I have said it before, and I will say it again, and I will keep saying it and saying it until it becomes mainstream conventional wisdom: it is the US intelligence community’s job to lie to you.
In an article for The Nation dated July 11, the internationally renowned US-Russia relations expert Stephen F. Cohen warned of possible attempts by peace-hating beltway stalwarts to sabotage the Helsinki peace talks between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin that is scheduled for this coming Monday.
“There is a long history of sabotaging or attempting to sabotage summits and other détente-like initiatives,” wrote Cohen. “Indeed, a few such attempts have been evident in recent months and more may lie ahead.”
And, lo and behold, right before the summit we are seeing two major news stories loudly promoting Russia hysteria blasted onto the front pages on the very same day.
An indictment of 12 Russians has finally been issued by the Robert Mueller Special Counsel on various charges of conspiracy against the United States, an action the counsel has been sitting on for months. The indictment contains no evidence and will likely never be defended in any court of law, the correct response to which, in a post-Iraq invasion world, is always to dismiss the story and file it under “Noises US government officials sometimes make with their face holes.”
New on MoA:
No Evidence In Mueller's Indictment Of 12 Russians – Release Now May Sabotage Upcoming Summithttps://t.co/dmPiAqw9OP pic.twitter.com/rbE78HuhEE— Moon of Alabama (@MoonofA) July 13, 2018
The complete absence of evidence has of course failed to deter establishment propagandists and Capitol Hill war whores from loudly and aggressively advancing the galaxy-brained narrative that these new claims ought to either cancel peace talks between two nuclear superpowers, or at least make them much more hostile and contentious.
“President Trump must be willing to confront Putin from a position of strength and demonstrate that there will be a serious price to pay for his ongoing aggression towards the United States and democracies around the world,” said Senator John McCain in a statement, more determined than ever to start World War Three before he finally fucking dies. “If President Trump is not prepared to hold Putin accountable, the summit in Helsinki should not move forward.”
“POTUS should either publicly demand extradition of these 12 Russian officials to stand trial or call off his summit,” tweeted Congressman Joe Kennedy III. “@realDonaldTrump should not lend legitimacy to an adversary that attacks our democracy.”
“There are now criminal indictments confirming #RussianHacking and efforts to disrupt the ballot box,” tweeted virulent Russiagater and California Representative Eric Swalwell. “If @realDonaldTrump is unwilling to confront Putin over this on Monday, he should cancel his trip.”
These and many other pleas against peace have been emanating at maximum volume from both sides of the political aisle in DC, and by both sides of the political divide in the mass media as well. Fox News has been just as busy promoting the hawkish demands of neoconservative Republicans like McCain and Lindsey Graham as outlets like MSNBC and the Washington Post have been promoting the same demands from Democrats. As we learned in the lead up to the Iraq invasion, whenever you see all mass media outlets converge upon a single narrative, it’s time to crank your skepticism levels up to eleven.
Whenever you see Fox News joining in with Dem-aligned media to promote the same foreign policy narrative, it's time to to kick your skepticism levels into high gear. pic.twitter.com/Pw2n3PAgBx
— Caitlin Johnstone (@caitoz) July 14, 2018
On the same day as all this drama erupted, Dan Coats (who replaced the lying, Russophobic Russiagate architect James Clapper as America’s top intelligence officer at the beginning of this administration) has declared that the warning signs of future Russian cyberattacks are akin to the warnings received prior to the September 11 attacks. Because if history has taught us anything, it’s that there’s absolutely nothing to worry about when US government officials start invoking 9/11 to warn us about a nation that had nothing to do with it.
The always sleazy New York Times reports the following:
The nation’s top intelligence officer said on Friday that the persistent danger of Russian cyberattacks today was akin to the warnings the United States had of stepped-up terror threats ahead of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
That note of alarm sounded by Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence, came on the same day that 12 Russian agents were indicted on charges of hacking the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. Mr. Coats said those indictments illustrated Moscow’s continuing strategy to undermine the United States’ democracy and erode its institutions.
“The warning lights are blinking red again,” Mr. Coats said as he cautioned of cyberthreats. “Today, the digital infrastructure that serves this country is literally under attack.”
Coming just days ahead of President Trump’s meeting with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, Mr. Coats’s comments demonstrate the persistent divisions within the administration on Russia — and on how hard a line senior administration officials should take with Moscow on its cyberspace activities.
Ken Dilanian is an actual, literal CIA asset who maintains a prestigious career in mainstream news media despite this known fact. These are the types who are pushing "Russia! Russia!" narratives. https://t.co/9e7B7rstSz https://t.co/ZV7te6wqhV
— Caitlin Johnstone (@caitoz) July 14, 2018
So once again Trump is being pressured by all his political enemies, and even his ostensible allies in conservative media, to escalate tensions with Russia in a way that just so happens to advance intelligence community agendas against that nation which have been in place since the fall of the Soviet Union. And all of the evidence being used to substantiate the claims used to create that pressure? Why, they just so happen to come from that same intelligence community.
