Friends,

My friend, John Pepper, remains a student/thinker/philosopher at heart, even though he was CEO of a major US corporation for years. Occasionally after reading a historic tome which has relevance for today, he sends his ponderings.

John’s latest note below speaks to the differences between the 1960s Cuban Missile Crisis and the threat of WWIII breaking out in the Middle East today. My 1962 memory is fleeing on a plane to get my children to Kentucky, hoping we might be out-of-range if our home in Dallas was hit. Also the overwhelming relief felt when it was announced on TV that the crisis was over. In today’s terms the Cuban crisis was the result of an early attempt at “regime change” complete with plans to assassinate another leader, Castro.

[Continue Reading]

Friends, another lengthy truthful report from America’s #1 Investigative Journalist, Robert Parry, so designated by receiving Harvard’s I.F. Stone Award this year. Given the circumstances emerging now that Washington has broken off relations with Russia, it’s worthwhile to study this entire report.

Sharon

Consortium News
October 3, 2016

Do We Really Want Nuclear War with Russia?

Special Report: The U.S. propaganda war against Russia is spinning out of control, rolling ever faster downhill with a dangerous momentum that threatens to drive the world into a nuclear showdown, reports Robert Parry.

By Robert Parry

Through an endless barrage of ugly propaganda, the U.S. government and the mainstream American press have put the world on course for a potential nuclear showdown with Russia, an existential risk that has been undertaken cavalierly amid bizarre expressions of self-righteousness from Western institutions.

This extraordinarily dangerous moment reflects the insistence of the Establishment in Washington that it should continue to rule the world and that it will not broach the possibility of other nations asserting their own national interests even in their own neighborhoods.

[Continue Reading]

Friends, the situation between Washington/NATO and Russia is extremely tense; still they are not yet firing on each other in Syria.  At this writing, across Russia a huge country-wide Civil Defense Drill impacting 40,000,000 Russians is underway to prepare their citizens and military in the event of an all out “major catastrophe.”  Ordinary Russians have become increasingly concerned since June when U.S./NATO put 35,000 uniformed troops with weapons, war ships and war planes near Russia’s borders for a month. This military conglomeration was entitled, “Anaconda,” the largest and one of the most fierce carnivorous snakes in the world. The symbology wasn’t missed on the Russian people.

This huge Civil Defense effort happening today (and for the coming few days) across Russia is not mentioned in the New York Times or other U.S. mainstream media that I can find. Like so many topics, coverage must be managed to keep the American public uninformed and unworried. After all, they might start asking questions about the depth of danger in which we find ourselves. Fortunately, the unofficial Internet media services now pick up these major happenings fairly quickly––but they never get wide distribution.

We need to flood our Congressional representatives, President Obama and any authority to whom we have access with demands to back off of this insane policy to pursue a war with Russia. Call and email daily!

• Call the White House: 202-456-1111 (9 thru 5 EST)
• Email the President: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

Sharon

CommonDreams

October 4, 2016

Amid Escalating Tensions, 40 Million Russians Practice for Nuclear Emergency

Worries of ‘New Cold War’ intensify as United States suspends bilateral diplomatic channels for Syria conflict

by Jon Queally, staff writer

Amid collapsed diplomatic efforts over Syria and increasing tensions with the United States, the Russian government is beginning emergency response exercises on Tuesday that will include the participation of thousands of government officials and many millions of citizens who will respond to a mock nuclear attack or other large-scale catastrophe.

The four-day drill will reportedly include 200,000 rescue professionals, tens of thousands of emergency vehicles, and an estimated 40 million civilians from around the country.

[Continue Reading]

Friends, I hear you that you need information, and that it needs to be more concise. Articles these days are lengthy. The intent is to plug mainstream media’s disinformation with the truthful information which of course requires examples, rationales and history. I’ll ask authors for permission to sum up their pieces as a prelude to their articles and see if some permit. As for the article below, the Exclusive and the first six short paragraphs give the essence of the lengthier write-up that follows. If you have no time, just digest and ponder the facts in italics! If you are intrigued read further.

Sharon

Consortium News

How Arms Sales Distort US Foreign Policy

October 1, 2016

Exclusive: Money may not be the root of all evil but it surely contributes to horrible war crimes when lucrative arms sales distort U.S. foreign policy and cause selective outrage over human rights atrocities, writes Jonathan Marshall.

By Jonathan Marshall

Forget oil. In the Middle East, the profits and jobs reaped from tens of billions of dollars in arms sales are becoming the key drivers of U.S. and British policy. Oil still matters, of course. So do geopolitical interests, including military bases, and powerful political lobbies funded by Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the other Gulf states.

But you can’t explain Washington’s deference to Saudi Arabia, despite its criminal war in Yemen and its admitted support for Islamist extremism, without acknowledging the political pull generated by more than $115 billion in U.S. military deals with Saudi Arabia authorized since President Obama took office.

[Continue Reading]

Friends, this article by Thomas Graham (who I think it safe to say, is the voice of Henry Kissinger today), is a much needed statement regarding Russia. He makes points of moderation herein that sound like the recent shifts in consciousness of the other elder spokesperson in US politics, Zbig Brzezinski. Hopefully Hillary will heed both of their recent statements in her coming dealings with Russia and Putin.

I had opportunity to meet with Tom in his offices on a number of occasions in the past. He was always deeply thoughtful in his perspective on Russia even when U.S. policy makers were strident. He is steeped in Russian history and culture, speaks Russian language impeccably and always welcomed opportunities to meet with CCI’s Russian entrepreneurs when they traveled to Washington for meetings.

I don’t agree with every line, but if you have time to read this lengthy piece you will glean historic insights not found in today’s light-weight journalists who tout the party line. You’ll also pick up subtle and sensible shifts Tom (and likely Kissinger) are pushing behind closed doors. For those of us who have been so thoroughly disgusted with mainstream media recently, this piece will be well worth your time. I have taken the liberty of underlining points where he is breaking with current Washington norms.

Sharon

[Continue Reading]