I was just watching on CNN NATO troops moving into Eastern Europe in the latest “get tough” move against Russia. This intimidating buildup is frightening to those of us who understand the significance, and why it is being done. President Obama and the rest of our National Security State players have been demonizing the Russians in the public forum.
THE USA is the world’s leading seller of weapons, having grown under President Obama to a third of all the weapons sold internationally. The Nuclear Mafia (a term used by former Commander in Chief of Pacific Forces Noel Gaylor to describe defense contractors) fund our elections and advertise in our mainstream media for control that few industries have in the nation.
Our own tax dollars are thusly used against us, since most citizens would prefer a more peaceful world. The Taliban, al Qaeda and ISIS, among others, have used thousands of American weapons against American troops.
If you are an elected official, you likely got elected with Nuclear Mafia campaign financing, and if you are a corporate journalist, your company’s owners, board members and advertisers are likely invested in the Nuclear Mafia, so you never bring up this corruption in order to stay employed, keeping mainstream media readers, listeners and viewers ignorant.
The Nuclear Mafia are not making the kind of profits from the current wars that they would like to make. It is hard to justify making strategic bombers, ICBMs and strategic submarines, the big ticket items, for the purpose of shooting a “terrorist” riding a camel.
So the Nuclear Mafia are pushing their minions in Congress and the White House to stir up a new Cold War with Russia, with which to drain trillions of tax dollars, as they did during the original Cold War.
The guests on corporate news programs are never people from the peace movement, although the corporate media pretend to objectively give what they call “both sides” of issues. Not this issue. You will see jingoist guests telling us the Russians are bombing hospitals on purpose, and other made up nonsense in order to gain public support for a military buildup on Russia’s borders.
The bellicose nonsense is without end, and the only viewpoint being broadcast in the corporate media.
We hear, for example, that Russia invaded Georgia and Ukraine, and it is made to seem in corporate media as though it happened because the Russians are mad for power. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Since this accusation is ongoing in the corporate media, citizens should understand what really happened.
Georgia
It was Georgian Joseph Stalin who decided that Abkhazia and South Ossetia would become part of the Georgia Republic under the USSR. Although there were long hatreds between Georgia and these two peoples, they were able to tolerate each other during the time the USSR existed. When the USSR disintegrated, Abkhazia and South Ossetia demanded that they be given a special status as autonomous republics. Georgia, now an independent nation, refused.
There have long been violent slaughters of people in these two regions, and it is not clear who was responsible, though Abkhazians, South Ossetians and Georgians all claim to be victims. At any rate it is clear that the hatreds run deep (some for centuries), and both Abkhazians and South Ossetians have declared their independence from Georgia.
This all came to a head in 2008, when Georgian troops entered South Ossetia and, according to residents, began to slaughter people. Long before this Russia had sent in peacekeepers to prevent violence, and Russia considered this to be the last straw, sending their own military forces in to stop the slaughter, as they saw it. I’ve seen videos of South Ossetians begging for help and claiming that the Georgians were slaughtering their people.
Russia did not invade Georgia, as the corporate media propaganda has it, but went in to clearly keep the peace. Since fighting has often broken out in Abkhazia as well, Russia decided that it was best to recognize the two as independent republics. Russia has pledged to maintain the peace in both Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Ironically, it is the position of the USA to back Joseph Stalin in putting Abkhazia and South Ossetia under the control of Georgia. To call what happened a Russian invasion appears to overlook ethnic cleansing, which South Ossetians claim was Georgia’s aim.
Ukraine
In 2014, the USA backed a violent overthrow of the democratically-elected government of Ukraine. A telephone conversation between the State Department’s Victoria Nuland and the US ambassador to Ukraine before the violence suggested that their choice be put in as prime minister. Millions of dollars were spent beforehand by the USA to undermine the elected government and bring it down.
The majority of Ukrainians would have none of it, of course, because they had voted for the government that was violently brought down. These were largely Russian speaking citizens who identify as being Russians, people who had lived for centuries in what is now called Ukraine. Much of Ukraine in pre-Soviet days, however, had been clearly part of Russia, and with the madness of Ukraine’s right wing out of control, Russians in Ukraine sought help from Russia to protect them. They even had a vote in Crimea asking to become Russian out of fear of the violence to the West of them. Russia recognized the vote and took these almost entirely Russian people back under its wing.
This is hardly an invasion. Russia already had its military in Crimea, under agreement with the Ukrainian government. Russians are a minority of citizens in Ukraine with Crimea separated, but a large minority, and many are still resisting to be governed by Kiev.
In the USA, these charges are intended to make Russia into a bogy monster, to win public support for Cold War. It is everywhere in our media today, evil Russians (without evidence) are meddling in our elections, evil Russians (without evidence) are reading Hillary’s emails, evil Russians are bombing children in Syria (not a word about the untold thousands of “collateral damage” caused by the USA).
Could Trump come to the rescue?
Some in the peace movement are hoping that, unlike President Obama, President Trump will not execute, among his first acts, an increase of 30,000 troops in Afghanistan, or have a White House gathering on Tuesdays to decide who to drone bomb.
