I had promised myself and my family that on this holiday I would do nothing but relax. However events have overtaken my good intentions. I find myself in the unusual position of having twice been in a position to know directly that governments were lying in globe-shaking events, firstly Iraqi WMD and now the “Russian hacks”.
Anybody who believes the latest report issued by Obama as “proof” provides anything of the sort is very easily impressed by some entirely meaningless diagrams. William Binney, who was Technical Director at the NSA and actually designed their surveillance capabilities, has advised me by email. It is plain from the report itself that the Russian groups discussed have been under targeted NSA surveillance for a period longer than the timeframe for the DNC and Podesta leaks. It is therefore inconceivable that the NSA would not have detected and traced those particular data flows and they would be saved. In other words, the NSA would have the actual hack on record, would be able to recognise the emails themselves and tell you exactly the second the transmission or transmissions took place and how they were routed. They would be able to give you date, time and IP addresses. In fact, not only do they produce no evidence of this kind, they do not even claim to have this kind of definite evidence.
Secondly, Bill points out that WikiLeaks is in itself a top priority target and any transmission to WikiLeaks or any of its major operatives would be tracked, captured and saved by NSA as a matter of routine. The exact route and date of the transmission or transmissions of the particular emails to WikiLeaks would be available. In fact, not only does the report not make this information available, it makes no claim at all to know anything about how the information was got to WikiLeaks.
Of course Russian hackers exist. They attack this blog pretty well continually – as do hackers from the USA and many other countries. Of course there have been attempted Russian hacks of the DNC. But the report gives no evidence at all of the alleged successful hack that transmitted these particular emails, nor any evidence of the connection between the hackers and the Russian government, let alone Putin.
There could be no evidence because in reality these were leaks, not hacks. The report is, frankly, a pile of complete and utter dross. To base grave accusations of election hacking on this report is ludicrous. Obama has been a severe disappointment to all progressive thinkers in virtually every possible way. He now goes out of power with absolutely no grace and in a storm of delusion and deceit. His purpose is apparently to weaken Trump politically, but to achieve that at the expense of heightening tensions with Russia to Cold War levels, is shameful. The very pettiness of Obama’s tongue out to Putin – minor sanctions and expelling some diplomatic families – itself shows that Obama is lying about the pretext. If he really believed that Russia had “hacked the election”, surely that would require a much less feeble response. By refusing to retaliate, Russia has shown the kind of polish that eludes Obama as he takes his empty charisma and presentational skills into a no doubt lucrative future in the private sector.
Aw, the blessings of union. Singing of Auld Lang and Besty glowing at Balmoral.
The benighted citizens of Syria, like the once benighted citizens of Poland and wigwams of native Americans will soon be encompassed in the reeking lum of USUKIS global hegemony.
Never mind Culloden, never mind Belfast troubles, never mind the ringed bark of mulberry trees. They really don’t know what’s best for them. They have some quaint idea about their own beliefs and traditions.
After all.Relativism and Castro CM ” I am open to the idea that revolutionary change requires revolutionary justice for a short period ”
Why would the people of Syria know better than Obama, McCain,Blair , Cameron and Putin ? Burke rules ok in the annals of political history.
There is no such subject as Moral History, child. There is only the History of Relativism.. So awa with thoughts of Indyref2. Forget raking the embers of long forgotten and irrelevant injustices, and embrace the warm glow of Auld Baullocks CM.
“Singing of Auld Lang”
That is such a dirge! Why would anybody want to forget “aud Acquaintances”? Surely what you want to forget is PIAs?
Obama was a fraud from day one. Activist to state senator to national senator to president, who foisted this clown on the nation?
Who? The CIA and Big Finance, which is the real boss of the CIA, whatever is said on paper.
The decision to kill JFK was probably made at a higher level than Angleton or Helms or Allen Dulles, higher even than Lyndon Johnson.
It would be interesting if the above commenter would deign to give a name or names to that alleged “higher level”.
Surely he would not wish to keep us in suspense?
+++++++++++++++++++++
PM – as food for thought for Craig and/or the Mod(s) : just as 9/11 has a specific thread, might it not be an idea to create a specific thread for the JFK assassination or, alternatively, to create a specific thread (which could be entitled “Conspiracy theories” or something similar) for a number of the more beloved historical conspiracy theories?
You’re going to pretend you have no clue as to who or what is running things?
As regards the killing of President Kennedy I don’t. But Lysias sems to. That’s why I asked him to enlighten me.
I suggest you – like me – wait for his explanations, which I’m sure he will provide quickly, as always 🙂
The constitution kills presidents after four years or after a delay of another four; there’s no need for the boss class to use something as crude as a gun.
Absolutely. Your point is spot on and, being based on observable reality, makes much more sense than the various conspiracy theories so often hawked around on the internet and elsewhere.
For explanations, I suggest reading the books I have recommended, notably the new third edition of Peter Janney’s Mary’s Matrix, as Janney is up on the latest revelations and personally knew a lot of the characters involved.
Why don’t you just tell us rather than supplying us with your reading lists?
It shouldn’t take more than a para or two, surely, and you seem to have time to spare.
