Listen to a reading of this article:
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The Associated Press has published yet another article based on unevidenced assertions by anonymous government officials about the scary horrifying frightening Russian menace, this time to accuse another media outlet of promoting propaganda. Without a trace of irony.
“U.S. intelligence officials on Tuesday accused a conservative financial news website with a significant American readership of amplifying Kremlin propaganda and alleged five media outlets targeting Ukrainians have taken direction from Russian spies,” AP reports. “The officials said Zero Hedge, which has 1.2 million Twitter followers, published articles created by Moscow-controlled media that were then shared by outlets and people unaware of their nexus to Russian intelligence. The officials did not say whether they thought Zero Hedge knew of any links to spy agencies and did not allege direct links between the website and Russia.”
“The officials briefed The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence sources,” AP adds, repeating the refrain we’re all familiar with now which is always used to justify a complete absence of evidence or accountability for incendiary claims about governments the United States doesn’t like.
So @joebiden’s spooks are smearing random websites as Russian agents if they challenge White House warmongering and lies. A direct government attack on free speech. https://t.co/AK79MPdldp
— Ali Abunimah (@AliAbunimah) February 15, 2022
You have to scroll down to the eleventh paragraph for some examples of the “Kremlin propaganda” that Zero Hedge is accused of “amplifying”. These turn out to be entirely innocuous objections to western imperial narratives that were “written by people affiliated with the Strategic Culture Foundation,” an outlet the Biden administration sanctioned last year “for allegedly taking part in Russia’s interference in the 2020 U.S. election.”
“Recent articles listed as authored by the foundation and published by Zero Hedge include those with the headlines: ‘NATO Sliding Towards War Against Russia In Ukraine,’ ‘Americans Need A Conspiracy Theory They Can All Agree On’ and ‘Theater Of Absurd… Pentagon Demands Russia Explain Troops On Russian Soil,’” writes AP’s Nomaan Merchant.
You can read those three articles AP lists by clicking here, here and here respectively. Decide for yourself if these are sinister foreign psyops which require the urgent attention of the most powerful intelligence agencies in the world acting in concert with one of the most influential news agencies on earth, or if they are not in fact relatively reasonable opinions which only stand out because they fall outside the Overton window of what’s considered acceptable debate in the tightly controlled spectrum of mainstream political discourse.
For its own part, Zero Hedge says that “this website has never worked, collaborated or cooperated with Russia, nor are there any links to spy (or any other) agencies.” The Associated Press offers no evidence or arguments to the contrary.
Now We've Done It: We Pissed Off The CIA https://t.co/I87aaJrmO3 pic.twitter.com/FsgnSENsQE
— zerohedge (@zerohedge) February 15, 2022
Zero Hedge happens to be one of the numerous outlets who periodically avail themselves of my open offer for anyone to republish my work free of charge if they want to, and what’s funny is I was just the other day noticing the number of views they get when they do so and marvelling that the US narrative control machine hasn’t done a better job of reducing their audience. Now a few days later here’s the US intelligence cartel using its media mouthpieces to brand it a Kremlin propaganda operation in what Electronic Intifada director Ali Abunimah calls a “direct government attack on free speech.”
I’ve disagreed with plenty of things I’ve seen published in Zero Hedge. I’ve also seen a lot of very useful information which is highly inconvenient for the US-centralized empire. It’s that exact kind of information that the empire has been working very hard to marginalize and minimize amid widespread public access to the internet.
The US government is not actually worried about Russian propaganda. The US government is worried about people disrupting US propaganda. Every day we’re offered new reasons why it’s important to regulate what online materials are seen by people, from fake news clickbait to Russian propaganda to Covid misinformation to foreign trolls to domestic extremism to election security, and the only thing they all have in common is that the solution is a more tightly regulated internet. At a certain point you can only conclude it is internet regulation itself that they are after, in the same way you’d conclude after a stranger kept offering you different reasons why you should let him hold your wallet that he’s really just after your wallet.
The Official Story https://t.co/07GCCfYoJB
— zerohedge (@zerohedge) February 15, 2022
Whoever controls the narrative controls the world. The ability to control the thoughts people think about what’s going on in their world is the only thing standing between the oppressive, exploitative status quo and revolutionary change. The powerful understand this while the general public do not. There is nothing, literally nothing, they wouldn’t be willing to do in order to ensure their control over dominant narratives.
When they warn about Russian propaganda causing people to think wrong thoughts in their heads, they are so close to admitting the truth that they’re all acutely aware of: that human minds are very hackable, and that this can be used to advance the interests of power.
