I’m expected to write something about the Trump administration’s warmongering against Iran over an attack on a Saudi oil refinery, because that’s typically what I do in this ongoing improvisational exercise of mine: I write about the behavior of the US war machine and the propaganda that is used to bolster it. It’s what my readers have come to expect. But honestly I find the whole thing extremely tedious and I’ve been putting off writing about it for two days.
This is because from a propaganda analysis point of view, there’s really not much to write about. The Trump administration has been making bumbling, ham-fisted attempts at manufacturing public support for increasing aggressions against Iran since it initiated withdrawal from the JCPOA a year and a half ago, yet according to a Gallup poll last month Americans still overwhelmingly support diplomatic solutions with Tehran over any kind of military aggression at all. In contrast, most Americans supported a full-scale ground invasion of Iraq according to Gallup polls taken in the lead-up to that 2003 atrocity. With the far less committed Libya intervention, it was 47 percent supportive of US military action versus 37 percent opposed.
That’s the kind of support it takes to get a US war off the ground these days. And it’s going to take a lot more than a busted Saudi oil refinery to get there, even in the completely unproven event that it was indeed Iran which launched the attack.
Donald Trump says he is ready to back Saudi Arabia in a conflict against Iran, if US concluded it was behind oil plant attacks pic.twitter.com/eT2Ki2toGS
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) September 17, 2019
The reason I’m able to spend so much time writing about war propaganda as part of my job is because war propaganda is happening constantly, and the reason war propaganda is happening constantly is because it’s absolutely necessary for the perpetuation of the US-centralized empire’s slow-motion third world war against unabsorbed governments. In other words, the propaganda apparatus of the empire works constantly to manufacture consent for military aggressions because it absolutely requires that consent.
When I say that the imperial war machine requires public consent before it can initiate overt warfare, I’m not saying that the US government is physically or legally restricted from launching a war that the public disapproves of, I’m saying that it is absolutely essential for the drivers of empire to preserve the illusion of freedom and democracy in America. People need to feel like their government is basically acting in everyone’s best interest, and that it is answerable to the will of the electorate, otherwise the illusion of freedom and democracy is shattered and people lose all trust in their government and media. If people no longer trust the political/media class, they can’t be propagandized. Without the ability to propagandize the masses, the empire collapses.
So out of sheer self-interest, establishment power structures necessarily avoid overt warfare until they have successfully manufactured consent for it. If they didn’t do this and chose instead to take off the nice guy mask, say “Screw you we’re doing what we want,” and start butchering Iranians at many times the cost of Iraq in both money and in American lives lost, people would immediately lose trust in their institutions and the narrative matrix which holds the whole thing together would crack open like an egg. From there revolution would become an inevitability as people are no longer being successfully propagandized by the establishment narrative managers into believing that the system is working fine for everyone.
I can't believe that the "US intelligence community's" accusations about a foreign adversary turned out to be not nearly as reliable, certain or definitive as they and the US media originally depicted them to be. Is this the first time in US history this has happened? https://t.co/o5rONYJLEy
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) September 17, 2019
Think about it: why else would the mass media be churning out propaganda about disobedient governments like Iran, Venezuela, Syria, Russia and China if they didn’t need to? They need the citizenry they’re charged with manipulating to consent to important geostrategic imperialist maneuvers, or they’ll break the hypnotic trance of relentless narrative control. And make no mistake, maintaining narrative control is the single highest priority of establishment power structures, because it’s absolutely foundational to those structures.
This is why the warmongers have been favoring economic warfare over conventional warfare; it’s much easier to manufacture support for civilian-slaughtering starvation sanctions. It’s slower, it’s sloppier, and it’s surely a lot less fun for the psychopaths in charge, but because the public will consent to economic sanctions far more readily than ground invasions or air strikes, it’s been the favored method in bringing disobedient governments to their knees. That’s how important manufacturing consent is.