Thank heavens for some clarity! I like to remember G.E Griffen’s description of the Big Financiers, and one of their most important tricks:
“”Secrecy, of course, is essential for the success of a cabal, and the Rothschilds perfected the art. By remaining behind the scenes, they were able to avoid the brunt of public anger which was directed, instead, at the political figures which they largely controlled. This is a technique which has been practiced by financial manipulators ever since, and is fully utilized by those who operate the Federal Reserve System today.
It is generally true that one man’s loss is another man’s gain. Even the friendliest of biographers admit that, for more than two centuries, the House of Rothschild profited handsomely from wars and economic collapses, the very occasions on which others sustained the greatest losses.”
I am thoroughly amazed at how many people who KNOW who’s really running things, ie the Fed owners, still talk as though the politicians act independently – choose their own cabinets, sanction the Russians with no evidence, etc. Obama’s a lame duck; he has no need to do something like this.
Nice post. Like middle management in a call centre,politicians are merely there to be the focus of the great unwasheds’ ire. While the people subcontracting out these positions remain hidden from the firing line.
Who arranged his receipt of a Nobel Peace Prize days after assuming office? This preposterous award revealed that Obama was supremely powerful persons’ Chosen One.
I wonder if the above commenter is cognisant of the procedure for choosing the Nobel prize winners in the various fields?
Presumably he is not referring to the members of the Swedish and Norwegian Academies when he refers to “supremely powerful persons”?
Don’t The White Helmets get a similar award?
Money comes from the same place.
“Obama was a fraud from day one”
Obama is a politician! You expect something else? Silly you!
Western Hypocrisy, and Why It Makes the World a Dangerous Place
http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2016/10/16/western-hypocrisy-why-makes-world-dangerous-place.html
Hopefully the western hypocrisy will wane in 2017 but we cant be naive, most empires dont just vanish without themselves provoking a war on the rest of the world, especially when deep-state is involved behind in the media. Could the tensions ease Russia/US in the coming 1-6 months, the ‘peace’ would have won alot.
I believe history shows that most Empires “vanished” (that is the wrong word, by the way – “declined” would have been a better choice) without having “provoked a war on the rest of the world”.
“I believe history shows that most Empires “vanished”
I believe the words you are looking for is “over-extended themselves”, or to use the vernacular, “Got too big for their own britches”.
Yes, I like the words “over-extended themselves”. Have you told xANONX ?
Your choice of words inclines me to believe you agree with me that xANONX’s notion that most empires “vanished after having provoked a war on the rest of the world” is nonsense.
You dont know your history then, who ruled North America before modern day Americans?
Who ruled Latin america before modern day latin americans?
You tell me that there were no empires ruling these continents? You are saying they gave up these vast areas with war?
Then you dont know history, if you tell me “no”.
Creator of NSA’s Global Surveillance System Says “Russian Hacking” Report is PURE BS
http://truthfeed.com/breaking-creator-of-nsas-global-surveillance-system-says-russian-hacking-report-is-pure-bs/44356/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
You dont know your history then, who ruled North America before modern day Americans?
Who ruled Latin america before modern day latin americans?
You tell me that there were no empires ruling these continents? You are saying they gave up these vast areas with war?
Then you dont know history, if you tell me “no”.
I hope the Camerons are having a good time in Antigua. It’s 24C there today so he should be changing colour from pink to light brown.
There was an island wide power outage on Christmas Day. Perhaps caused by Cameron cooking all those chickens coming home to roost!
The Cassetteboy mashup was referred to in the Antigua Observer.
http://antiguaobserver.com/brexit-were-making-a-mess-of-it-mashup-artists-lampoon-britains-leaders/
Brexit – We’re making a mess of it’: mashup artists lampoon Britain’s leaders
Cassetteboy remix the news: 2016 review special
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh_Og-MjWZI
I, for one, not only hope the Camerons are having a good holiday on Antigua but also wish them a good one.
It’s not really my part of the world but I’m told that it’s a very nice place – as indeed are many of the Caribbean islands.
As we all know, tourism is a very important source of revenue for many of the islands in the Caribbean and it is good to see that the Camerons are, in their own small way, contributing to the well-being of the region.
I believe that the leaders of the Caribbean island of Cuba, imbued with a welcome and rapidly evolving sense of pragmatism, also have the development of tourism very much in mind. Good for them!
“I, for one, not only hope the Camerons are having a good holiday on Antigua but also wish them a good one.”
As do I! If he hadn’t gone ahead with his referendum we would have become slaves of the EU for evermore. Good old Dave! Hip-hip-hooray! (And Sam is such a babe :-))
Yes it’s certainly the haunt of B list slebs and other has-beens.
.’WHICH CELEBRITIES MIGHT I SEE?
In the past year, Sir Paul McCartney, Mariah Carey, Oprah Winfrey and Tom Hanks have come for some R&R. Whitney Houston, Giorgio Armani and Eric Clapton have homes here. Charlotte Church and Gavin Henson are also fans and it’s where Kate Thornton got engaged. It’s also where Duran Duran filmed the yacht scenes (English Harbour) and the beach scenes (Millers Beach) for the music video for Rio.’
Thank you for that post, Sharp Ears – very interesting and fruitful research.
Just as a matter of interest, could you name a few people whom you consider to be A list “slebs”?
Thanks in advance and my best wishes for a very Positive New Year to you, of course.