Protecting this narrative control mechanism is the first and foremost priority of our ruling power structures, because it’s what all their other control mechanisms are built upon. That’s a major part of why the media have been acting so strange these last few years, and it’s a major part of why everything seems so weird and why so many people feel like they’re going a bit crazy when they try to understand the world.
Right now we’re looking at a race. Between humanity trying to awaken from the psychological cages that have been constructed for us, and the builders of those cages trying to finish tightening those bolts so they can lock down our minds forever.
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39 responses to ““Russian Propaganda” Means Disputing US Propaganda”
…..i don’t give fuckin’ shit about russian propaganda….i never liked vodka….but borscht with tofu is great tasting to me, so don’t tell me how to prepare “traditional” borscht…..it was my choice to add tofu!…..as it is my choice to have a choice to express my voice that strongly supports adding tofu to borscht, which, as my voice has expressed is quite a tasty choice…..so fuck all that shit about. russian propaganda!….long live vegan vegetarian vodka free borscht!…….oh yea, and just to stick this multiculti, diverse spoon up your russian propagandist ass, i some times forgo the dark rye bread for lightly buttered tortillas to dunk in the borscht!…..viva, si se puede!……
Whoever controls the money controls the narrative and most everything else.
…so true…sadly, tmk, there isn’t one person in 10,000 in ‘murca [or anywhere else on the planet] who can honestly answer even basic questions about ‘THE MONEY’ such as ‘Who creates our money and how do they do it?’
…howard and the knowledgeable folks at AFJM [alliance for just money] are among ‘the .01 percenters’…thank-you…
Russia has pulled off the greatest stealth invasion in military history. It kicked off at 01:00 our time, or 03:00, it’s hard to tell with stealth. The Ukrainians never even set their alarms to watch it unfold.
First indications were when Ukrainian mums went to the maternity hospitals. There was the evidence… babies on floors and all the humidicribs gone. A sure sign that a totalitarian regime has been there!
The tanks left no tracks, not even in snow. Paratroopers came from the skies and presumably returned the same way. The Russians all spoke russian, luckily so does most of the Ukraine, so they passed unnoticed. Except for the lingering smell of raw vodka and pickled cabbage.
Propaganda loudspeakers were left behind – all of them broadcasting Putin and Lavrov having a damn good laugh.
“Whoever controls the narrative controls the world.” Great Article. Truer words can not be written.
New York Chamber of Commerce “Special Currency Committee” – 1906,
“By the control of its rate of interest and of its issues of notes it would be able to exert great influence upon the money market and upon public opinion. Such power is not possessed by any institution in the United States.”
TPTB acquired their power to control the narrative seven years later with the Federal Reserve Act on December 23, 1913.
Public opinion is controlled by interest rates. Their own study predicted it.
The Federal Reserve Money System needs to go the way of the Dodo bird so that we can get our lives back.
Be like Putin. Get vaccinated.
Love to… where’s my non mRNA vax? Can I have a Cuban vax? Maybe even a Putin Sputnik vax? In a capitalist democracy can’t I choose? Or must I have the state directed and imposed vax?
Since foundation the ZIO/US has been at WAR – 94% of the time !
Russia has brought ZIO/US ‘ adventurism ‘ to an abrupt END !
The ZIO/US/NATO would just be humiliated if they try anything !
They won’t risk that !
Better to ‘appear’ dangerous with their relentless BS !
What is important to understand is how all of these politicians like Mr. Potato Head, Schiff, Clapper, Comey, Pelosi, Schumer, Psaki, State Department spokespeople, etc. and the MSM “legally” get away with all of their lies. They get away with them because of legislation that was passed a few years ago that allowed the US government to legally propagandize (lie to) American citizens within the US and, not only that, literally pay the MSM to also do it. It was called the “Smith-Mundt Modernization Act of 2012” Do yourself a big favor and read it.
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-112hr5736ih/pdf/BILLS-112hr5736ih.pdf
A small part of the above (my bold for emphasis):
========
“112TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION
H. R. 5736
To amend the United States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 to authorize the domestic dissemination of information and material about the United States intended primarily for foreign audiences, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MAY 10, 2012
Mr. THORNBERRY (for himself and Mr. SMITH of Washington) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
A BILL
To amend the United States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 to authorize the domestic dissemination of information and material about the United States intended primarily for foreign audiences, and for other purposes.”
Etc.
