Listen to a reading of this article:
❖
A big part of the problem with Yemen is that the photos of starving kids are too often captioned with “Ohh, look how sad” instead of “Your government is doing this on purpose.”
❖
Warmongers are saying, “If we leave Afghanistan and it returns to Taliban control it will be like the whole war achieved nothing!”
Uh, yeah. Yeah it will be lots like that. How about that, huh?
❖
The only reason Americans think it matters who’s president is because no one’s ever compiled all the data about the entirety of US government behavior around the world to show what a microscopic fraction of a percentage point of that data actually changes between administrations.
❖
My social media feeds are full of Americans literally trying to crowdfund their own survival while the nation’s worst are adding hundreds of billions of dollars to their wealth, but wanting to change this system makes you an extremist.
❖
The Assange case isn’t about national security, it’s about narrative control. Nothing WikiLeaks published endangered the American people, it endangered a globe-spanning empire’s ability to control our understanding of what’s happening in the world. This could not be permitted.
❖
Listening to The Young Turks defend themselves from the outrage that has rightly come their way in left wing media circles you’d think Jimmy Dore broke into their studio and forced Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian at gunpoint to lie about Aaron Maté being a secret agent for a foreign government.
Cenk and Ana seem to be running a human trafficking ring out of the TYT office. I have no evidence for this, it just *seems* that way to me. This is a perfectly legitimate thing for me to do. I get to have an opinion. pic.twitter.com/2chGyRSuVr
— Caitlin Johnstone (@caitoz) July 7, 2021
Imagine if all the people yelling that it’s time to move on from TYT smearing Maté as a secret agent of foreign dictators had from the very beginning just spent all that energy telling Cenk and Ana they need to retract and apologize for a disgusting and unacceptable act. If left indie media had simply united along the very simple and obvious “No we don’t accuse leftist antiwar journalists of being secret agents for foreign governments”, this would have resolved very quickly and wouldn’t have gotten anywhere near as vicious as it did.
It’s not okay to smear antiwar journalists as secret agents of a foreign government. It’s not okay to smear antiwar journalists as secret agents of a foreign government. For fuck’s sake, people. This should be the most basic, bare-minimum, slap-in-the-face obvious position for everyone to the left of Joe Biden.
❖
It’s just absolutely amazing the amount of creativity people will pour into coming up with excuses for supporting the worst impulses of an unfathomably corrupt and murderous globe-spanning empire.
❖
The revolution will not be televised, because someone dug up its old tweets and now the revolution is too problematic to platform.
❖
The next anti-imperialist socialist voice to rise to a position of prominence will with absolute certainty become the subject of many urgent news reports solemnly informing us that that person is problematic for some reason. Might be antisemitism, might be Kremlin cronyism, might be something else, but they will find something to warn us about, and they will warn us and warn us until that prominent voice is distrusted and its influence nullified.
Seriously, try to think of an influential voice who consistently opposes western imperialism but hasn’t been smeared as an antisemite, a Kremlin asset, a closet right-winger or a kook at some point. Such figures simply are not permitted to emerge without being viciously smeared anymore.
If western leftists ever want to be more than a glorified group chat, they’re going to have to stop letting this happen. They’re eventually going to have to plant their feet and resolve to keep shoving toward their agendas regardless of deliberate divisive concern trolling tactics about the specific individuals within that movement.
As soon as the capitalists figured out that leftists actually have values and care about things while their opponents do not, and that this could be weaponized, they were guaranteed to keep doing so to keep the left down. At some point we do need to stop letting them do this and just go.
❖
It is good that people are becoming more aware of the very real distinctions on the American left. Progressive Democrats are not the same as anti-imperialist socialists, and pretending otherwise was only causing unhelpful tension and confusion. It’s good there’s more clarity now.
This doesn’t mean the two groups need to be isolated from each other, it just means they’re different and it’s important to be aware of that. There are issues on which the two groups are in alignment, and they can work together on those issues. But be aware of the differences; it’s just like how antiwar right-libertarians can work together on some issues with antiwar socialists, but it does no one any good to pretend those two groups are the same. Progressive Democrats can likewise be worked with on some issues, just be crystal clear on the differences.
❖
More and more manipulators are coming out into the light and being seen for what they are. More and more often the predators are no longer hidden in the tallgrass or camouflaged as logs in the river, but out in the open on a white tile floor with everyone looking at them.
This trend will continue.
_______________________
My work is entirely reader-supported, so if you enjoyed this piece please consider sharing it around, following me on Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud or YouTube, or throwing some money into my tip jar on Ko-fi, Patreon or Paypal. If you want to read more you can buy my books. The best way to make sure you see the stuff I publish is to subscribe to the mailing list for at my website or on Substack, which will get you an email notification for everything I publish. Everyone, racist platforms excluded, has my permission to republish, use or translate any part of this work (or anything else I’ve written) in any way they like free of charge. For more info on who I am, where I stand, and what I’m trying to do with this platform, click here.