Russia Hysteria Infects WashPost Again: False Story About Hacking U.S. Electric Grid
https://theintercept.com/2016/12/31/russia-hysteria-infects-washpost-again-false-story-about-hacking-u-s-electric-grid/
For those still not yet caught on;
“By blaming Obama for the sanctions, by getting his diplomats to call Obama a “lame duck”, and by refusing to respond in kind, Putin and the Russians have enabled Trump to sidestep the trap Obama laid for him, and have given him the political space he needs to forge ahead with his policy of improving relations with Russia.
In other words what Putin is doing is signalling that he does not require Trump to lift the latest sanctions as a condition for improving relations with Russia. Putin will not allow the future improvement of US-Russian relations to be held hostage to Obama’s spoiling tactics.”
http://theduran.com/putins-move-obamas-russian-hacking-story-begins-unravel/
Some of us caught on to what Putin was trying to do to Obama a while a go.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/12/little-obama-jokes-soviet-era-racism-remains-alive-in-russia
When I visited Moscow last spring racist t shirts showing Obama were on sale everywhere.
As always the ends justify the means for our resident Stalinazis
Ah ! Guilt by association against Putin, and smearing a whole country as racist, but when you are called out for your Russophobia, you have the shameless brass-neck to deny it ! 😀
Maybe you should change Resident Dissident to Russophobic Denier !
Happy New Year RD !
I think “sore loser” would do him just fine
Are you so thick that you are unable to distinguish Putin from Russia. It is quite possible to love a country and dislike its leader – as I do with Russia. I was watching in the Russian New Year with the Kremlin clock with my wife and children who all have dual nationality while sharing tweets with my uncle in law. Racism exists in Russia, and Putin does very little to resist it. Neither I or the Guardian article claimed that it was universal – it isn’t.
“Are you so thick that you are unable to distinguish Putin from Russia.“
Yet;
“Some of us caught on to what Putin was trying to do to Obama a while a go”
&
“It is quite possible to love a country and dislike its leader”
Yet;
“When I visited Moscow last spring racist t shirts showing Obama were on sale everywhere.”
It’s not a case of me being “thick”, but of you being in an extreme case of denial about your own prejudices.
By “everywhere” I meant ” widely available” and not actually everywhere – a quite common usage.
One day when you grow up you will appreciate that most great Russian culture (and I don’t mean yoghurts here) arose in opposition to its leaders.
Cheerio дурак
I see you’ve started signing your comments: Дурак.
Good move. Some of us have thought so for years. 🙂
@RD, γνῶθι σεαυτόν, you will feel a lot better by being honest with yourself, because it’s the only person you are fooling dear Дурак !
Oh dear Gena and Cheburashka appear to have escaped from Detsky Mir and been captured by the men across the road – and in the process have lost their charm, intelligence and sense of humour.
@RD, No, I don’t find your Russophobic racism funny at all.
@Macky All you are doing is showing your ignorance and stupidity if you think that I am Russophobic or racist.
” if you think that I am Russophobic or racist”
Not a matter of whetever I think it or not, your record is here in abundance to any fair-minded person to decide for themselves, which also reveals that you are a consistent supporter of the recent Neocon’s wars.
Wishing readers and contributors a healthy and happy New Year. I’m sure that we all be reaping what some have sown for us.
If our unelected PM feels aggrieved about her non existing plans for leaving Europe, she can always call a snap election in May and muddle it up with the county council elections, the usual course chosen.
Obama has inaugurated main streamed drone warfare and should be held responsible for the indiscriminate nature of these weapons and the civilian victims of his cross border terror.
And then there is our national museums piece Trident, foisted upon taxpayers and in full swing of a 60 billion plus update, what will the development of UVV’s world wide mean? Should we not spend this money on something that benefits us all, not doomed to failure and inactivity? a useless update if there ever was one.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/trident-nuclear-deterrent-under-threat-from-underwater-drones-expert-warns-a6786946.html
So now something that had a peaceful purpose at the beginning can become a weapon of war.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_Robotics
The CEO https://www.linkedin.com/in/gysin
Owned by Boeing now so who knows in what direction the company will go.
Here is Gysin talking about the Wave Glider.
http://www.defensenews.com/videos/defense-news/2015/05/11/27135103/
Nevermind
“If our unelected PM feels aggrieved..”
____________________________
This constant harping on “an unelected PM” reveals ignorance about UK constitutional practice. This is understandable in the case of recent immigrants (one reason, by the way, that those seeking to become UK citizens are now required to display understanding of the practices and rules of the British polity) but rather less excusable in the case of foreign nationals who have been resident in the UK for a longer period.
It reveals ignorance because – as should be well known – PMs are not directly elected in the UK (unlike, let us say, the Presidents of the French Republic). The electors vote, in theory, for individual candidate, in practice for political parties (the majority of candidates stand in the interest of one or the other political party ad of couse that interest is known to the electors).
After the election, the constitutional Head of State (Her Majesty) calls on the person judged most likely to be able to form the next government. That person is usually the leader of the majority party where that party can form a government either by itself or in coalition with another.