So a bunch of drama around a Saudi oil refinery isn’t going to do the trick. The US government is not going to leap into an all-out war which would inevitably be many times worse than Iraq based on that, because they can’t manufacture consent for it right now. All they’re trying to do is escalate things a bit further with the goal of eventually getting to a point where Iran either caves to Washington’s demands or launches a deadly attack, at which point the US can play victim and the mass media can spend days tearfully running photos of the slain US troops. If that happens they might gain their consent from the public. If not, we may see them get a little more creative with their “crisis initiation“.
Until then this is a whole lot of noise and very little signal, which is why I find this current circus uninteresting to write about. It seems like every week now the Trump administration is trotting out some new narrative with the help of the mass media explaining why the Iranian government is evil and must be toppled, and nobody buys it because it’s on the other side of the damn planet and it’s always about something silly like oil or broken drones. Their unappealing pestering about this is starting to remind me of a really awkward loser who’s constantly asking out the prettiest girl in the office over and over again; you just want to pull him aside and say dude, stop. She’s just not into you.
I think I’m going to stop paying as much attention to these high-noise, low-signal Trump foreign policy dances and wait until I actually see a hard, tangible thing to run commentary on instead, particularly with Iran. With the narrative battle still so far from success it’s entirely likely that such an event will not occur until at least 2021, possibly under a President Warren whose warmongering will be cheered on as a historic victory for women everywhere.
Until then, just remember: they’re trying to manufacture your consent because they need it. So don’t give it to them. Make sure others don’t, either.
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66 responses to “The Trump Administration Is Losing The Narrative Battle Over Iran”
Haha, I wouldn’t say the Trump administration is losing the narrative.
I would stay the establishment is.
I don’t care if this is because Trump is a genius intentionally doing this, or if he’s an incompetent moron and can’t sell the war – either one is positive. I don’t care, and you shouldn’t care, by what mechanism the war machine got halted – it has halted.
I know we’re still in Syria and Afghanistan? Are we bombing it every week like we were under Obama?
I may be eating my words in time, but I sure hope not. If Trump manages to NOT start a new war by the time of the next election, you should consider voting for him based on that success, or lack of success. If he’s an incompetent bozo that is unable to start a new war, who cares? That’s a lot better than we’ve had in the last 4 elections. Vote for results, not promises.
In June 2014 the empire was losing the anti-Russian narrative in Europe about Crimea too. Then MH17 happened and everyone fell into line. We can expect something similar here sometime soon. I agree with Caitlin that the attack on the Saudi refineries isn’t cutting it so watch this space for some major false flag outrage. I fear for the Australian navy in the Gulf.
Trump hired and abetted a war monger.
Trump is constantly threatening acts of war.
Trump is agitating for war.
Walks like a duck, …
Trump making lame (but probably successful) attempt to appear as avoiding war.
While attacking the media, which is (well deserved and) likely to add some votes.
Smacking the Times is the new baby kissing.
If Trump can’t start a new war because of incompetence, or won’t start a new war because of competence – what does it matter?
Results matter.
I can’t see why people don’t understand that. Who cares why? Results are the only thing that matters, and these are precisely the results I’ve been hoping for since Iraq, Desert Storm. 28 years of this bullshit. That’s more than 1/2 my life.
Trump too incompetent to be able to start a new war?
Re-elect him!!!
Trump too smart to start a new war and outmaneuvers all the war mongers?
Re-elect him!!
HOWEVER – if there’s a new war before the next election, abandon him.
Trump doesn’t want a War on Iran, but more importantly, the Pentagon doesn’t either because once it starts it would quickly escalate into WWIII with full Nuclear exchange and the end of the World as we know it. On top of that Tulsi shut him up with one devastating tweet that brought on a “tweetalanche”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Jo8QU2s_5I
https://sputniknews.com/us/201909161076818443-tulsi-gabbard-sparks-tweetalanche-after-accusing-trump-of-acting-like-saudi-arabias-b/
In the end, neither the President, Congress or the Pentagon decides when we go to war. There are more layers underneath that we will never see, that orchestrate the events.
speaking of narrative control, NPR is the worst of all presstitutes. check out its new CEO, John Lansing, and his absolutely shameless hypocrisy from Laura Flanders’s succinct informative article, “from VOA to NPR” at counterpunch 09/17/2019.
