The mass media are reporting that the Biden camp has selected former general Lloyd J. Austin III to be the next secretary of defense, assuaging fears among antiwar activists that the position would go to bloodthirsty psychopath Michele Flournoy as commonly predicted.
As has become the standard ritual for Biden’s cabinet picks, the mass media are holding a parade to celebrate the fact that Austin would be the first Black chief of the US war machine while virtually ignoring the murderous agendas he has facilitated throughout his career. As head of Central Command Austin actively campaigned to resurrect the Pentagon’s spectacularly failed program of trying to arm “rebels” in Syria to fight ISIS, and in 2014 he backed immunity for US troops from war crimes prosecutions by the government of Afghanistan. He helped spearhead the Iraq invasion, and he is a member of the same private equity fund which invests in defense contractors as Flournoy and Biden’s warmongering pick for Secretary of State Tony Blinken.
Breaking News: Joe Biden plans to tap retired Gen. Lloyd Austin to be his defense secretary. He would be the first African-American to lead the Pentagon. https://t.co/3Tfq1spY3l
— The New York Times (@nytimes) December 8, 2020
Austin is also a member of the board of directors for the war profiteering corporation Raytheon, where he went immediately after his military career. Raytheon spends millions of dollars a year actively lobbying the US government to advance policies which are beneficial to the multibillion-dollar arms manufacturing giant, which of course means lobbying for military expansionism and interventionism. The previous Secretary of Defense Mark Esper also worked for Raytheon, working for years as one of the top corporate lobbyists in DC under the position “Vice President for Government Relations“.
And you know what? I say why not.
Seriously, why not? Why shouldn’t the head of the US murder machine come from a corporation which has made billions of dollars facilitating war crimes in Yemen? Why shouldn’t the most depraved and bloodthirsty regime on this planet have its depravity and bloodshed advanced by a professional war profiteer? The mass military slaughter of the US and its allies has only ever been about power and profit, so why not be honest about it?
Hell, why stop there? Why not make Raytheon itself the Secretary of Defense? Didn’t the Supreme Court rule that corporations are people anyway? Make Raytheon the Secretary of Defense, make Boeing Secretary of State, make Goldman Sachs the Secretary Treasurer, make ExxonMobil the head of the EPA, make Amazon the CIA Director and Google the Director of National Intelligence. Then you’d have a completely honest face on the head of the US empire.
The person Biden has reportedly picked to lead the Department of Defense is on the board of Raytheon, a key supplier of bombs to the U.S.-Saudi war in Yemen that has lobbied aggressively in opposition to curbs on arms sales to the Saudi-led coalition. https://t.co/vAVTwIRp8S pic.twitter.com/IfmCiEpTRr
— Sarah Lazare (@sarahlazare) December 8, 2020
It’s absolutely insane that our world is being dominated by war profiteers who actively push for more violence and bloodshed because they make money selling the weapons used to perpetrate it. It’s no less evil than if plutocrats were cruising the world murdering people and selling their skins for money; the same number of people would be killed for the same profit incentive, yet people who would recoil in horror at that idea pay no mind to the fact that functionally the same thing is happening with corporate powers like Raytheon.
The only difference between the US war machine and a band of armed crooks murdering people for money is that the US war machine does it at a far greater scale. As long as that’s going on there’s no reason to pretend otherwise. Hopefully people start looking past the smiley faced mask of the empire and begin opening their eyes to the blood-spattered face beneath it.
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58 responses to “Biden Picks Raytheon Board Member To Lead The US War Machine”
A Christmas present from AE 9/11 Truth. They won’t give up, and bless them for it.
https://www.ae911truth.org/news/721-new-film-seven-available-today-on-multiple-streaming-platforms
Don’t have time to watch it now, but thanks for the link Newton. For four or five years after 9/11/01 I took the narrative at face value. If I had ever heard of building 7 the memory was gone.Then I started reading and commenting on blogs and started watching videos of the towers disintegrating before my eyes and came the realization that I was denying what I was seeing.
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I’ve asked several people close to me, not long ago, how many buildings collapsed on 911 and they all said two. Sadly, that’s probably what most people still think.