It follows from the above that it is nonsense to claim that either (1) a change in the leadership of that majority party in the course of the life of a Parliament means that the new leader is “unelected” or that (2) such a change of leadership requires a new general election. What is important and required is that the government of the realm continues to enjoy the confidence of the duly elected Parliament. And that is the case with the government now led by Mrs May.
Hope that helps.
Thanks for your anecdote of servitude. Sadly your electoral system is so skewed and unfair that all which follows is made up, a system that has lumbered you with uncertainty for now over half a year.
This PM has not been elected as PM and her caginess towards all, with regards to her plans for this country, touches all, including HMQ. her allegiances to big finance have won over her brazen announcements given after being selected by MP’s who love nothing better than an unfair disproportional system because they can manipulate it. They also can decide the day to day running of the Electoral Commission, a toothless body of yes sayers more interested in being in a job, than monitoring fraudulent elections.
The Tories cheated themselves into Government at the last GE, that is a fact only a loon such as you can deny.
And if this Parliament is so duly elected, the sovereign power that decides on issues, why is it being silenced on Breakxit.
Only cheats support this rudderless Government.
You have done everything except refute the constitutional point I made, haven’t you.
Gamma double minus.
please tell us more about this unwritten constitution, or the fictional bill of rights wheeled out as a argument whenever politicians choose to want to make a point about democracy, off course studiously ignoring that they are the brake on democracy, unwilling to give voters a fair vote.
We have seen it when they grudgingly allowed a referendum/a sole choice ultimatum on the worst possible option.
#politicians who only interested in the status quo, self interested in reaping it in from lobbying and keeping themselves unaccountable, to voters, to the law and to this pile of laws which they base their rotten undemocratic behaviour on.
you can be apologetic for this state of affairs, but you are part of it, a collaborator, which is duly noted.
Nevermind
Why do you continue to avoid the point? If you can’t answer it, why don’t you just keep quiet?
Reminder of the point : to criticise or to cast doubt on the legitimacy of Mrs May on the grounds that she has not been “elected” is a constitutional nonsense.
Observe how they always, and conveniently, “overlook” the “unelected PM” status of Gormless Gordon Brown!
To be fair, that reproach has also been levelled at Mr Brown on occasion on here – that is because most of the Excellences dislike New Labour s much s they dislike the Conservatives.
The point about such reproaches is that they are a constitutional nonsense irrespective of which serving or former PM they are leveled against.
Well that’s wonderful news, if it were true:
” What is important and required is that the government of the realm continues to enjoy the confidence of the duly elected Parliament. And that is the case with the government now led by Mrs May.”
If , which it isn’t, true, then the day the government loses the confidence of the majority of parliament over its vacillating waffle over Brexit, they’re gone. Bye bye. Don’t come back again.
Habba is making up the rules as he goes along , from his own head, or reading his script upside down.
When the incumbent PM feels in his/her waters it’s time to go, it’s usually because their own party is against their own policies and they fear they would therefore lose the parliamentary majority needed to make important decisions so they hand over the baton.
By being lying through their teeth war-criminals they managed to lose their own supporters support. Then the executive can distance the political party from the unspeakable colonial war-crimes, and continue to enact the criminals’ other criminal decisions, laying the blame on the predecessor.
There is absolutely no way in British politics that a serving Prime Minister’s record can be challenged within the current parliamentary period of office. That is why the financial crash happened and that is why Brexit happened. The high-speed accident in front has already happened, and many vehicles including the UK are going crunch into eachother’s bumpers in the freezing fog of Syria.
This is also why Jeremy Corbyn as PM is going to happen, very soon indeed.
You appear to be agreeing with me. Is that why you sound so angry?
Habba
I do always agree with you. It is only your heightened sate of hasbara hypertension that prevents you from seeing this.
Isn’t it a shame that Nick Cohen of the Guardian is not impressed with Treeza.
Theresa May lied and lied again to become PM
She told untruths to win the job and now she is doing the same to make us believe that she is acting in our interest
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/oct/30/theresa-may-lie-and-lied-to-become-prime-minister
She is but another Thatcher dressed in Amanda Wakeley’s expensive designer outfits.
“Isn’t it a shame that Nick Cohen of the Guardian is not impressed with Treeza.”
____________________
“Treeza” – that’s the sort of silly playing around with people’s names I was referring to a thread or so ago.
And to think I got called a racist for calling the Palestinians “Plusteenians”!
Here is the brilliant artist May Ayres, creating a ceramic sculpture of the said Treeza,
https://vimeo.com/160027203
based on her speech ‘Wasn’t It Great To Say Goodbye’ when she was self congratulatory on kicking out another human being from this country.
May’s recent exhibition was entitled ‘Stuff Happens’.
http://5pillarsuk.com/2016/09/05/talha-ahsan-muslims-should-support-may-ayres-new-art-collection/
I saw her previous exhibition ‘God’s Wars’. Her work is wonderful and the images live on in the mind of the observer.
http://www.mayayres.com/may-ayres-gods-wars-exhibition.html
PS Treeza has just used the phrase ‘kicked out’ in her recent speech to the CFoI. She is such a charmer.
http://www.conservativehome.com/parliament/2016/12/mays-speech-to-the-conservative-friends-of-israel-full-text.html
Exit ( or not) Hollande stage left?
