually be stoked with new twists in the narrative. Alleged interference in American democracy is mutable with claims of Russia helping the "Syrian regime" drop chemical weapons on civilians; or Russian athletes "cheating" with drugs at the Olympics; or Russian military intelligence targeting critical civilian infrastructure in Western states. The latest twist is particularly odious. To claim that Russia is dancing on the graves of American students and sowing social tensions over the harrowing controversy of guns in US society is a new, despicable low. Finian Cunningham has written extensively on international affairs, with articles published in several languages. He is a Master's graduate in Agricultural Chemistry and worked as a scientific editor for the Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, England, before pursuing a career in newspaper journalism. He is also a musician and songwriter. For nearly 20 years, he worked as an editor and writer in major news media organisations, includingThe Mirror, Irish Times and Independent. (sott.net)
	"Choose a job you love and you will not have to work a day in your life" (Confucius)
	+2

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PUTIN’S CHEF ORDERED RUSSIAN MERCENARIES TO ATTACK U.S. TROOPS IN SYRIA, REPORT CLAIMS

PALESTINIANS SLAM U.S. EMBASSY MOVE PLANNED FOR THEIR DAY OF 'DISASTER'

Mass Media Reaches New Low Stoking Russiaphobia in Wake of Florida School Shooting

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