========
With the above relatively new legislation in mind, it is easy to understand why and how high-level politicians in America get away with (stay out of jail for) lying to Americans 24/7. Essentially, as long as the liars tell the truth while under oath in secret testimony before a judge, they can say whatever they want in front of TV cameras. And boy, do they do just that. What other possible reason could there have been to amend that act if not to allow what these VIPs are now doing 24/7?!
The purpose of this VIP+MSM propaganda is to maintain in the minds of US citizens the belief that the US has existential threats to its national security in the form of Russia, China, Iran and, believe it or don’t, Venezuela and Nicaragua! This is done to polticially justify the war budget and its millions of jobs.
What the wise elderly and not-so-wise younger US Elite oligarchs apparently want is for the US to “go out” with a great big bang while it is still “on top”. They would prefer that they and everyone else in America and the world be dead than for them to play second fiddle to the Elite of China or Russia or any other nation or group of nations. In the words of 1960s, “great silent majority” Americans, “better dead than Red”.
The Fed will continue to print a literally infinite number of printed-out-of-thin-air USD to fund the military-industrial complex, which is the one and only thing supporting the “drone-standard” USD which forces other nations to accept them as payment for their REAL goods. The reality is that the Terminator US is an existential threat to Russia and China, not the other way around, and that it is politically incapable of stopping itself. There is no large poltical constituency in the US for world peace because “there’s no money in it”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu0rP2VWLWw
Russia, China, the US and all the other, for lack of a better word, “capitalist” nations have one common, ultimately fatal problem – the systemic need for perpetual population/economic/export growth, which is why China and Iran dropped their one-child policies a few years ago and Mr. Putin is congratulating parents of large families and actively promoting large families with various financial incentives. This issue is too off-topic to go into here in depth, but I bring it up because even IF the US were to miraculously completely abandon its effort at full spectrum dominance, close all its bases and turn all of its weapons into plowshares and never produce another one again, what would the US and all of its former adversaries do with their weapons industries and all of their employees? What is China’s belt and road initiative really all about? Growth. Perpetual growth. What Russian population will be large enough to satisfy Mr. Putin? Someone should ask him. Does China really need more than 1.4 billion people? Apparently so. Just exactly how much more do nations have to grow their economies — is there a number, a percentage, an ultimate goal?
If humanity is miraculously able to avoid a nuclear war, IMO, the issue of the SYSTEMIC need for perpetual growth will have to somehow be cured, and technology is not going to be the vaccine to inoculate against that need. Only fundamental systemic change can/will do it. One thing is for sure, the oligarchies of the US, Russia, China, etc. are not going to willingly provide any solutions, because a real solution would/could not allow a parasitic class of oligarchs to exist.
Friend,
Life tends to mean growth and change. As a Zero Hedge reader, I was pleased with Caitlin’s defence of the site’s worth, even though she doesn’t agree with its political position. But the issues you have raised here are much harder to formulate a useful opinion on.
It seems that public lassitude gradually allows a democracy or, to put it another way, a republican system of government, to decay into an oligarchy and eventually a dictatorship, perhaps an hereditary monarchy. Eventually, if the political unit is not in a position to be taken over by some outside entity, the position is reached where governments do change from time to time, but only by force of arms. In modern times, the rapid advance of technology is bound to affect this. We as English-speaking people are not in a position to advance by expanding our territorial range as in the recent past, but we are still enjoying the benefits of advancing technology. That is likely to have some political effect.
This is relevant to Caitlin’s essay because free publication and speech are only required and accepted in free societies. As we are now, in practice, an oligarchy or a fascist state (ruled by corporate interests), you can see that freedom of opinion is outdated amongst us. It is a relic. The bogus social scientists in the universities will no doubt go on endlessly about this.
I don’t think you should expect that constructive change will be peaceful. If there is any constructive change, I think it must entail the overthrow of entrenched, corrupt interests. I am talking about those secret agencies and media people that Caitlin is writing about above, AND the courts that give the official stamp of approval to what is just plain organised crime.
For anyone who has understood my past essays, they are all Priests – people who live by deception.
I don’t feel up to fighting them myself.
“The US government is not actually worried about Russian propaganda. The US government is worried about people disrupting US propaganda.”
–
Until one actually encounters the intelligence beast it is natural to think ‘they’ don’t want the Truth to get out. But the truth can’t actually be stopped and ‘they’ know that. What matters is how often the standard line is repeated. The American people can’t even fine Donbass on a map and they sure as hell can’t tell the difference between American Propaganda and responsible reporting. The repeated message is believed.