Supposedly…. The USA has satellites with cameras that can view a car number plate from outer space. And supposedly can track missiles and areoplanes with Radar.
And supposedly Russia has this technology too…..
So where’s the evidence Iran did anything???
There never is any evidence!
the rulers have no obligation to present their subjects with any “evidence”.
at the same time, they want to pretend that they are mightier than they actually are, toward their subjects, as a way to intimidate and subjugate them.
If they had evidence, you know damned well they would present it. You can assume this is another false flag.
Remember those limpet mines and that grainy video recorded on a 1985’s 7/11 security camera of Iranian’s “secretly” removing them? That was funny.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY4wI1rUsco
Look at the comments.
I love seeing the credibility of my mafia, I mean “government”, being placed where it belongs – in the sewer.
“It’s like déjà vu all over again.” Anyone who doesn’t believe in False Flag attacks please raise your hand… now, use that same hand to slap yourself in the face really hard!
Secretly recorded monologues from a twisted bizarro world in a parallel universe:
Syrian Central Intelligence, Damascus – “What can we possibly do to further escalate U.S. involvement in our U.S. initiated, funded and backed civil rebellion to keep things screwed up even longer in our own country? I know, lets some drop chemical weapons on our own cities and on our own people! That will give the U.S. a good excuse to launch a bunch of cruise missiles into our own cities and own people and maybe even launch a “boots on the ground” attack.” Genius!
Iranian Central Intelligence, Terahn – “Trump didn’t take the bait when we shot down that stealth spy drone and they know we don’t have nukes yet. We also can’t be proven to have any stocks of chemical weapons like Syria does and besides, we would really hate to contaminate anyone’s oil refineries. So what can we possibly do to provoke the “Great Satan” enough to stop pussyfooting around and finally attack and destroy our cities and our people just to prove how evil they truly are? I know, let’s have our remote controlled surrogate desert nomad warriors attack that huge Saudi Oil refinery which the U.S. has pledged to defend. That will give the U.S. a good excuse to launch a bunch of cruise missiles into our own cities and own people and maybe even launch a “boots on the ground” attack.” Genius!
Amazingly enough such bizarro tactics seem to work every time regardless of how inane the basic premises are – so long as the accusations fly ‘fast and furious” enough to stay ahead of any actual facts.
I wonder how many people here are aware that evidence proved that those sarin gas attacks in Syria were also false flags? Yet everyone in our government still blames Assad, who had absolutely no reason or motive to do it.
“Yet everyone in our government still blames Assad”
You do realize what that means, don’t you? Our government is filled with people who are either
1) idiots
2) criminals
3) accomplices
And that’s it. Consider this if you lean left – these are the people that will implement expanded social programs…
“The world is run by psychopaths, pedophiles, and satanists” – David Icke
Party affiliation doesn’t matter. Hillary is every bit as much of a psychopath as Trump is.
Hillary Clinton would have gone to war with Iran by now, and we’d still be bombing Syria regularly.
She’d also be ceaselessly demonizing Russia, and there would be no criticism of our “news” by her, no would we know how corrupt the department of justice is, how corrupt the intelligence agencies are.
So, I respectfully disagree with you. I feel there’s a huge degree of difference between Trump and the Butcher of Libya.
I personally believe either the US or Israel blew up the refineries. Just think how higher oil prices helps the US Shale Industry that has been struggling with low oil prices. Look for a 9/11 type incident to start a war with Iran. I would not be surprised if an Iranian cruise missle sinks a US ship soon. (Nod nod wink wink).
Nothing is ever as it seems.
They’ll get their consensus because essentially each and every single American, even those who have been raped and otherwise abused by their own government, are just exactly like the filthy sociopaths that are running their country. People, Americans have no clue how filthy and disgusting they really are, a merciful God would put them all out of their misery. There will be war.