Stephen Cohen isn’t psychic, he’s just been watching trends and behavioral patterns in US-Russia relations for decades, and noticing the headlines in plutocrat-owned media about the approaching peace talks. These headlines include this one from London’s The Times, which I swear I am not making up: “Fears grow over prospect of Trump ‘peace deal’ with Putin”. That header gets better every time you read it; eventually you’re just flipping back and forth between the words “fear” and “peace” and marveling at your skull’s remarkable ability to keep your head from exploding. Other brilliant headlines include “In Meeting With Putin, Experts Fear Trump Will Give More Than He Gets” by the New York Times, “Trump hopes he and Putin will get along. Russia experts worry they will” by the Washington Post, and “Trump Will Finally Meet With Putin Next Month. That Should Terrify You” by Mother Jones.
Just serious people pushing for NATO war against Russia. Nothing to see here. https://t.co/EBy6d1O6ZV
— Yasha Levine (@yashalevine) July 14, 2018
This notion that we should all be worried, terrified and literally shaking that two nuclear superpowers might ease tensions between one another is so Rick and Morty alternate dimension bass ackwards it’s amazing that it’s been able to stick to the extent that it has, but that just shows you the power of mass media propaganda. The social engineers are so adept that self-identified progressives can be made to cheer for the FBI, self-identified nationalists can be made to cheer for neoconservative regime change agendas against Iran, and self-identified liberals can literally be made to fear a movement away from the possibility of nuclear holocaust.
Since cold wars per definition depend on non-military maneuverings, a much greater emphasis is necessarily placed on psyops and mass media propaganda than in a conventional hot war. Remain skeptical of everything you hear about Russia at all times, because I will say it again: it is the US intelligence community’s job to lie to you.
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23 responses to “Two Big “Russia! Russia!” Stories Released Days Before Trump-Putin Summit”
War is peace. Freedom is slavery. It seems that we’ve all heard this someplace before.
Not only are all the reasons for ‘Russia Fear,’ stated in your article, apply, but there is one additional that almost certainly applies. The more accusations we toss at Russia, the easier it becomes to justify or hide the fact that we are most certainly doing to Russia, exactly what we accuse them of doing to us.
Russia interfered, or allegedly tried to interfere, with the rigging of our election. Shame!
Caitlin, your writing is amazingly good, inpiring even. Thanks.
The Yankee game plan revealed.
By the way, why are America’s leaders termed ‘Yankees’?
Because they do it by themselves, for themselves, in secret!
Pinpoint Example: Compromised, Sold Out and Joined In — “The Real [Cough] News”
https://therealnews.com/stories/has-mueller-caught-the-hackers
“And it pretty much lays out the story we told in Russian Roulette with some interesting new details that firm up the clear evidence linking Russian military intelligence to the attack on the American election.”
“The social engineers are so adept that self-identified progressives can be made to cheer.”
In direct relation, beyond Mother Jones, almost every other so-called Liberal and/or Progressive outlet (and voice) has forsaken their previous (supposed) independence from (wholly controlled) MSM Narratives – including The Real News, The Intercept, Common Dreams, and, inducing reactionary vomit, even Senators Warren and Sanders.
Ahead of Trump-Putin Summit, Rosenstein Announces Criminal Indictments Against 12 Russian Military Officers for 2016 Election Hacking https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/07/13/ahead-trump-putin-summit-rosenstein-announces-criminal-indictments-against-12
After Russian Indictments, Sanders Says Trump Must Tell Putin ‘We Will Not Allow You to Interfere in Our Democratic Processes’ https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/07/13/after-russian-indictments-sanders-says-trump-must-tell-putin-we-will-not-allow-you
Regardless of any level of obvious Shame: “Have You No Sense of Decency, Sir?”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8llS0ZkLVGA
Reconsider this quote from 2016 (within a Common Dreams article, before it totally succumbed), for it should remind you of worldwide WMD hoaxes, world stage Lies, and the extent that some will go to in order to advance a predetermined agenda (after the directed Coup/Regime Change in Ukraine, which was a premeditated precursor to a goal of Regime Change in Russia): “I have watched incredulous as the CIA’s blatant Lie has grown and grown as a media story – blatant because the CIA has made no attempt whatsoever to substantiate it. There is no Russian involvement in the leaks [not hacks] of emails showing Clinton’s corruption.” “Craig Murray, the former UK ambassador to Uzbekistan . . . called the CIA claims ‘bullshit,’ adding: ‘They are absolutely making it up.’” http://www.commondreams.org/views/2016/12/12/cias-absence-conviction
Also note that Wikipedia has compromised its entire integrity; it was a “Revolution,” not a supported and fomented Coup (as proved by the leaked call from Victoria Nuland https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WV9J6sxCs5k ): 2014 Ukrainian revolution https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Ukrainian_revolution
A Disgustung Summary: MSNBC GUESTS ATTACKING GLENN GREENWALD AS ‘KREMLIN AGENT’ PROVE HIS ARGUMENT ABOUT MSNBC https://shadowproof.com/2018/07/09/msnbc-guests-attacking-glenn-greenwald-as-kremlin-spy-prove-his-argument/
And Never Forget: The aide said that guys like me were ‘in what we call the reality-based community,’ which he defined as people who ‘believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality.’ […] ‘That’s not the way the world really works anymore,’ he continued. ‘We’re an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you’re studying that reality—judiciously, as you will—we’ll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that’s how things will sort out. We’re history’s actors . . . and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.’ https://seaclearly.com/2017/11/06/networked-narratives-world-be-damned/
Clarification: “Disgustung” noted instead of “Disgusting” in order to highlight the reality of Glenn Greenwald being “Stung,” or set up, for a predetermined/pre-written McCarthyistic attack by MSNBC.