France’s Hollande to visit French troops in Iraq
http://www.france24.com/en/20161231-frances-hollande-visit-french-troops-iraq
President Francois Hollande said he would on Monday visit French troops fighting Islamic State jihadists in Iraq, as he warned that the terrorist threat within France was still alive.
“We are not yet finished with the scourge of terrorism. We must continue to fight it abroad — that’s the reason for our military operations in Mali, Syria and Iraq, where I will travel the day after tomorrow to greet our troops,” Hollande said.
France has around 500 troops fighting alongside coalition forces in Iraq, backed by Rafale fighter jets.
In the last New Year message of his presidency, Hollande paid tribute to those killed in terror attacks in France this year, including the 86 mown down in the Bastille Day attack in Nice and smaller-scale attacks on a priest and two police officers.
——–
War – Terror – State of Emergency
What will happen to the elections if there is a terror attack in the build up?
i wonder if President Francois Hollande would care to share with his fellow countrypersons, that of the 58 reactors in France 20 have been turned off, while they go back through the papers of AREVA looking for fiddling?
Perhaps he could share stories about joint DRONE bases ( with OBOMBA) in the Sahel, right close to AREVA URANIUM mines,
the locals do not like breathing in the dust from the open cast Uranium mines, it makes them shirty, hence the need for DRONE centres.
Hollande might like to tell us that AREVA is bust.
He might like to tell us that it is one massive fuck up.
I don’t expect he will say a word, keep burning the COAL
and EDF thank you for putting up the cost of electricity to pay for your fuck ups.
http://www.powermag.com/frances-nuclear-storm-many-power-plants-down-due-to-quality-concerns/
Instead of never ending State of Emergency – setting up new DRONE centres, global surveillance in New Caledonia
“Frenchelon” why not do something to increase the well being of the people of France, you could start by ditching the Euro?
Michael Norton, That’s nothing – Ex-president Barzani, USUKIS stooge in Kurdistan sent one of his family/party (means the same thing ) who was intelligence minister, to sign for Daesh to leave Jordan training camps , travel through Turkey, and attack Mosul. Then he has the nerve to pose with members of his family / party dressed in his family /party headscarf colours and military attire to support the Peshmerga against Daesh.
The said family/party member then says in an interview on a US TV channel that Kurdistan is fighting the battle against global terror on its own.
I’m not sure where on the political colour spectrum lying through your teeth sits, probably black, but Hollande is not a Socialist in the red end of the spectrum, and Le Pen is not a conservative on the blue end of the spectrum. Apart from Jeremy Corbyn it would appear that all politics at the moment comes in different intensities of charcoal soir.
“Into thir dark and drublie days,
When sable all the heaven arrays” ..
Dunbar’s Meditation in Winter, seems to sum up both the weather and the political climate of the world.
He now goes out of power with absolutely no grace and in a storm of delusion and deceit. His purpose is apparently to weaken Trump politically, but to achieve that at the expense of heightening tensions with Russia to Cold War levels, is shameful. The very pettiness of Obama’s tongue out to Putin – minor sanctions and expelling some diplomatic families – itself shows that Obama is lying about the pretext.
An accurate and succint summary from Craig on the sunset of the Obama presidency ; I must admit that back in 2008 even I was beguiled by Obama for a while, and looked forward to his heading up a game changing administration. I soon realised those hopes were borne out of my relief that Bush jnr was leaving office, and fears that Hillary would follow Bush as a rather more acceptable ‘establishment’ candidate; as it turned out the feel I had about Hillary’s in 2008 ( as the more acceptable ‘establishment’ candidate ) ended up applying pretty accurately to Obama as well.
Happy New Year !
Something else not reported on the slightly biased to Putin RT
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/30/world/europe/czech-republic-russia-milos-zeman.html?mtrref=www.facebook.com&_r=0
Kelly Ann Conway quote to CNN: “The GRU doesn’t really travel here, doesn’t keep its assets here.”
So there it is – the Putin regime don’t have military intelligence assets in the US – from a senior counsellor to Trump. Not even Putin’s fan club here are that stupid or naïve.
These people ( Elite) don’t seem to have a clue how to sort anything out, they have their own little band of viziers,
grand or otherwize.
Hollande, Cameron, Merkel, Clinto, OBOMBA
their only answer is Austerity for the many but not the few,
dumb the news down, so nobody knows nuthin.
War – Terror and more War-Terror and Austerity
Time for a real change
Clinton, Erdogan, Sturgeon, May
completely bloody useless
You make a pretty significant conclusion based not on evidence, but a perceived lack there of. Just because you have not been provided what you deem to be sufficient evidence to prove Russian hacking, that does not in and of itself prove the assertion made in your post. It is enough to say the information publicly published is not definitive in the way the Obama administration portrays it to be, but despite the author’s name dropping to bolster the appearance of his argument, it is plainly obvious he is not privy to all information both public and private. Might the government possess the information you seek, but not publish it publicly because it would jeopardize future information gathering? I find that to be a perfectly reasonable possibility, but conceding said possibility detracts from the “I know the truth” effect the author is clearly attempting to portray. Regarding the “feeble response,” and assuming unassailable proof of Russian interference, what would you have the president do? What kind of response would meet Mr. Murray’s threshold for appropriate retaliation to interference in the US election?
