Friday, April 7, 2017

Moscow suspends US-Russian memorandum on flight safety over Syria

  


Russia suspends the Memorandum on preventing incidents and ensuring flights safety during operations in Syria earlier signed with the United States in the wake of the US strike on the Syrian airbase, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported on Friday.

"The Russian side suspends the memorandum on the prevention of incidents and on ensuring the safety of flights in the course of operations in Syria, concluded with the United States," the statement runs. "We urge the United Nations Security Council to meet in urgent session to discuss the current situation."

The United States last night carried out an attack against Syrian government troops using the chemical incident in Idlib province as a pretext.

"It is obvious that the strike with US cruise missiles had been prepared beforehand," the Russian Foreign Ministry said. "It is clear to any specialist that the decision to deal the strikes was made in Washington before the events in Idlib, which were used as a pretext for a show of muscle. It is beyond doubt that the US military strike is an attempt to distract attention from the situation in Mosul, where as a result of actions by the US coalition hundreds of civilians died and the humanitarian disaster is growing."

Without taking the trouble to look into the situation the United States opted for the show of muscle, for military resistance to a country that fights against international terrorism," the Foreign Ministry said. "This is not the first time that the United States takes such a reckless approach, which merely exacerbates the world’s problems and poses a threat to international security."

The Russian Foreign Ministry has more than once declared its readiness for cooperation in tackling burning problems of today, including the struggle against international terrorism.

"But we will never agree to illegitimate actions against the legal Syrian authorities, who have for a long time been involved in irreconcilable war on international terrorism," the statement runs.

"In its attempts to excuse the military strike Washington utterly distorted the events in Idlib," the Foreign Ministry said. "The US side cannot but be aware that Syria’s government forces did not use chemical weapons there. Damascus does not have any, which has more than once been confirmed by competent specialists. The corresponding conclusions were made by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which over the past years has inspected practically all facilities that had or might have been involved in Syria’s chemical weapons program. As for Idlib, terrorists there were making bombs stuffed with poisonous chemicals for their subsequent use in Syria and Iraq. That facility was eliminated by the Syrian Air Force."

"We’re urging the UN Security Council to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the current situation," the ministry said.

The US strike in Syria is an attempt to distract attention from the situation in Iraq’s Mosul, the statement said.

"Undoubtedly, the US strike is an attempt to divert attention from the situation in Mosul where hundreds of civilians lost their lives due to actions, including by the US-led coalition, and the humanitarian disaster is mounting ," the ministry said.

"Apparently, the US cruise missile strike was prepared in advance," the Russian Foreign Ministry said. "It is clear to any specialist that a decision on carrying out the strikes was made in Washington prior to the developments in Idlib, which were just used as a pretext for demonstrating strength."

Syria - CUI BONO




 Here richly, with ridiculous display,
The Politician’s corpse was laid away.
While all of his acquaintances sneered and slanged, I wept:

For I had longed to see him hanged.
--Hilaire Belloc

 ************************

Channeling my inner Major Gen Smedly Butler, USMC and Medal of Honor recipient "war is a racket."

The long-running Syrian "civil war" and today's Cruise Missile strike by the US is a classic case of "who benefits?"

"They*" (I'll explain further along who "they" are) have been itching for an excuse, any excuse for years now. Here is the latest of several attempts at justifying the removal of Assad in Syria.

The excuse.

- Assad's AF bombs an ISIS weapons depot.

- ISIS chemical weapons are released, killing civilians.

- Assad is accused of a chemical weapons attack.


- The US (ever the sucker) blows the crap out of Assad's AF base with cruise missiles.

The reason.

- Nope, it's not the one you hear from the lying MSM.

- It's because "someone" wants to build a pipeline right across Syria, and Assad is in the way. [read: money, lots of money; the cause of most wars]

The facts of the matter.

- There would not be a Syrian "civil war" or any "refugees" from Syria had there not been discovered a HUGE new gas field near Lebanon-Israel-Syria-Cyprus in 2009.