Your comment is sickening and unjust. You seem to be more exactly what you claim Americans are. And you are a religionist into the bargain, which is even more disgusting. Shame on you.
http://www.johndayblog.com/2019/09/laughing-nervously.html
Hawaii Congresswoman and Democratic presidential hopeful Tulsi Gabbard took a shot at President Donald Trump after he tweeted about the US being “locked and loaded” and ready to respond pending Saudi conclusions on who was responsible for this weekend’s drone attacks against the country’s oil supplies.
Trump: Saudi Arabia oil supply was attacked. There is reason to believe that we know the culprit, are locked and loaded depending on verification, but are waiting to hear from the Kingdom as to who they believe was the cause of this attack, and under what terms we would proceed!
Gabbard: Trump awaits instructions from his Saudi masters. Having our country act as Saudi Arabia’s bitch is not “America First.”
https://sputniknews.com/us/201909161076818443-tulsi-gabbard-sparks-tweetalanche-after-accusing-trump-of-acting-like-saudi-arabias-b/
The US has made impressive, expensive offensive weapons and platforms, which were profitable for the military-industrial-complex. Russia and Iran have long had to find cheap ways to make do and defend themselves from attack, and also to create deterrent’s to attack. US and allies like Saudi Arabia and Israel are having to suddenly come to terms with these capabilities. (No, Mr. President, you don’t want an open war with Iran, nor do your regional allies, now that they see what that might mean.)
Yesterday, during a press conference in Ankara with his Turkish and Iranian colleagues, Putin trolled Saudi Arabia (video @38:20) with a similar offer as he had made to Trump:
Q: Does Russia intend to provide Saudi Arabia with any help or support in restoring its infrastructure?
Putin: As for assisting Saudi Arabia, it is also written in the Quran that violence of any kind is illegitimate except when protecting one’s people. In order to protect them and the country, we are ready to provide the necessary assistance to Saudi Arabia. All the political leaders of Saudi Arabia have to do is take a wise decision, as Iran did by buying the S-300 missile system, and as President Erdogan did when he bought Russia’s latest S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft system. They would offer reliable protection for any Saudi infrastructure facilities.
President of Iran Hassan Rouhani: So do they need to buy the S-300 or the S-400?
Vladimir Putin: It is up to them to decide.
Erdogan, Rouhani and Putin all laughed over this exchange.
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2019/09/how-russian-and-iran-beat-their-opponents-strategies.html#more
Narrative that Houthis attacked refineries and Iran is at fault as source of weapon has implications. Same logic has USA accepting fault for the use of all weapons manufactured here. As by example, those of Saudi despots against the Houthis, and Israeli actions against Palestinians.
There was once an entire country that stood up against the controlled Zionist bankster narrative. That country flourished briefly, until the ruling sociopaths regrouped and rallied the world with an improved controlled narrative to crush the insolent upstart. Today, we speak of that amazing country with utter disdain and loathing, in perfect alignment with the controlled narrative we rallied to beginning 80 years ago, a narrative that is hammered anew into our brains regularly even today by Hollywood films, the mainstream media, and our so-called history books. That is the war propaganda we really need to question, for it is the very foundation of the mind control that still steers us.
Whatever these ” political leaders ” decide to do is out of our control. War, brutality, and conflict is all that they know how to do. It is like a needed drug to them; they can not live without it.
By now, everyone in the world has figured out that Trump is always bluffing.
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Especially now. A US war against Iran would not be a quick easy war. Trump is now 14 months before election day. The last two Presidents have at least pretended to be antiwar while running. Obama’s re-election in 12 got a pass because the opposition was Wall Street Milt. But in 08 and 16, being antiwar was the winning position. This is backed up by polls where the US people have said they wanted to scale down the wars and bring home the troops for well over a decade. It takes a big propaganda push to start a war to even temporarily move those numbers to 50% support, and they haven’t been able to do it since Libya.
And that’s not to mention that Trump is also sunk if the economy drops in the next 14 months, and a war in the Persian Gulf is almost certain to do more than merely ‘drop’ the economy. Unless you read ‘drop’ as being a gansta leaving a body on the ground.