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Yes, bless the, over 3000, licensed professional architects and engineers and scientists of AE 9/11 Truth for their dogged pursuit of truth and their undeniable courage.
The truth is no longer hiding. People are hiding from the truth.
Could have been worse with Michele Flournoy as Defense Secretary.
Guess that is similar to saying Biden is little better than Trump, not by much.
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2020/12/china-hawks-outraged-about-bidens-defense-nominee.html
So, what we’re saying here is that Raytheon stock should be trending bullish?
My guess is that it is futile to discuss anything politicians and mainstream media people say or do.
When you listen to mainstream media people these days about the pandemic for example, it gives the impression that you are listening to demons from hell.
My guess is that all those people are under the control of evil spirits of some sort.
Keeping my Rosary on hand!
Dont know what is worse programs or commercials. Watch the blatant social programming in commercials. It is sickening.
Alison McDowell has a new post up at Wrench In The Gears:
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https://wrenchinthegears.com/2020/12/08/how-will-you-choose-to-resist-digital-slavery-an-inquiry-into-spirit-and-patriotism/
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“White people are not exceptional; we are expendable. That is what the Fourth Industrial Revolution is in the process of ushering in. The civil rights we thought we had are about to be superseded by a digital wallet of “rights” and “privileges” governed by blockchain smart contracts. Everyone will be a data commodity – a digital brand – white, black, brown, or indigenous. Those in power will seek to play us off against one another, and sadly it seems to be working well for them so far.”
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“We have to attain clarity about our past, about what really happened, in order to advocate for a future where the lives of ALL humans are cherished as sovereign, natural beings, not debt instruments. In my heart I know we can’t go forward until we look back. We must look back with intention to set things right and start down the path towards collective healing.”
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“Land theft, fraud, and slavery were the norm with the Constitution in place. The Constitution did not protect Harriet Tubman, nor did it protect Sitting Bull. The Constitution was not written for them. To our “enlightened” leaders they only mattered as objects in so far as they could be controlled for the financial gain of those in power. Now, with the dawning of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, it is our turn to walk in their footsteps, and it’s scary.”
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“In the face of this terror it perhaps feels easier to hold onto myth rather than venture out and create a new reality; even though what we most need right now is a NEW reality. We’re either going to accept one imposed on us by Davos or fight for our own vision. Therefore it is vital that we critically reflect on the ideals of American “liberty” and “freedom” that have been embedded in our consciousness as we go forth.”
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“In order to follow the path towards collective liberation, we must be willing to face up to our past. We can’t sweep it under the rug. We can’t pretend it doesn’t matter. It matters. And yet we must not let shame paralyze us into inaction. Let it put a fire in our belly to walk the road towards freedom in deference to those who have been living this struggle for centuries.”
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Top politicians and state officials are only puppets of the super-wealthy elite. New faces in the White House and state offices make no difference! REALLY AND TRULY!!!!!
A perfect choice to ensure that U.S, imperialism – worst in mankind’s history – continues during warmonger Biden’s term
How many times is this program going to tell me that the captcha wasn’t entered properly.? Someone needs to fix the software. I clicked on it, got a green check mark and clicked on ‘post comment.’ This is my third try – and it keeps happening on posts. Fix it.
Oops. Fourth try, but the software is corrupted. This is my fifth and last try.
A perfect choice to ensure that U.S, imperialism – worst in mankind’s history – continues during warmonger Biden’s term
How many times is this program going to tell me that the captcha wasn’t entered properly.? Someone needs to fix the software. I clicked on it, got a green check mark and clicked on ‘post comment.’ This is my third try – and it keeps happening on posts. Fix it.
A perfect choice to ensure that U.S, imperialism – worst in mankind’s history – continues during warmonger Biden’s term.
Great article!
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“Hell, why stop there? Why not make Raytheon itself the Secretary of Defense? Didn’t the Supreme Court rule that corporations are people anyway?”
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Why not indeed. Raytheon is owned by the same institutional investors that own and control virtually everything else. And they’re owned by the same institutional investors that control our elections and our elected representatives.
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Everything is owned and controlled by the largest GLOBAL investment companies. They own everything from Tide detergent (P&G) to the largest defense contractors.