The London Times is reporting that Trump will suggest an end to sanctions against Russia in return for nuclear arms reductions.
This, unlike President Obama’s actions, is Nobel Peace Prize stuff, if Trump can pull it off. Will the Nuclear Mafia allow this to happen? Will the generals Trump has nominated for his cabinet approve?
I think most people on the political left are holding their breath about a lot of things a President Trump might do, but this one could blow some minds.
Why would Trump do such a thing, assuming he does it? Well, he’s made a promise to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure, and that may cost trillions of dollars. From where would the money come?
If we get out of the nuclear weapons business, we don’t have to spend trillions of dollars on strategic bombers, strategic submarines and ICBMs. People worried about Nuclear Mafia jobs may be directed to look at millions of infrastructure rebuilding jobs, which could be steady work for decades at good salaries.
When I interviewed Admiral Gene LaRocque and asked him if we had enough nuclear weapons for our defense, he turned red and angrily shot back “You cannot defend someone with a nuclear weapon. They have nothing to do with defense,” so this is among the most wasteful spending of government.
Because Trump’s nominees for critical National Security State posts are largely hostile toward Russia and Putin, we must be on guard that Trump has demands in mind that the Russians can’t possibly accept, since Trump thinks of himself as something of a genius at deal making, such as “Accept the violent overthrow of Ukraine’s democracy and give back Crimea, and we will get rid of sanctions,” which would be a nonstarter.
As for the Russian side, Foreign Minister Lavrov responds, “If what Donald Trump and his team say about Russia, the readiness to search for joint approaches to the resolution of common problems and the deterrence of common threats together with Russia, if this is the stance of the next administration, we will reciprocate.”
But unlike the corporate media depiction of a Russia eager to accept a President Trump, a Pravda interview quotes Peter Kuznik, “Trump is a wildcard. No one knows what he will do—probably including him.
“He is not very well informed when it comes to world affairs. He has said some wise things about Russia and NATO. He indicates that he will seek friendlier relations with Russia, which would be a good thing. Anything right now that can reduce the rise of war between our countries is extremely welcome.”
Jack Balkwill has been published from the little read Rectangle, magazine of the English Honor Society, to the (then) millions of readers USA Today and many progressive publications/web sites such as Z Magazine, In These Times, Counterpunch, This Can’t Be Happening, Intrepid Report, and Dissident Voice. He is author of “An Attack on the National Security State,” about peace activists in prison.
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Is it possible that Trump will move us away from our new Cold War?
Posted on January 18, 2017 by Jack Balkwill
I was just watching on CNN NATO troops moving into Eastern Europe in the latest “get tough” move against Russia. This intimidating buildup is frightening to those of us who understand the significance, and why it is being done. President Obama and the rest of our National Security State players have been demonizing the Russians in the public forum.
THE USA is the world’s leading seller of weapons, having grown under President Obama to a third of all the weapons sold internationally. The Nuclear Mafia (a term used by former Commander in Chief of Pacific Forces Noel Gaylor to describe defense contractors) fund our elections and advertise in our mainstream media for control that few industries have in the nation.
Our own tax dollars are thusly used against us, since most citizens would prefer a more peaceful world. The Taliban, al Qaeda and ISIS, among others, have used thousands of American weapons against American troops.
If you are an elected official, you likely got elected with Nuclear Mafia campaign financing, and if you are a corporate journalist, your company’s owners, board members and advertisers are likely invested in the Nuclear Mafia, so you never bring up this corruption in order to stay employed, keeping mainstream media readers, listeners and viewers ignorant.
The Nuclear Mafia are not making the kind of profits from the current wars that they would like to make. It is hard to justify making strategic bombers, ICBMs and strategic submarines, the big ticket items, for the purpose of shooting a “terrorist” riding a camel.
So the Nuclear Mafia are pushing their minions in Congress and the White House to stir up a new Cold War with Russia, with which to drain trillions of tax dollars, as they did during the original Cold War.
The guests on corporate news programs are never people from the peace movement, although the corporate media pretend to objectively give what they call “both sides” of issues. Not this issue. You will see jingoist guests telling us the Russians are bombing hospitals on purpose, and other made up nonsense in order to gain public support for a military buildup on Russia’s borders.
The bellicose nonsense is without end, and the only viewpoint being broadcast in the corporate media.
We hear, for example, that Russia invaded Georgia and Ukraine, and it is made to seem in corporate media as though it happened because the Russians are mad for power. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Since this accusation is ongoing in the corporate media, citizens should understand what really happened.
Georgia
It was Georgian Joseph Stalin who decided that Abkhazia and South Ossetia would become part of the Georgia Republic under the USSR. Although there were long hatreds between Georgia and these two peoples, they were able to tolerate each other during the time the USSR existed. When the USSR disintegrated, Abkhazia and South Ossetia demanded that they be given a special status as autonomous republics. Georgia, now an independent nation, refused.