This agitprop indictment will pass life into the numerous morons in the MSM (especially the Washington Post, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal) to continue their insipid Russophobia rants based on illusions.
Unfortunately their lying narratives will end up inside Americans heads as ‘thinking’.
I can see what’s coming : Everyone’s air-conditioning will go off for an extended period this weekend , with the blame placed on Russian cyber-masters , and all Americans , including me , will finally agree that we should just go ahead and nuke Russia , whether they’re guilty or not.
.
Just please turn the damn AC back on , STAT!
This story, ironically is comforting. For a second I felt alone in my disgust at what is an obvious ploy to maintain strategic belligerent tension, strategic not from a security perspective but from one much more kleptocratic. Unfortunately, the mass propaganda machine people think of as the media has its drums beating at full fervor. Thanks Caitlin and thank you too commentators who make me realize that I am not alone in my depressing wakefulness.
Red lights flashing and sirens sounding danger of new 911 reminds me of the Monster from the Id attacking the Krell in “Forbidden Planet.” https://youtu.be/SAMM8Ju4-24. Red lights really signifying danger of a new false flag Pearl Harbor orchestrated by our own hidden warmonger side like the original 911, if Trump goes forward and doesn’t hector Putin like a schoolboy at the summit for supposed aggression, or call for extradition, that doesn’t meet international law standards.
Another instance of war lovers’ continuing pattern of provocations scuttling peace efforts, reminiscent of that which began when Ike tried to approach Khrushchev for lasting detente just before Gary Power’s U2 was conveniently shot down on leaked radar data in 1959, canceling the summit.
If the US can’t even extradite Snowdon from Russia under existing international extradition treaties, how much chance does anyone realistically think the US can extradite Soviet military officials for these alleged teenage cyberpranks which admittedly had no effect on the election?
Check this out for some interesting insight over who was really hacking the voting process.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxpfmCp2Z9VPTO7eWV6ebzQ
Derrrr ?
And Highway Departments mission is to build roads.
Cause people use roads to justify their enslavement to the state.
Why do you think the state puts so much design work and pour so much money into so many road? Even designing their own font, Clearview, and use the best hot galvanized steel and aluminum in their signage to last a thousand years… the state’s presence, everywhere… you don’t have to walk far before you meet asphalt and road signs imposing their dominance over what was once pristine Indian land for anyone to lay their head on at night…
Because if they didn’t give you roads back for your slavery, to drive endlessly in circles, anarchy would look damn appealing.
That’s insane, dude.
I find it hard to believe that you think it’s a good idea for Trump to meet with Putin behind closed doors and with no other Americans present. It stinks.
I also find it hard to believe that McCain is set on having a WWIII “before he dies.”
Why is Russia hacking such a big deal? Everyone does it, from local hackers to the NSA/CIA, and every nation on earth. It’s no secret, and it is all illegal. Why is it that only one, Russia, is the subject of controversy?
And what great hacking it was! …allegedly wising up Americans to the truth of the dirty deeds the Clinton Democrats were doing that they didn’t want any of us to know. They spoiled the Dems’ con waking us up, how dare they? We should be thanking the Russians for engaging in a valuable public service exposing the mainstream coverup, like RT, not threatening them. It’s not like it was propaganda or lies. It was the Truth! That’s what they can’t seem to get over.
And with MSM blatantly lying about and covering-up serious issues on a daily basis. Did not the MSM interfere in the erection?
Russia interfered, or allegedly tried to interfere, with the rigging of our election. Shame!
Perfect. That is it in a nut shell.
They have been friggin with the riggin. It is alleged.