- The "Europe Natural Gas Pipeline Project" aka the "Qatar-Turkey Pipeline" is worth a lot of money for many years to come.

- The Turks would very much like to 'see' Assad gone, and the Syrian chapter of the Muslim Brotherhood installed.

[Remember Barry's love affair with the Muslim Brotherhood? How about Hillary's love affair with Huma Abedin, princess of the Muslim Brotherhood? Are you connecting any dots yet?]

The Turks are Muslims. The Muslim Brotherhood are Muslims. They are assholes (just like Barry, Hillary, and Huma are), but the US is an even bigger asshole for being their dupe and proxy.

--rico

Nigel Farage and other right-wing populists turn on Donald Trump after missile strikes (As well they should)

Via Billy

 
Trump campaigned on not getting involved in Mideast. Said it always helps our enemies & creates more refugees. Then he saw a picture on TV. (Couldn't be said better.)

Many former Donald Trump supporters have turned on the President after his decision to retaliate against the Assad regime for its chemical weapons attack.

Nigel Farage, Milo Yiannopoulos Katie Hopkins, right-wing blogger Paul Joseph Watson, Ukip leader Paul Nuttall and Ukip donor Arron Banks are among the Trump supporters who have been disappointed by their hero.

 More @ The Telegraph

Lawmakers say intel agencies stonewalling on surveillance probe

Via Billy

Image result for Lawmakers say intel agencies stonewalling on surveillance probe

Lawmakers probing the surveillance of key officials in the Trump campaign and administration say the intelligence agencies now nominally under the president’s control are stonewalling efforts to get to the bottom of who revealed names and leaked protected information to the press.

The House and Senate Intelligence Committees are currently investigating allegations the Obama administration spied on Trump associates – and possibly Trump himself – for as long as the year preceding his inauguration. And while former Obama National Security Adviser Susan Rice has been implicated as at least one of the officials who sought redacted names from surveillance transcripts, multiple lawmakers and investigators for the panel told Fox News the CIA, FBI and National Security Agency - all agencies in position to aid the probe – are not cooperating.

More @ Fox

Freedom Watch Files Ethics Complaint Against Rep. Adam Schiff Adam Schiff, a ‘political hack’ and a ‘disgrace to our country’, For Obstruction of Justice

Via Billy


Attorney Larry Klayman of watchdog group, Freedom Watch announced this week that he filed an ethics complaint against Minority Member of House Intel Committee, Rep. Adam Schiff for obstruction of justice and ethics violations.

Be Very Careful Before Beating the War Drums in Syria

Via Billy

Image result for Be Very Careful Before Beating the War Drums in Syria
 
Russia’s involvement in the conflict raises the stakes of any U.S. action.

War has consequences. Callous incompetence has consequences. The world is watching those consequences unfold in Syria today. No one can look at images of children dead from gas attacks and not be moved. Let’s stipulate two things: First, there were never any easy American choices in Syria. 
 
Second, the Obama administration got virtually every hard choice wrong. Or, to be more precise, the choices it did make did nothing to either stop the worst humanitarian catastrophe in the new century or block our enemies and rivals, Iran and Russia, from exerting their will in Syria. The result is the Syria we have today, a patchwork quilt of competing zones of control that in some ways looks more complicated than it is.
 

Seymour Hersh: U.S. deliberately framed evidence to justify strike on Assad

Via Billy

Image result for Seymour M. Hersh pulitzer prizes

The U.N. thoroughly investigated the first 2013 attack. The U.N Commission of Inquiry’s Carla Del Ponte ultimately said the evidence indicated the attack was carried out by the Syrian rebels — not the Syrian government. Despite this, support for the Syrian rebels from the U.S. and its allies only increased, raising serious questions about Obama’s sincerity when condemning chemical attacks.

Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Seymour Hersh found the second major attack was committed in a similar manner. Hersh found that the U.S. quite deliberately attempted to frame the evidence to justify a strike on Assad without even considering al-Nusra, a terror group with access to nerve agents that should have been a prime suspect.