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BlackRock.
Vanguard.
State Street.
Wellington.
Fidelit.
Capital group . . ..
These institutional investors are controlled by people. People who are part of the global robber baron crime syndicate.
And they don’t give a rat’s rear about human rights, abortion, equal justice, the climate, black, white, Republican, Democrat, male, female . . . or any social issues.
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Other than to keep us divided and isolated so they can carry out their wars of aggression and maintain their power and control.
When America leads the World, the World is the Purge.
Beautiful Caitlin. Shove their bloody ugly faces right in the truth of who they really are! And those who alibi or ignore them are ten times worse.
“…the mass media are holding a parade to celebrate the fact that Austin would be the first Black chief of the US war machine while virtually ignoring the murderous agendas he has facilitated throughout his career.”
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The Mass (State) media doesn’t ignore it. They know it and celebrate it. They are part of it. If you want to have a career with The Exceptional Nation or its mouthpieces you have to know what is expected of you. And follow that “to the letter without question!”
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“Why not make Raytheon itself the Secretary of Defense? Didn’t the Supreme Court rule that corporations are people anyway?”
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If national elections had any real power and weight, We The People would vote not for the phony offices of President or Congress but for who gets to be president of the MIC streamroller corps that control the Western world. That’s where the real power lies.
‘Peace is Bad. War is Good. Ignorance is Being Smart. Being Weak is Strength. Freedom is Slavery. Slavery is Utopia. We’re always been at war with (fill in the blank).’ Orwell was a prophet whether he knew it or not. And before They are done, they will OUT DO Orwell in turning this plant into Orwell’s worst nightmare. Nobody to stop them.
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Whistling a happy tune on our way to Armageddon. And be sure to wear a mask!
“Why not make Raytheon itself the Secretary of Defense? Didn’t the Supreme Court rule that corporations are people anyway?”
(may have elucidated “case” for autonomous A.I. missile fleet):
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2020/10/12/the-pentagons-ai-ghost-fleet-is-more-than-just-scary-its-unwise/
People sharing this post on Facebook are already getting pushback implying that opposition to Austin is racist because “we” weren’t this hard on Esper. Implying, because apparently it is more effective than actually having the nerve to come out and say it. Or maybe so that “we” will self-censor and give Austin a pass as he continues to use Raytheon products to bomb countries halfway around the world to bring them into line with U.S. interests.
A big problem I see is the inability of so many to follow nuanced truth seeking to any detail. Thus all the shallow binary thinking. TPTB exploit this weakness. If we honor truth\honesty then we can solve many problems constructively for all sides. However, honest problem solving is akin to peeling an onion and takes time to reveal honest constructive solutions. It turns out people don’t really prioritize truth\honesty. Their ego lashes out at the dissonance as they cling to their internal and external attachments at the expense of truth. They want nothing more than to “make it stop” and retreat to the safety of their illusions\delusions. We end up in a world full of manipulation and coercion where everyone tries to impose their will onto others.
The enemies of those wishing freedom are both those who would impose their will and those who appreciate the imposition of will upon them. It’s so annoying to defend against the imposition of will only to have those you are defending turn around and thank the willful for “rescuing” them from themselves…A pox on both houses…Unfortunately they represent the vast majority.
Biden, Trump, Obama, Bush Jr., Clinton, Bush Sr., Reagan, etc., and their perpetual war machine are but manifestations of a so-far successful plutocratic plot, a “reset” much bigger and older than the pandemic the plutocrats are currently exploiting. To understand the insane violence and its even more insane normalization, read Caitlin. To further understand the economics and politics behind the insanity, you might check out another superb Australian blogger.