The only evidence of interference in the election is that contained in the leaked e-mails, showing interference by Clinton in the Democrats’ nomination process. What is the appropriate retaliation for that?
You would be better served to say “the only publicly available evidence,” as would Mr. Murray. What Mrs. Clinton did was unacceptable and the electorate punished her for that. I never pretended to be an arbiter of appropriate retaliation, the point was that the author posits there must not have been a hack, because if there were POTUS would have reacted more aggressively. That is an opinion based assertion and nothing more. The rhetorical question was posed to emphasize that what Mr. Murray considers appropriate is based on his personal judgement.
Good post, Nick.
Look forward to more participation from you in future, you sound like a person who has retained his critical faculties.
Listen up and read, Nick. Craig said that the author of the hack was known by him and by others, that many in the US intelligence services and ex employees also know who has LEAKED this, its not a programmed hack.
As for the applauding noises by our resident apologist echo chamber, get used to it, he’s wet and lives nearby under a bridge.
I have reread this particular article multiple times and cannot find where Craig said, “the author of the hack was known by him and by others, that many in the US intelligence services and ex employees also know who has LEAKED this, it’s not a programmed hack.” I see where Craig says, “I find myself in the unusual position of having twice been in a position to know directly that governments were lying in globe-shaking events,” which is followed by a thorough debunking of the published “proof”. I believe the points he makes are valid enough to demand more information regarded alleged Russian hacking, but unless I’m supposed to read “William Binney… has advised me by email” as “William Binney has a source at the NSA who knows for a fact there was no Russian hack, and that Obama is sanctioning Russia merely to weaken Trump politically,” I do not see where Craig’s post shows he is more informed than anyone else who has come to the same conclusion: the published “proof” is insufficient. I also see where Craig says, “There could be no evidence because in reality these were leaks, not hacks.” Ok, well that settles the matter, doesn’t it? Please let me know where Mr. Murray claims to know who authored the hack and that the intelligence services know who leaked the hack. If it’s in a different post somewhere I’d be interested in reading it. I’m not trying to be cheeky. This post just happened to show up on my twitter feed, so I have read nothing else by Mr. Murray except his pre-holiday post discussing the UN vote regarding Israel.
@N.Chen, see;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGgo7YhybJo
Except the blog author maybe has access to non public information. And btw i posted as nick before yourself….so find yourself another moniker please. Although i have not made many posts i am sure i used the moniker”nick” first?
I will concede the author may have access to non public information. That is in no ways inconceivable. However, I personally do find it inconceivable that Mr. Murray has received nearly enough confidential information to justify his claim that there was no hack, only a leak, and that the Obama administration has co-opted this scandal as a means to distribute anti-Russian propaganda with the intent to harm the incoming administration. That is a very serious allegation, on par with Iraq’s lack of WMDs in Mr. Murray’s own telling, and such a serious accusation necessitates a high level of scrutiny.
I was unaware the moniker was already In use. Sincerest apologies. I’m new here. I suspect my new nom de plume will not be in use by anyone else.
“You make a pretty significant conclusion based not on evidence, but a perceived lack there of…”
That is the way it works around here: charges without evidence are invalid.
“Might the government possess the information you seek, but not publish it publicly because it would jeopardize future information gathering? ”
It might and, if it did, it would make no sense at all to publicise the fruits of that ‘information gathering.’ At least not in the way currently being done: which is to rely on spurious ‘evidence’ put forward by private contractors who , if confidentiality was an issue, would not be given access to private data.
The whole thing fails to compute. It is just a series of wild allegations which have got out of control. Not unlike the Wars of Monica’s Blowjobs, designed to distract a despised public-of which we are all part.
If there was an award for the global persona non-gratia then it would undoubtedly go to this hubris of a human being
Firstly, Happy New Year to all, I hope you all have healthy and prosperous 2017. ?
Some 39 people, including 15 foreigners, were killed and 69 injured when at least one gunman reportedly dressed as Santa opened fire in an Istanbul night club. The manhunt for one terror suspect is underway.
No doubt Santa will be unmasked as a Kurd, allowing Erdogan to tightens his grip on Turkey.
https://www.rt.com/news/372394-istanbul-night-club-newyear-attack/
Republicofscotland,
It might be real, but I suspect it is yet another fake. Not much video evidence to go on – except an American with a beard – claiming he had been shot in the leg – as he gets loaded into an ambulance. Some people who presumably know about these things claim that if you shoot a bullet into the road – it doesn’t actually spark – except in Hollywood movie sets using flash bangs. However youtube seem to be deleting the videos nearly as fast as anyone analyses and posts them. Maybe they are under a new US Government Directive?
Whether real or fake, the effect will be the same as 99% of people will believe them.
Its George Orwell 1984 style control by fear.
Virtually all recordings of these events are made on very old mobile phones – or very old CCTV cameras with extremely low definition. I am amazed the batteries still work. You would think most people at a posh night club – would have a decent mobile phone….not some relic that is 15 years old…yet still working.
Tony
“Whether real or fake, the effect will be the same as 99% of people will believe them.
Its George Orwell 1984 style control by fear.”
You mean 99% of that minority of the population that looks at this stuff, don’t you? Which means that a large majority of people, who think (and probably rightly) that they have better things to do with their time, and are disinclined to trust anything endorsed by the toffs, remain unintimidated.