Trump can not start a war right now. To do so would be to firmly call the moving vans to take him back to his favorite resort. Trump could get away with polticially and economically with some sort of quick, symbolic strike that is over in a week. I’d say something like killing Bin Laden, but now Trump has already performed the by now ritual act of a President killing a bin laden to announce a desire to be reelected. Iran has clearly said and demonstrated that they will put up with no such easy, symbolic strikes, so they aren’t available to Trump. In fact, by now, since everyone has figured out that Trump always is obviously bluffing in his declarations, no leader would ever buckle now without pushing Trump to worry about a larger war that scuppers Trump’s future plans for himself.
Please do not stop calling out the Commander In Chief’s and the mainstream media’s warmonger propaganda and slander against Iran. Independent, critical, and humanistic analyses is rare. No matter how obvious and/or boring, we need the Truth Tellers to always and forever speak truth to power- if for the mere purpose of creating a revisionist historical written record challenging the empire’s lies/fake news/propaganda drumming for endless wars, genocide, and ecocide. I fear that it’s too easy for people to inadvertently or not fall into insulated and ignorant echo chambers with social media addictions/monopolies nowadays. Thank you for all of the intelligent and excellent writing, the truth-telling, that you do.
I recommend the World Socialist Web Site if you haven’t discovered it already. http://www.wsws.org
The Sad thing is that our tweeting POTUS is a twit,he knows no facts,does not care for truth,spent his life as a con man who would start buisness,if it did not give him the profits he wanted,he would destroy it in one way or another,the whole time screwing or suing anyone that he could ( and still make a profit. The same that he has been doing to the US,make no mistake he has been destroying it,doing a very,very ,very good job of it),This man is a clown puppet of the GOP, the GOP are the clown puppets of those that control the world, trump knows that war creates profit, this is a fact for thousands of years,so in the twits mind,start a war,for any reason,The Bush war machine got the ball rolling( with lies and fake bullshit to get the US behind a war and take away our liberties)so that we are in constant war all the time,18 years now,oh how the profiteers love this,none of them care of the death and destruction, just another buisness venture.thank you trump for doing all you can to turn the US into a world class shithole.Try being human instead of a physco.You have proven to the world you are a nut job.Your legacy will be that if a complete nincompoop.tweet till you drop,no one cares and you are a has been.
Emperor of Nero of Rome is remembered by history.
With Trump’s buddy lighting the Amazon on fire for fun and profit, the analogy to fiddling while the world burns will also be how Trump is ‘remembered’.
I for one have no faith in the American people to see through the bullshit. they believe whatever they want to with little regard for the facts.
I’m American, and unfortunately, I agree with you. My biology professor last year has a son in the Air Force, and he would angrily spit blind hatred and Muslim-phobic demonizations against Iran in the middle of lecture. The warmongering and prejudiced brainwashing is happening from all directions, even from science professors.
Scientists are among the most gullible, despite their “advanced” education. They’re still promoting Darwinism as scientific dogma, when it’s just a theory with plenty of holes in it and no hard physical evidence to support it. They are also going to be the last people on earth to realize that extraterrestrials have been visiting longer than humans have been here. They keep looking 100’s of light years away for signs of intelligent life, when they’re already living among us.
Stan Mark is among the most gullible humans because he has little education and loathes those that do. He prefers to focus on tiny holes presented by conspiracy theorists rather than the massive physical evidence for theory of evolution accepted by 99% of scientists.
“educated” can be a euphemism for “programmed.”
Remember when 99% of the scientists thought that the sun revolved around the earth and they imprisoned people who disagreed? We’re not in the age of enlightenment yet. They’re still claiming that eating saturated fat causes heart disease.
No they’re not. However, your brain might be an interesting study in discovering how insanity takes over the mind.
Spoken just like a scientist!
You are a wonderful example for everyone here. This is a great place for you to post.
The last two presidents have gotten elected by being against the wars, at least in some fashion. The obvious warmongers like McCain and Hillary were unpopular with Americans.
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The very fact that they work so hard at promoting this narrative, and spend fortunes to do so says very quickly that they feel that if they don’t make an extreme effort then the American people will clearly see through the bs. The bs wouldn’t exist if they didn’t feel that deep in their bones.