http://bilbo.economicoutlook.net/blog/?p=46502
Newton, you are such a kind soul and a real treasure. My sons are 21 and 18. We have raised them as guides as opposed to gatekeepers. What hubris it is to do otherwise. They both seem to appreciate the freedom but also recoil from the abyss. My 18 year old recently showed me a video showing how humans and animals perceive the pulsating energy that is life so differently. He said it sent him down a rabbit hole for weeks. I consoled him and encouraged him to embrace the mystery and carry on benevolently. It seems that living things evolved to efficiently harness the ubiquitous energy all around us. When the conflagration of atoms (bodies, machines, etc) harnessing the energy wears out then they are reclaimed by the Universe. Our brains have evolved to project meaning onto what is just pulsating energy all around us and have resulted in politics, religions, etc to make sense out of it all. I get the human need to make sense and project meaning, but humans cling too tightly and require others to adhere to their projections. If they could just loosely cling to the projections and recognize them as a means of coping with the abyss then they might not be so adamant about projecting them onto others…https://www.huffingtonpost.com/brook-ziporyn/the-purpose-driven-life-no-thanks_b_8671086.html
https://peacenews.info/node/3898/non-coercive-parenting
Your kind and, I’m afraid, overly-generous words are greatly appreciated, Davenitup, as is your lyrical language about the great mystery of life. If only all children (of any age) had a parent sensitive enough to simply be with the child when that mystery seems overwhelming, pointing at most toward possible paths of meaning which the child must make his or her own. I look forward to checking out the links you’ve given me.
The abyss spoken of has more depth and beauty than are dreamed of in your impoverished materialistic consciousness.
“The only difference between the US war machine and a band of armed crooks murdering people for money is that the US war machine does it at a far greater scale.”
Reminds me of Stalin’s quip to the effect that killing one person is murder, whereas killing millions is a statistic.
There’s something very instructive here about human cognition that it would behoove all of us to become more conscious of.
It was Tucholsky’s, actually.
The government’s goal has always been to create a safe environment for billionaires so that they can do their business safely.
Such a goal can only be achieved by placing more and more constraints on the populations.
And the more decadent the billionaires, as is the case in these days which are the return of the days of Noah just before the return of Jesus, the greater the constraints.
Keeping my Rosary on hand!
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The worst always comes wrapped in the appearance of benevolence…and this sounds so sugary sweet…watch out! From NY Times:
The 27 leaders of the council are known as Guardians for Inclusive Capitalism, and include Ajay Banga of Mastercard, Marc Benioff of Salesforce and Brian Moynihan of Bank of America. They will meet each year with Francis and Cardinal Peter Turkson, who leads the Vatican department dealing with many social issues.
“An economic system that is fair, trustworthy, and capable of addressing the most profound challenges facing humanity and our planet is urgently needed,” Francis said in a statement.
The group is the brainchild of Lynn Forester de Rothschild, the businesswoman who has backed ventures to promote so-called inclusive capitalism in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. Among them is Inclusive Capital Partners, an E.S.G.-focused activist hedge fund co-founded with Jeff Ubben.
But if Biden lost it does not matter. Who counts the votes?
https://www.johndayblog.com/2020/12/who-counts-votes.html
Ware County, Ga has broken the Dominion algorithm:
Using sequestered Dominion Equipment, Ware County ran an equal number of Trump votes and Biden votes through the Tabulator and the Tabulator reported a 26% lead for Biden.
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1335557576587665408.html
Not wanting to grope professionally around numerous petticoats, Biden wisely opted for Lloyd J. Austin lll over Michele Flournoy. Compared to Kamala Harris at least this time he managed to rightly pick an authentic black, though he may be equally blood-thirsty too !
Let’s advocate for a new law.
All political appointees, CEOs and politicians must undergo psychiatric assessment and polygraph tests to ensure that they are FUCKING SANE.
And who decides who is making that assessment? Who administers the polygraph? Much like elections, votes count far less than who is counting them. A major failing of democracy. One of many.
Calm down. It’s a rhetorical proposal. Nothing like that will ever happen.
The US just happens to be the latest and greatest asset of the bank cartel. If it falls or fails, they will find another, and carry on as it has for centuries. There is nothing new under the Sun. The very instant that a gang of psychopaths gains the power to threaten violence against those who oppose it, they use that power for profit. It’s simply the natural evolution of that thing we call politics. It matters not whether the opposition is another nation, or your next door neighbor. The threat of violence is the same, as is the result. Without that threat, there is no government. How many would pay a tax without the threat of an armed gang coming to their door to collect it? I certainly wouldn’t. I would much prefer choosing for myself who or what I might financially support with what surplus wealth I may generate. There is no such thing as a tax payer. They are collected, at gunpoint. AKA armed robbery.