–
It does not matter if a handful of nerds know the TRUTH and get all butthurt over the evils of the American Empire. They have no power or influence and can pound salt. $19.95 and free shipping makes what they say into an annoying buzz and nothing more.
More “Russian propaganda” from the American Pravda:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GH83mObwP1M
I love the way 3M (Mainstream Media Mafia) fact-checkers, when someone is accused of a crime, call them and report to the accuser: “He denied committing it! That’s what a bloody liar you are, you bastard you!”
And I bet the accused put his “credibility on the line” too like Windbag! :o)
PS: Why do we only get Russian propaganda? Why don’t we also get Chinese propaganda? Can’t these guys also propagandize us? Ain’t we good enough for them? This is bordering on racism! Or are they only capable of sending warships to the South China sea and hypersonic missiles in the sky but unable to send a bunch of lies to the CIA’s computers like the Russkies do fur Chrissakes!? In the name of free gaslighting, I demand that we also get Chinese disinformation!!!
Just the CIA exercising is right to freedom of speech.
If Hillary’s paid $360K, to spew Rick Berman agitprop, that anti-fracking, GMO, cluster-munitions to the Saudis & billions to murder Palestinians is funded by Putin AND we’re shown HER e-mails confirming this, AND arming jihadists AND installing Ukranian Nazis; droning, coup-ing death-squading or vaporizing journalists… the messenger must be kidnapped, murdered as a traitorous Russian turncoat, thought a foreign journalist, simply doing his job…
https://www.dailyposter.com/the-pundits-who-lied-us-into-war/
https://mobile.twitter.com/MarkAmesExiled/status/1493677749252337667
and so forth, and so on and scooby-dooby…
The AP quoted anonymous “U.S. intelligence officials”
which could mean just about anything.
They work for Brookings? They live in the US and
write opinion books about intelligence matters?
:
Perhaps this is the same crew of “US intelligence officials” that
testified during Ukrainegate? They famously testified
that it was the right of the Deep State and not the President to make
foreign policy. Lt. Col. (retired) Alexander Vindman told us in
testimony what the Deep State calls itself – The Interagency.
Vindman testified that he was deeply concerned that the President
would go against the prevailing opinion of The Interagency.
The President.
The President isn’t permitted to have an opinion other than the
one held by the Deep State, The Interagency.
It is small wonder that a free press is attacked also.
:
Now look at the headline again.
US accuses financial website of spreading Russian propaganda
:
The “US”. The entire US? The US government?
Anonymous figures from The Deepstate claim to represent what?
:
AP took anonymous figures and elevated them to representing the “US”.
It’s a typo. It should have read “CIA accuses financial website of spreading Russian propaganda”. Sorry for the inconvenience.
The AP editor
Like Zero Hedge the SCF has some very informative articles, its no wonder then that there’s an attempt to smear them.
This is a very good SCF article on Russia and Nato.
https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2022/02/14/nord-stream-geopolitics-of-keeping-germany-down-russia-out-and-instability-ukraine/
I’m a great admirer of Justice William O. Douglas
(the nation).
He was the kind of guy who never saw an Overton Window without throwing a brick through it. He supported the freedom of those with unpopular, even repulsive opinions, to speak their mind.
The understanding of the value of dissent has been lost since Douglas left the Court. He understood that the First Amendment spread out a broad field for discussion among the American people, and that “dissent” meant that the lifeblood of democracy was flowing in the American veins.
Is it still? Barely.
How should America deal with other sovereign countries which do not endorse freedom of speech and dissent? Well, do not play their game. Instead, make them play yours.
Assuming that Tyler Durden of Zero Hedge was influenced by the SCF, and the SCF is a Russian think-tank with uncertain editorial ties to the Kremlin – SO WHAT?
What matters in free speech is not who said them, but what is the content. I have read extremely powerful and persuasive content written by those towards whom I have no affection. So what?
Assume that everything Tyler Durden wrote was hand-written by Vladimir Putin to lay down a hidden message that opposed US interests. In that instance, Putin would be caught in the trap. Influencing citizens, by means of the written word, to hold opinions relevant to their political actions, puts the matter into public discourse. Bill Douglas would give you a thumbs-up on that.
On the other hand, having the FBI crash into the offices of a writer of ComSympProp who may be influenced by “The Enemy,” is a greater blow against the American Government than any basket of KGB agents could have done. That’s the game of the old USSR.
Why worship tyranny and then bitch about the outcome? Please, read something about Bill Douglas. He’s from the side of the US that was decent.
Lol they got me to the point of googling what Putin said, but Google figured it out too, and would show to me instead what Biden said to Putin, multiplied by 100 repeats in the “free press”.