I hope so anyway. Happy New Year, Tony.
A ‘new government’ directive? Does a Ministry of Truth qualify? See Thomas Knapp’s CounterPunch article titled “Obama’s Christmas Gift To Trump: A Ministry Of Truth.” – http://bit.ly/2hEpekk
The assailant may have been anyone really.
Itr might interest readers to know that It was reported here that a couple of days previously (repeat: previously) someone wearing a Santa outfit wandered into what was obviously the wrong area of Istanbul (or Constantinople as I prefer to call it) and got badly beaten up by some of the locals. Religious intolerance by followers of the Prophet, PBUH, is obviously ruled out.
Senator John McCain, beating the drums of war in Ukraine, in an atrempt to further heighten tensions between, Russia and the Ukraine, and the US.
McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on Ukranian TV, that Russia’s cyber attack was an act of war.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-russia-cyber-idUSKBN14I1TY?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter
HNY
Around 1,100 sub-Saharan African migrants tried to cross into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta from Morocco on Sunday by storming a border fence
Separately on Sunday, Spanish police said a Moroccan woman was arrested in Ceuta last week for trying to smuggle a 19-year-old migrant from Gabon across the border with Spain curled up inside a suitcase.
http://www.euronews.com/2017/01/01/hundreds-of-migrants-try-to-storm-border-into-spains-enclave-of-ceuta
I don’t think it will ever stop,
not untill the whole of Europe is like Aleppo.
“I don’t think it will ever stop, not untill the whole of Europe is like Aleppo.”
“Like Aleppo” is a bit much. Are European states going to have to barrel bomb European cities? Don’t you think the scenario of Houllebecq is more likely?
At a time when the UNSC, has backed the Russia/Turkey ceasefire deal in Syria, one must reflect on the latest OCHA figures with regards Israeli actions in Gaza and the West Bank.
Record number of demolitions and related displacement
“Preliminary analysis of data collected by OCHA indicates that, during 2016 (until 28 December), the Israeli authorities demolished or seized 1,089 Palestinian-owned structures throughout the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, displacing 1,593 Palestinians and affecting the livelihoods of another 7,101.”
“These are the highest West Bank demolition and displacement figures at least since OCHA started recording them in 2009. The vast majority of these structures were destroyed or seized for lack of Israeli-issued building permits.”
“In the Gaza Strip, as of end November , some 51,000 Palestinians are still displaced after losing their homes in the 2014 escalation, down from approximately 90,000 during the second half of 2015.”
” Most displaced families are dependent on temporary shelter assistance provided by humanitarian organizations.”
http://www.ochaopt.org/content/record-number-demolitions-2016-casualty-toll-declines
We could add, that Obama’s attempt to sour Trump’s relationship with Israel (though Trump’s appointments such as Freidman point out that it’s highly unlikely) it has created a “Streisand” effect, and actually drew more attention to illegal lsraeli activities in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.
Journalist Abbey Martin has filmed this 20 minute video, asking American’s not to back illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian lands. In my opinion it worth watching.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&persist_app=1&v=3DiYguEYXIg
Ministry of Truth
The attacker left his gun at the scene before fleeing, the Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said.
He also confirmed the gunman was not dressed as Santa Claus, contradicting earlier reports.
So it wasn’t Father Christmas,
so why say it was?
Just reporting what witnesses thought they’d seen in what must’ve a terrifying and confusing event. It happens:-
https://www.rt.com/news/372394-istanbul-night-club-newyear-attack/
Poppy’s BS (Bush Shadow) Whipping Boy for Dubya und all-around (CIA) Company Putsch PNAC-Attacker.
Americans ALL (even the Democrats) realize that this whole Russian hacking thing is simply a ploy. There’s no “proof” because nothing happened. Even if Russia DID hack the Dems and expose Hillary’s duplicitous emails and, hence, her criminal activity–THAT’S NOT INTERFERENCE! It’s an exposure of corruption in our government. I mean…it isn’t like the material was fake. IF the Russians were responsible–which there’s NO indication of–we ought to thank them. It would somehow have been better for Americans to have remained ignorant to Hillary’s MYRIAD crimes and corruption? LOL! COME ON!
Please allow me to say that I am very taken with your handle! It reminds me of one of those car registration plates where the number and/or letters are chosen and/ or manipulated slightly to make the registration plate look as if there’s a name or expression on it.
Whether you are a new of old contributor, welcome to the blog and a very Happy New Year to you!
Meanwhile, the utterly pathetic WAPO is determined to turn itself into a laughing stock with the “Russian hack” of the Vermont electrical grid. It all reminds me of those religious hallucinations where people swear they saw the Virgin Mary. Suddenly everyone in the mainstream media can see Russians everywhere:
http://news.antiwar.com/2016/12/31/wapos-fake-story-on-hacking-electrical-grid/
“But the laptop wasn’t critical infrastructure, wasn’t connected to anything in the grid, and there’s no evidence the malware did anything to it anyhow. Even putting aside the tenuous Russia link, officials like the Vermont Public Service Commissioner were quick to point out that the grid was not in danger in any way.”