It is possible that the bank cartel fails at this historical juncture.
Possible. But they are not the monsters they are because they’re stupid. Quite the contrary. Psychopaths are often quite intelligent and charismatic. The drive for global cashless digital currency is their pet project. They seek total control of all wealth. If they get it, they will carry on as they have. If they don’t, they will indeed fail. Let us pray we aren’t so stupid we grant them that control, for convenience’s sake.
They will not fail. The great depression 100 years ago was a reset. The banks foreclosed on billions in assets. Then redistributed them at great profit. The same thing is happening now during the current reset. Homes, budiness property, farms etc will be swept up by the banks. They write off the debt and take everyones property and possessions. Old as time itself. Of course if someone threatens them financially like the knights templar, they just have the state step in and obliterate them.
Caitlin, you nailed it!!! Thank you!
CALL TO PROTEST: WORLD SAYS NO TO WAR ON YEMEN – 25 JAN 2021 https://www.stopwar.org.uk/article/call-to-protest-world-says-no-to-war-on-yemen-25-jan-2021/
I have no faith in people. I think this is revolting. People will see his uniform and medals and classify him as a good guy and dismiss those who want peace. We have to put the stink on Biden and professional politicians like Biden.
No other kind of politician is around long, or if they are they don’t accomplish much.
Politician: One who is most adept getting the most people to believe the most preposterous lies the most often. Almost always a psychopath.
You can tell Joe’s not the one naming these picks. Given his druthers, old Joe would much rather have Michelle Flournoy’s hair to sniff during cabinet meetings than Lloyd Austin’s.
Just goes to show that you can have racial and gender ‘diversity’ and evil all wrapped up in the same package. You just have to carefully pick the right people. (Sarcasm).
Makes Hitler and the Nazis look positively amateurish. Biden is using Obama’s playbook – lots of nice-sounding rhetoric about peace, freedom, democracy, and rights to cover up a multitude of crimes against humanity, the only thing the USA is really really good at.
Makes one wonder what else have we’ve been lied to about … and not just the Katyn Forest massacre.
This is not new. The question is what we’re going to do about it.
this horrible treachery has killed me as to the dumbercraps. i’m done forever.
4 more years of hell on Earth. PPPand B….and the DNC. we’ll need to lose Georgia to hod Biden down.
got to hear Liz and Bernie on this.
next prez has to be AOC or i’m out of USA. she’ll be 35 in Oct. ’24
She would be a female Obama looking okay on camera but the wars go on.
As long as the present ruling class is in (relative) control, no one who does not support the default policy of war and imperialism and does not make the important people believe in their support will get anywhere near the presidency. I don’t know how that works out for AOC but you all saw how it worked out for Sanders and Trump. The r.c. made a mistake with Trump which they won’t make again. The time has come for real resistance, not the fake #Resistance of the Democratic Party leadership.
What concerns me is that you are not jesting …
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The ‘brains’ behind AOC
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1h5iv6sECGU
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AOC was recruited to play a role as an actress – from her own mouth and that of her handlers.
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It really is a puppet show
There’s time wasted I’ll never get back – er, thanks?
BIS = Rothschild’s HEAD OFFICE !
Notice how the Swiss remain ‘neutral’ in World Wars ??
That’s because they FINANCE the whole thing !!
1849: Gutele Schnaper, Mayer Amschel Rothschild’s wife dies. Before her death she would state, “If my sons did not want wars, there would be none”.
Very good Caitlin – I hope RT picks up your exceptional rant – you deserve a bigger audience.
A much bigger audience…like the whole world. Today’s post, like many others, is focused on a specific issue which needs to be focused on. Then there are posts like yesterday’s, where a much bigger picture comes into view, the background of the smaller ones. This alteration back and forth between the specific and the general, the particular and the universal, the political and the existential, melds with the clarity and depth of the insights shared and voila!–a blog becomes a work of art. Small wonder that Caitlin is also a poet and occasionally posts in that vein. I say all of this, of course, knowing she’ll hate it, which is one more reason to come here.
Odds on when Joe hurls the first drone?