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The fact that Trump is in the WH is a sign that the American people do not always do what their media tells them to do. The media clearly wanted Hillary to win, but the people didn’t go along with that either.
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The American people have clearly been getting more and more out of control during this long era of endless wars. Both the Obama and Trump elections were over the objections of Media, who in both cases said Hillary was the preferred choice. And the Occupy movement had to be crushed quickly as it was showing signs of getting out of control. And Media keeps saying over and over again that someone like Bernie simply can not be elected, but still people see through that bs as well and keep disobeying.
Please keep in mind that the attack on the oil-processing facility occured on Sept 14. Today is Sept. 17 — only three days later. It takes some time for the US propaganda machine to build up to full steam ahead. Consent for yet another war must be carefully manufactured. IMO, we haven’t seen anything yet — nothing like we’re going to see in the upcoming months.
..
For example, it took months from Bush the First’s statement that Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait “could not stand” to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJ6qpFpIFkY
..
This time, for this latest in a very long line of US wars, there may very well be no such announcement. This war may very well be a war conducted “in the dark”, “under the radar” of US citizens’ ability to observe, just as many of the US’s persent wars are conducted in secret. If Iran or Russia or China complain about attacks being conducted on Iranian oil infrastructure and US “authorities” are asked about it, their reply might very well be that “we don’t discuss potential foreign US military activities in public.”
..
In possible preparation for this attack, in April of this year, with the stroke of his pen, Trump designated Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as a foreign terrorist organization. This designation has quite possibly set the stage for the AUMF to almost certainly be cited as the legal justification for conducting the latest phase of the US’s perpetual “war on terror” (war to maintain the hegemony of the USD).
..
Once again with feeling, the US, like Germany in the late 1930s, is not politically capable of stopping itself. Unfortunately, the behavior of the US govt and its military forces will have to be stopped by outside forces.
Indeed, Trump/CIA/Mossad don’t need to continue their false flags of #BlameIran as their usual modis operandi for their Zionist/capitalist-imperialist wars, re: stealing oil/gas (gold and silver bars, included). Having recently designated the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as “terrorists” is pretext enough for the Pax Americana genocidal War On Terror(TM).
The time from Bush’s ‘can not stand’ statement to the actual beginning of mass bombing was because the time was needed to ship hundreds of thousands of US ground troops and heavy tanks from bases in Europe and the USA to Saudi Arabia. And, back then there was really very little for the propaganda to do. I was an antiwar activist back then, and polls showed about 85% of people were backing Bush just because a president said we needed a war and that was all everyone needed to hear in order to agree. I remember, because while this was billed as “everyone” being in favor of the war, I took heart in the 15% who said no even in the midst of a mob rushing off to war. Even when mob feeling was running high, 1 in 6 still opposed war. In short, the propaganda campaign didn’t need nearly that much time. The time was to put troops and tanks on slow ships and send them to the other side of the world. The propaganda campaign actually was probably wishing war would come sooner and was having to work hard to keep up the war fever while the ships slowly chugged across the oceans. When the war actually begun, the attitude of the propagandists was to say “Finally!!!”
Anybody, anywhere on the planet, that takes the word of the United States government or its tame pets in the mainstream propaganda ministry as good coin deserves the shock that will be coming to them when it all falls apart. The first thing to do is to stop listeing to Corporate Network News or National Pentagon Radio. In fact, get rid of your television, which is one of the most effective brainwashing machines in the world. I got rid of mine 8 years ago and now, if I even watch 30 seconds of MSM, I can feel brain cells begin to die. Start seeking out alternative sources for news, including especially news from other countries. RT is good for that. Please, educate yourselves, people!
They don’t even make a moderately convincing argument.
They just go through the motions – Powell waving his urine sample.
I don’t believe that Caitlin is correct in this regard – they do not have to convince the american public of anything, they will accept it on faith. But it seems they feel they need to act like they care. For now.
America has gone full psychopath and with a headless government.
Please stop making excuses for us.
To paraphrase what Tom Hartmann said on his radio program this morning, Trump totally misunderstands (or ignores) the U.S. Constitution when he says that he is “locked and loaded” to go to war with Iran if the Saudis attack Iran. The power to declare war resides in the Congress, not in MBS.