Uh, Natanz was infected although offline by contractor laptops brought in from around the world. Then they are in a position infect the mainframes connected to the Net. Really, you naysayers are quite delusional since you prevented war with Russia. 🙂
And why would the Vermont electricity grid be a target for the Kremlin? And why would you know more than the Vermont Public Service Commissioner?
Have you heard of ‘probing’? Are you aware their is a Cyber War already under way?
But then neither you, I or the Vermont Service Commissioner know anything about these matters unlike Craig and his single source.
Good. So you admit that you have no absolutely evidence that Russia was trying to sabotage the Vermont electric grid. And nor does WAPO.
Happy New Year Ben. I thought the Natanz story was bollocks too. Most Iranian scientists I have come in contact with are very clever and wouldn’t run their stuff on an old virus ridden copy of Window’s NT.
Does anyone happen to know the respective total sizes (in terms of numbers of people) of the US embassy, consulate(s) and similar in Russia and the Russian embassy, consular(s) and similar in the USA?
I also wonder if someone could confirm – or infirm – that Russian diplomatic missions still continue the practice of not employing locals or other foreigners in ancillary roles (eg chauffeurs, domestic staff, etc) but only employing Russian nationals bought from Russia?
Film director Oliver Stone criticize the hysteria in the MSM and the red scare,
Oliver Stone’s Depressing Year-End Take on US-Russian Relations
http://russia-insider.com/en/politics/oliver-stones-depressing-year-end-take-us-russian-relations/ri18354
So we enter 2017
what has happened to the many White Helmets
in Aleppo?
Funny how they disappeared all of a sudden, and weren’t captured. Were they ever there? There was no telephone number whereby they could be called for help.
Gee what a sense of humour you have – perhaps they are playing hide and seek with your not so nice friends.
As usual, from Slick Oily, Killary, the DNC to our 17 so called intelligence agencies and our compliant corrupt corporate intelligence media, accusation after accusation with never a hint of solid proof! The BS meter shot off the scale on this one. Once again the Obama administration held out a shit log to the american people, and the american people bit down hard! Bon appetit, suckers!
If there are three people and A points a gun at B, this reassures C who is an enemy of B and a friend of A, but what happens if A changes sides? This questions explains why the without honour or shame neo-con claim that Iran is building a nuclear bomb has always has been a lie, because a bomb aimed at Israel would alarm all of Iran’s neighbours. Thus building a bomb would undermine rather than strengthen Iran security, who already have the “nuclear option” of closing the Straits of Hormoz!
And this illustrates why giving the secret services more power to defend us, and amalgamating competing agencies, (such as all the Police forces in Scotland) can backfire when like the CIA they go rogue and become a mafia and act against the State, elected or otherwise, they were set up to protect.
Dave:
http://www.mintpressnews.com/global-war-terror-created-heroin-epidemic-us-afghanistan/218662/
http://time.com/4496013/heroin-opioid-addiction-treatment/
I will call, yet again, for the arrest and prosecution of every single member of the UK security services, and their vast troll army and shills.
http://truepublica.org.uk/united-kingdom/gchq-virtually-branch-office-nsa-parliament-unable-hold-account/
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/312335-trump-i-know-things-about-hacking-that-other-people-dont
TRUMP KNOWS ALL AND IS THE GREATEST ‘PUTER HACKTIVIST IN THE WORLD. (self-described)
He’s been telling us about his Pan-Expertise for years. We should have listened to him long ago.
Why don’t you wait and see what Trump actually does? What he has said is not a good predictor of what he will do.
Your sarcasm is as good as mine. Didn’t the little people of OZ worship the Wizard for a time?
“Didn’t the little people of OZ worship the Wizard for a time?”
No! That was the stupid Americans who believe in everything that Hollywood puts out. For example, the well-documented radio production of “War of the Worlds” by HG Wells On Sunday, October 30, 1938, sending them into a major panic.
On a point of information, the production you refer to was not put out by Hollywood.
As for believing things, well, quite a few people were taken in – temporarily – by that famous BBC radio spoof on an April Fools Day many years ago about the spaghetti harvest (it was said to grow on trees).
Europeans don’t necessarily have knowledge of Hollywood movies as a basis of their culture.
It’s a masterclass of mass distraction, that serves to deliberately ignore the real point; the content & author of the emails. Everything else is mere obfuscation.
One Hundred Million Dollars of Investment in The White Helmets
http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/11/04/just-how-gray-are-the-white-helmets-of-syria/
The White Helmets seems to have an annual budget of US$ 30 million and has raised a total support of well over US$ 100 million. And it seems that they operate exclusively in war zones in which the fighting against the Syrian government and the Syrian Arab Army takes place, i.e. in ‘liberated’ areas where hundreds of groups and some 80 countries, mainly NATO members, Gulf states and Saudi-Arabia, operate.
They mainly operated in Aleppo.
However the war in Aleppo is over.
So where have the 3,000 White Helmets gone?
Maybe they have gone to be White Helmets in YEMEN?
Idlib is a better prospect, as that is likely to be the next Syrian target. There’ve been a number of good fake videos of bombing camps. One I particularly remember of a camp supposedly bombed, where tents burned, but no bomb holes. The White Helmets should be able to find inspiration there. The problem with Yemen evidently is that it would have to be real help. That’s not the style of the White Helmets.