There have long been violent slaughters of people in these two regions, and it is not clear who was responsible, though Abkhazians, South Ossetians and Georgians all claim to be victims. At any rate it is clear that the hatreds run deep (some for centuries), and both Abkhazians and South Ossetians have declared their independence from Georgia.
This all came to a head in 2008, when Georgian troops entered South Ossetia and, according to residents, began to slaughter people. Long before this Russia had sent in peacekeepers to prevent violence, and Russia considered this to be the last straw, sending their own military forces in to stop the slaughter, as they saw it. I’ve seen videos of South Ossetians begging for help and claiming that the Georgians were slaughtering their people.
Russia did not invade Georgia, as the corporate media propaganda has it, but went in to clearly keep the peace. Since fighting has often broken out in Abkhazia as well, Russia decided that it was best to recognize the two as independent republics. Russia has pledged to maintain the peace in both Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Ironically, it is the position of the USA to back Joseph Stalin in putting Abkhazia and South Ossetia under the control of Georgia. To call what happened a Russian invasion appears to overlook ethnic cleansing, which South Ossetians claim was Georgia’s aim.
Ukraine
In 2014, the USA backed a violent overthrow of the democratically-elected government of Ukraine. A telephone conversation between the State Department’s Victoria Nuland and the US ambassador to Ukraine before the violence suggested that their choice be put in as prime minister. Millions of dollars were spent beforehand by the USA to undermine the elected government and bring it down.
The majority of Ukrainians would have none of it, of course, because they had voted for the government that was violently brought down. These were largely Russian speaking citizens who identify as being Russians, people who had lived for centuries in what is now called Ukraine. Much of Ukraine in pre-Soviet days, however, had been clearly part of Russia, and with the madness of Ukraine’s right wing out of control, Russians in Ukraine sought help from Russia to protect them. They even had a vote in Crimea asking to become Russian out of fear of the violence to the West of them. Russia recognized the vote and took these almost entirely Russian people back under its wing.
This is hardly an invasion. Russia already had its military in Crimea, under agreement with the Ukrainian government. Russians are a minority of citizens in Ukraine with Crimea separated, but a large minority, and many are still resisting to be governed by Kiev.
In the USA, these charges are intended to make Russia into a bogy monster, to win public support for Cold War. It is everywhere in our media today, evil Russians (without evidence) are meddling in our elections, evil Russians (without evidence) are reading Hillary’s emails, evil Russians are bombing children in Syria (not a word about the untold thousands of “collateral damage” caused by the USA).
Could Trump come to the rescue?
Some in the peace movement are hoping that, unlike President Obama, President Trump will not execute, among his first acts, an increase of 30,000 troops in Afghanistan, or have a White House gathering on Tuesdays to decide who to drone bomb.
The London Times is reporting that Trump will suggest an end to sanctions against Russia in return for nuclear arms reductions.
This, unlike President Obama’s actions, is Nobel Peace Prize stuff, if Trump can pull it off. Will the Nuclear Mafia allow this to happen? Will the generals Trump has nominated for his cabinet approve?
I think most people on the political left are holding their breath about a lot of things a President Trump might do, but this one could blow some minds.
Why would Trump do such a thing, assuming he does it? Well, he’s made a promise to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure, and that may cost trillions of dollars. From where would the money come?
If we get out of the nuclear weapons business, we don’t have to spend trillions of dollars on strategic bombers, strategic submarines and ICBMs. People worried about Nuclear Mafia jobs may be directed to look at millions of infrastructure rebuilding jobs, which could be steady work for decades at good salaries.
When I interviewed Admiral Gene LaRocque and asked him if we had enough nuclear weapons for our defense, he turned red and angrily shot back “You cannot defend someone with a nuclear weapon. They have nothing to do with defense,” so this is among the most wasteful spending of government.
Because Trump’s nominees for critical National Security State posts are largely hostile toward Russia and Putin, we must be on guard that Trump has demands in mind that the Russians can’t possibly accept, since Trump thinks of himself as something of a genius at deal making, such as “Accept the violent overthrow of Ukraine’s democracy and give back Crimea, and we will get rid of sanctions,” which would be a nonstarter.
As for the Russian side, Foreign Minister Lavrov responds, “If what Donald Trump and his team say about Russia, the readiness to search for joint approaches to the resolution of common problems and the deterrence of common threats together with Russia, if this is the stance of the next administration, we will reciprocate.”
But unlike the corporate media depiction of a Russia eager to accept a President Trump, a Pravda interview quotes Peter Kuznik, “Trump is a wildcard. No one knows what he will do—probably including him.
“He is not very well informed when it comes to world affairs. He has said some wise things about Russia and NATO. He indicates that he will seek friendlier relations with Russia, which would be a good thing. Anything right now that can reduce the rise of war between our countries is extremely welcome.”
Jack Balkwill has been published from the little read Rectangle, magazine of the English Honor Society, to the (then) millions of readers USA Today and many progressive publications/web sites such as Z Magazine, In These Times, Counterpunch, This Can’t Be Happening, Intrepid Report, and Dissident Voice. He is author of “An Attack on the National Security State,” about peace activists in prison.