“Nuclear War Much More Likely” Paul Craig Roberts: In Dangerous World, Putin Will Not Trust America

Via Billy


Once again, Russia believes they can win a nuclear war.

 
Don’t be fooled by appearances.

President Trump is only at war with the Deep State on one level.

On another, the Deep State already runs everything – when it comes to foreign policy, economics, politics and the mainstream narrative that is meant to set & sync headlines, clocks and consumer habits around the world.

War is brewing, as Trump hinted strongly in his upstart presidential campaign, but it will come, ultimately, at the terms of the long-running organ that actually steers U.S. policy.

After a very dubious “chemical attack” in Syria to stir the pot (the White Helmets did not even use gloves when picking up, touching and treating supposedly contaminated children), it is clear that war could erupt overnight with any number of middle eastern ‘enemies,’ or with North Korea, Russia or just about anyone else.

And one narrative that has been almost constant from the establishment power base and their media lapdogs during the last cycle has been dogging Russia in anyway it can – from baseless hacking accusations, to controversial sanctions talks, to attributing ultimate responsibility for chemical warfare attacks.

One can clearly see that a fight is being picked. If the story doesn’t fit, they’ll force it, or just find another excuse.

Russia: Syrian Rebel's Toxic Agents Released When Airstrike Hit Rebel Chemical Weapons Arsenal and Munitions Factory

Via Billy

 Thursday's statement from Dmitry Peskov comes several days after a suspected chemical weapons attack.(SANA via AP)
 

Thursday's statement from Dmitry Peskov comes several days after a suspected chemical weapons attack on a rebel-held province in Syria. Moscow, Assad's key backer, has supported the Syrian government militarily since 2015.

Turkey said on Thursday that autopsies of Syrian victims from this week's assault in the Idlib province, which happened 60 miles from the Turkish border, show they were subjected to chemical weapons.

Utah Officer Turn Suspect’s Gun Against Him in Deadly Shooting


 Utah police released footage of a deadly shooting between two Roy City officers and an armed suspect. The shootout happened in February of this year. The police released the footage for informational purposes and it shows the officers taking immediate shooting actions.

Police are not releasing the identities of the officers at this time pending investigation by the Attorney General’s office. The officers shot and killed the suspect, Nicolas Sanchez, 39. The video shows the shooting from one officer’s perspective. Both are under leave for the duration of the investigation.

More @ Guns America

Russia: An Act of “Aggression” with ‘Negative Consequences’

Via Billy

 

The Russian news site RT reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin believes the attack violates international law. A few minutes before the bombing, a top Russian official warned the Americans of “negative consequences” if Trump bombed Syria – and evoked Iraq.

Furthermore, RT reported after the missile attack that Viktor Ozerov, chair of the Russian Senate security and defense committee, called the American bombing “an act of aggression against a UN member.” The site reported that Ozerov “added that Moscow would call an emergency UN Security Council meeting to discuss the situation,” and added that Iran had also “strongly condemned” the attack, which Russian media claim killed five people.

More @ Heavy

Excellent! Ron Paul: Syrian Gas Attack Was False Flag

Via comment by EIEIO on Trump launches air strikes on Syria like a predictable neocon tool that he is.

"Trump launches air strikes on Syria like a predictable neocon tool that he is."

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson speaks during a news conference at the Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Fla., Thursday, April 6, 2017,

They aren't positive it was the Assad air force. An extremely dangerous decision.  Assad is winning the war, and had no reason to do this.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says Russia has "failed" in its responsibility to deliver on a 2013 commitment to secure Syria's chemical weapons.

Tillerson briefed reporters shortly after the U.S. launched cruise missiles against a Syrian air base in retaliation for a gruesome chemical weapons attack. The secretary says Russia has either been complicit or "simply incompetent" in failing to deliver on its end of the agreement.

The agreement was struck after a 2013 chemical weapons attack. President Barack Obama threatened air strikes at the time, but ultimately pulled back on military action.

More @  Miami Herald