MBS must mean master of bullshit,trump wears this crown.
Last exercised on Dec. 8th, 1941.
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In recent times, Cheney and Dubya thought of starting the Iraq War without Congress, but were persuaded that they did need at least some sort of constitutional fig leaf of an authorization vote. Obama also declared that he didn’t need congress to approve his Libyan adventure. He was trying to do the same in Syria, but was again persuaded that he did need a congressional vote. When congress’ phone lines were flooded with voices opposing yet another war, Obama abandon his plans to vote on Syria. He cancelled the big attack the military obviously had planned at that time. But he didn’t stop fighting in Syria, and there was both the aid to the jihadists and the physical invasion of American boots on the ground inside Syria without any congressional mandates. Trump has of course just ignored that part of the constitution, building on Obama’s stance.
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The last time Congress voted an actual declaration of war was against Japan on Dec, 8, 1941. The last even fig leaf ‘authorization’ that I can recall was when Hillary, Biden, and others supported the vote for the Iraq War in 2002-3.
When in the last 50 years has that fact made the slightest bit of difference, starting with the Korean War?
False flag attack? Either way, American oil producers are rejoicing about the spike in the price.
The continued silence on this:
Trump’s decision last week to block victims of Dorian in the Bahamas from receiving Temporary Protection Status (TPS), Klein warned, is a telling signal that Trump—whether he states it publicly or not—knows full well what the implications are if the designation of protection was available to the world’s growing population of climate refugees. Currently, TPS designation is reserved for those fleeing “natural” disasters and war zones, but does not have a classification for people fleeing homelands or regions forever lost to climate destruction.
(https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/09/17/goddamn-terrifying-time-be-alive-naomi-klein-explains-why-global-green-new-deal)
is indication of the effectiveness of manufacture of consent in the USA USA USA.
Such coldhearted people have made the world a tinderbox and the effectiveness of mind-numbing consciousness will dissipate as the world burning becomes hotter. (https://phys.org/news/2019-09-earth-quickly-climate.html )
All it takes to be a leader is someone dumb enough to follow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozBVguR5lrA
The truth is that the western world is not able to defend itself anymore in a war and somehow, the people acknowledge that.
The western world is very different if you compare to 2003. Today, the western world is decadent and weak.
The western world of today is similar to the world in the days of Noah. It means that the Second Coming of Jesus is very near and I pray the Rosary to hasten His Glorious Return because I have really really seen enough bullshit.
I’ve always supported the coming of The Rapture, because I’ve always believed that the world would be a much better place sans Christians.
Blimey,
I can tell that you have clearly seen wreckage of airplanes into the Pentagone and into a field in Pennsylvania on 9/11 and that your religion is probably the government and the mainstream medias.
I will pray the Rosary for you.
911 was an inside job — not perpetrated by Islamic radicals. what are you doing here if you still believe that lie?
911 was an inside job — not perpetrated by Islamic radicals. what are you doing here if you still believe that lie?
Actually i think we’ve gone past the propaganda blood-brain barrier. As with Caitlin–people are losing interest in their [the Inner Party] narrative–to many false false flags that don’t add up–to many wars for Israel [not an ally but an occupying enemy]–to many compromised politicians–and then there was Jeffrey Epstein.
We all knew who he was and what he was up to. He had the dibs on everyone, who was anyone. He could have brought the deep state down. There he was in a correctional institution– in the heart of the city that was host to the 9/11 global machinations. And they just went in there–as most of the propagandized public feared–and removed him–in board daylight.
What impact did that have–other than removing the obvious threat. It literally forced Caitlin and people like Caitlin–out of the narrative business. What did O’Brien tell Winston in Orwell’s prescient novel 1984: ” The second thing for you to realize is that power is power over human beings. Over the body but, above all, over the mind. Power over matter — external reality, as you would call it — is not important. Already our control over matter is absolute.”