Bitcoin donations:1Ac7PCQXoQoLA9Sh8fhAgiU3PHA2EX5Zm2
18 responses to “The Problem With Yemen: Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix”
The meeting reviewed the role of the United Nations and assess the performance of UN envoys in Yemen. Stressing the importance of the UN envoy to Yemen playing his role and his primary mission and not becoming a message carrier and siding with the side of aggression under U.S. pressure.
The Supreme Political Council reiterated its welcome to the sincere and constructive efforts to bring peace to Yemen, stop the aggression, and lift the blockade. He noted that the Yemeni people are tired of American conspiracies against them and false calls for peace.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3147886.htm
“If left indie media had simply united along the very simple and obvious ‘No we don’t accuse leftist antiwar journalists of being secret agents for foreign governments’, this would have resolved very quickly and wouldn’t have gotten anywhere near as vicious as it did.”
.
—-Caitlin’s error is in believing that a significant number of right wing outlets that are left on a small percentage of the issues—invariably social issues, while being right wing on most economic and foreign policy issues—are “left indie media.”
.
They aren’t. Sam Seder, for example, isn’t left wing, and his outlet isn’t left indie media. He’s a right winger on most issues who is using the fig leaf of social issues to pass as a lefty, just as the Democratic party does. Yes, we need litmus tests; yes, we need to argue about those litmus tests; yes, we must make the idea that TYT, Seder, and their ilk are lefties, utterly laughable.
Yemen is yet another victim of the most destructive, blood hungry empire the world has ever seen.
Who will be next?
And when will the US nuclear arsenal be unleashed?
Can’t be far off.
It’s really a bad look for a supposed journalist to be saying “I have an opinion but no evidence to back it up.” Isn’t that like the first rule of journalism? Back up your claims with evidence. Somebody didn’t study.
The Turks and the Armenians are very religious people, so these two probably confuse journalism and religion. Because heads of churches have been doing that for ever (starting with the Pope): “I have an opinion but no evidence to back it up”. It’s called faith and it shoots you up straight into Heaven when you die if you have it, to play golf on water with Jesus and his old water-walking buddies while multiplying nothingburgers for lunch :o)
Is it illegal to Crowdfund a Short-Medium Range Missile suite for Yemen? Is #scummo using our money for Saudi Murder Weapons & Crown Prince S&M Dungeon sextoys? That is; if the #5eyes Empire cleans the Crown Prince’s shorts, am I allowed to raise money for Yemenis that are fighting scum sucking, misogynistic, rapist, torturer Saudis? OR would I BE THE “Terrorist”? Good question! Can WE raise money to support Yemen, in WEAPONS? And are Australians allowed to volunteer to go and kill Saudis? And, AM I BREAKING SOME INVISIBLE FASCIST AUSSIE LAW … by simply asking? who fkn knows in a Liberal/National Fascist Dictatorship #freejulianassange #wheresmywater?
What we are witnessing is the death of truth and honesty on a global scale. Any entity that dares to question the obvious lies and propaganda of a criminal empire is ostracized, demonized, criminalized and/or destroyed. While Julian Assange is a perfect example of this, he is by no means the only one. So long as we continue to allow criminals to dictate what we have to think we will be enslaved by our own thoughts. Breaking the chains of the “thought slavers” is a monumental task to be sure. But breaking them is inevitable. The only questions are how, and when the chains will be broken. I don’t claim to have the answers. But I am confident that truth and honesty can, and will, someday be restored.
This brings to mind another interesting aspect of the global elites’ jaw-dropping hypocrisy. It’s rather difficult to ignore that we’ve just crossed the line of the 4 million Covid deaths worldwide if we believe the tools (PCR tests) they use to measure this, which are utterly unreliable according to both their inventor and Dr Faust. Sorry… Fauci. Tony for the ladies – he’s been voted the sexiest man alive lately by some presstitutes.
But let’s not get into that joke for now. Some readers in Patagonia or Tierra de Fuego, might have chapped lips because of the bitter cold there at this time, which makes laughing painful. Let’s focus on that figure instead: 4 million dead in one and a half year, half of whom were beyond the average life expectancy in the US, which is 46th in the world at 79.11 years, just behind Cuba (79.18). Shucks, I forgot about those chapped lips… :o)
Of course if we consider the average life expectancy worldwide, 73.2 years, the percentage of people who died of Covid beyond average life expectancy skyrockets into the 80’s but let’s not get into that joke for now for the same humanitarian reasons.
Let’s focus on those 4 millions in 18 months. Do you know how many people have died of starvation worldwide in 18 months? About 15 millions. For the first half of this year, we’re already at 5.8 millions according to Worldometers and should therefore end up between 11 and 12 millions for 2021.
Now you don’t have to vaccinate people if you want to stop them dying of starvation. You just have to feed them. Greta? Feed them. Hello?