A little bit overdone IMO.
Maybe, we could rename it “Omicron Window?” Our boss, landlord, creditors, senile yuppies, brainwashed Creative Class™ can’t handle the truth (the truth might set us FREE!) I doubt ANY petit bourgeois denial & specious obliviousness is subconscious or just ALL us boomer liberals conveniently becoming senile, simultaneously? Our NASDAQ portfolios rebounded >120% and so they fed uppity essentials and precariate peckerwoods to progressively virulent variants (lying, more easily, with doctored statistics each jump in excess fatalities. So just lying about WAR is childs-play? Look at how many commenters had NO idea about “Cuban Missile Crisis,” “Tonkin Gulf,” “WMD” or Osama bin Laden, media propaganda?
Happy Russian invasion day to you all, not, the Western media went into a moon howling frenzy and named today as the day that Russia would invade Ukraine, talk about pushing a false flag op.
Meanwhile the Whitehall f*ckwits have been busy.
“Ukraine’s National Guard says that in meeting last year the UK military agreed to start training its forces, which include a thousand-strong neo-Nazi unit.”
https://declassifieduk.org/uk-commanders-in-ukraine-met-neo-nazi-linked-national-guard-to-deepen-military-cooperation/
Better turn yourself in to the American Gestapo, Caitlin. Absolutely nobody can hide a bad attitude from the CIA.
CIA = Certified Insane Assholes
WHOA, Caitlin youre trippin girl. Those Ruskies are whack, crazy even. They were gagging to kick WW3 off, like I mean like wow, like their mentally unstable or something. If it wasnt for Biden and that other guy using their totally gucci diplomacy we woudlve been flamed, yep. That Biden put Putins dog on his doorstep. yeah he did. 😉
Or with other words… Russian or Chinese common sense , against the USA common sense … which tells us that Vietnam or Iraqi wars were OK…
You mean Russian or Chinese common sense against US uncommon nonsense which tells us that four small Arabs with box cutters can hijack a whole American plane full of big weightlifting Americans and martial arts trained crew at the behest of a guy on dialysis in a James Bond equipped cave in Afghanistan that nobody could ever find in spite of years of research while the whole US defense system goes blind ? :o)
Not even mentioning that none of these 19 box cutters which, as most people know, are made of a metal blade inserted in a plastic handle, triggered the metal detectors in any of the three different airports the 19 alleged hijackers went through. Did the airports or the airlines ever ask for a refund?
Yes, but “Arabs with knives” makes for such good storytelling.
Not to mention that all of the pilots and co-pilots were so overwhelmed that nary a single hijack signal (protocol) was simply executed.
WTF has happened to our invasion. Y’know, the one Stan Grant and the ABC were promoting? No, not bloody China and Taiwan. I mean the biggie… Russia vs the rest of Europe and the US… and the Ukraine. I have a look on the ABC website and there it is – fifteenth article from the top and the story is about a husband and wife team ready to battle the Russkis to the death rather than yield an inch, or part of a metre.
It’s Wednesday!!! The 16th!!! Invade or be damned.
“U.S. intelligence officials on Tuesday accused a conservative financial news website…”
:
“The officials briefed The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence sources,”
:
Smoke
Black Queen to King3 !
It won’t be long now – especially as the west has run out of PAWNS !
Of course Russia is black because the ZIO/US/NATO moved FIRST !
keeps the share market rolling along and that’s all that matters
Funny how the Credentialed-Left have sunk to sharing Empire’s diversion, after sucking the life out of the working class like the parasites they are.
Tick Tock cubicle plankton Tick Tock
https://www.onenewspage.com/video/20220215/14346429/Mario-Draghi-quot-The-unvaccinated-are-not.htm
Well Zero Hedge viewership certainly is going up. Nothing entices people to see whats going on like a competitor complaining. Any attention is good attention. They would have been better off ignoring zero hedge. Now more people will know about them and may learn a thing or two.
I think Elizabeth Kolbert has got it right.
Thanks Caitlin.
Good scribbling
If the US government wants people consume their content they would have to learn the rules of good writing: never tell your audience what they already know. People want news, not regurgitated government press releases.
Repeating the same lies will turn off anybody.
Caitlin is the best at noticing new stories.
The AP (American Pravda) follows in the tracks of what worked so well for the Soviet Union, the Pravda (Truth in Russian) and the Izvestia (News), of which the Russians used to say: “There’s no more “pravda” in the Izvestia than there are “izvestia” in the Pravda” :o)