Epstein–was the straw that broke the camel’s back–because–of the blatancy of the crime: No narrative, no propaganda, they just disappeared him and removed any semblance of rationality. It was a collective slap in the face–the rich and powerful will never have to grovel in front of the lesser man–they are above the law–and now–if they can just get our guns [the last refuge of a man’s sovereignty] they will have us where they want us [as with the many countries they have destroyed]–without the means to defend ourselves.
If you really want to find out what’s going on–read Orwell’s “white book”–incredibly prescient–almost to the point of a type of “remote viewing” of the future. We are right on cue–Is the Donald one of them [sure looks that way] or is he doing the rope-a-dope–we will know sooner or later.
Meanwhile–as we get closer to the truth on 9/11 [AE911Truth]–prepare yourselves for Israel’s next 2nd act.
Rage,rage, against the dying of the light!
Well said and spot on. Every recent American war/invasion in the Near East and North Africa was penned for Netanyahu in 1998, AKA: the American-Israeli neocon psychopathic think-tank: The Project for the New American Century. (PNAC). The Pentagon is Wall Street’s and mainly Israel’s bitch; its neocolonial, white-supremacist (whether Zionist or Evangelical), and apartheid war machine, American Main Street, be damned.
Sometimes politicians say things that are pure champaign (sic) and should be savored.
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Gabbard ramps up Trump criticism: ‘We are not prostitutes. You are not our pimp’
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https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/461729-gabbard-ramps-up-trump-criticism-we-are-not-prostitutes-you-are-not-our
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.@realDonaldTrump Despicable. Offering to place our military assets under the command of a foreign country—Saudi Arabia—is a disgrace and betrayal of my patriotic brothers and sisters in uniform and to our Constitution. We are not your prostitutes. You are not our pimp. pic.twitter.com/Cu1OewEMOC
— Tulsi Gabbard (@TulsiGabbard) September 16, 2019
ps.
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This Green Voter – me – was for a very long time a very big fan of Gabbard. However, lately, I have taken a step back as she may be “controlled opposition”. Still considering.
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By the way, is anyone else getting this today, more than usual:
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“The connection has timed out
The server at caitlinjohnstone.com is taking too long to respond.”
“F-35 Saudi Attacks after Putin Smackdown” > today’s FF tripwire > “Breathtaking: Solving Nuclear 9/11” > WTC vaporization declassified > both at > VeteransToday(.)com
You talk of war propaganda but propaganda flows from the established oligarchy every single day. Just look at the huge campaign to separate people and divide opposition. Political correctness (weaponized politeness) identity politics and multi- culturalism are all designed to create division.
When the Elites deployed Freud’s understandings against the population it produced huge profits for them.
Atomic bombs could destroy us all but we know that powerful factions in the gov seeking just that – and believe they will prevail. But there was another “atomic bomb” which has caused even more suffering than war, the propaganda aimed at our yearnings, our desires, the private space of our minds. The unseen “silent government” of propaganda – very sophisticated propaganda from multiple sources – a fire hose of propaganda aimed at us all.
I lived outside the us for about 15 years and when I returned it was dramatic the fire hose of propaganda from which it is almost impossible to escape.
But at least Warren will make sure that it is a “green” intervention!
I love how everyone thinks there is a diplomatic solution to the U.S. Iran conflict. There is no diplomatic solution. Either Iran allows themselves to be subjected by the U.S. / Israel war machine, or they will be invaded. The whole task of the Trump administration state department is to bring the American people up to speed on the idea that diplomacy has failed and that invasion is, “unfortunately,” the only option Iran has left for U.S. / Israel to take.
You nailed it. I was in grad school, re: Middle East Studies in NYC in 2002/2003, and witnessed Middle East “experts”/professors in full-on denial that Bush Jr (Cheney/Rumdfeld) was going to engage in “pre-eminent war” against the sovereign state of Iraq, first because it was absolutely illegal. Second, the entire frickin world protested against the “shock and awe” invasion of already Clinton sanction-starved/genocided Iraq.
not really. He isn’t good at it, so he can’t be said to be a master.
You have to do what they don’t want you to do. Don’t vote Rep or Dem and don’t support the military. There’s nothing honorable about “serving”.