Obviously this deserves no “how dare you?!” Ten million people dying every year, one every three seconds, one billion in a century, who cares?
Bill Gates? No he’s busy jabbing people. Can’t be on every front! He’ll tell you Africa makes it tricky business too for two reasons:
1/ People don’t have the money to buy vaccines there and he doesn’t want to give them the patents because giving away patents hinders creativity. Can’t make that stuff up! Reminder: this disease is allegedly the scourge of God and there’s nothing more urgent than vaccinating everybody in order to save the planet. However, Billy Boy has found a solution to this one. The American taxpayer will buy 55 million doses that will be sent to poor countries in the form of USAID.
2/ Now the trickiest part. Very few people in Africa catch Covid because they don’t live long enough. In Chad for instance, the average life expectancy is 55 years. People under 55 are just about as likely to catch Covid as to fall from their camel while going to the well. So they’ve had in all, in 18 months, 174 deaths, 10 per million population (as opposed to 1,869 in the US).
This is the real drama. And not only in Africa! Look at Vietnam (1 per million), Laos (0,4 per million), Macao (0 per million)… It’s disheartening. Frankly, if I was Bill Gates, I would seriously contemplate suicide. How can you expect to make a buck with these folks?
Fortunately, they’ve got kids. And lots of them too. That’s what saves them from opprobrium.
So Lil Greta is busy with climate change (whatever that means) and Billy Boy with paedovaccination (from Greek paedia: children) but what about the other ones, all these “philanthropists” that you find in Forbes 500? All these foundations, what are they doing? And the 10 million a year who die of starvation, contrary to the Covid fatalities, are nowhere near the average life expectancy! Half of them are kids for Chrissakes, like the one on top of the article.
Why don’t these “philanthropists” get together and put an end to this scandal that has been going on for as long as I can remember? Bezos alone, who’s worth 200 billion bucks, could feed a kid a modest (but decent in most poor countries) ten bucks menu twice a day for 27 million years! Or 27 kids for one million years. So?
There’s a simple answer: contrary to the experimental shit (abusively called vaccine) that they use to jab people against Covid, there’s no money in hunger relief. Not a fucking dime… It’s all cost… If a philanthropist starts spending money, how can he stay rich? And if he stops being rich, how can he be a philanthropist? Gripping…
Pascal, I LIKE you, mate!
Thanks :o)
The war in Yemen is having consequences that are not immediately obvious. For years the UAE has supported Saudia Arabia in lockstep. They are now diverging because of their opposition to the war in Yemen. So what does that mean. For one, they are no longer supporting OPEC agendas. This is not good news since oil prices will now become more volatile. Results will be inflation on all fronts. One little war in Yemen will ripple across the world in ways people will not even recognize.
The Biden Administration now tells us that the war in Afghanistan is an “unwinnable war” and one that “does not have a military solution.” Just like Vietnam, Russia could’ve told us that. Our leaders like to follow the Russian failures and make them their own.
They now need the weapons and personnel back for their current war at home.
“More and more often the predators are no longer hidden in the tall grass or camouflaged.” That is what happened with Cenk Uygur/Ana Kasparian/TYT. They came forward and made it clear: “We are on the side of the Establishment/the Imperialists/the MSM/the Deep State/etc.” “We have our marching orders.” “We will attack anyone who has been deemed a target, no matter how obscure.” “We don’t care how obvious this is.” “We will double down and double down and double down. We will never back down.” “You are either with us or against us. Understand?” “We can’t have/won’t stand for ‘domestic terrorists’ like Aaron Matte or Jimmy Dore spewing truth to any proportion of the masses.” “We will do whatever it takes, to take them down. We have many friends. Get it? We will also take any of you down. Isn’t that also obvious? It should be. That was a main part of the goal.” “You are either with us or against us. Understand?” “You are either with us or against us. Understand?” “Get it. Join it. Or, get out.”
https://seaclearly.com/2020/12/23/curtain-risin-on-a-new-age
And Cenk, et al. stole that “You are either with us or against us” from George W. Bush. Which pretty much describes their motives, don’t you think? They want to be just like Bush. And Cheney. And Rumsfeld. and PNAC. I could go on. . . .
The most dangerous terrorist in the history of the species is government. The bigger they are the more terrifying. Death is their coin.
The revolution will not be televised, because someone dug up its old tweets and now the revolution is too problematic to platform.
Did a sad laugh/sigh combo at that one.
Caitlin – Yemen is going great guns at the moment !
They are launching ballistic missiles at the KSAs military ‘assets’ ( no idea where they got them from – wink – wink ) !!
See here !
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3145711.htm
Interesting site; duly logged!
Happy to see them hammering on the Empyre, its f[r]iends and a$$ets. I don’t see all this winding down until a few minutes after the U$D is kicked off world reserve status – and new day dawns (hopefully unlit by glowing mushroom clouds).