Poet’s notebook: ' Where the pipe ends'
The pipe ends at Standing Rock.
That is also where
We Dream the end to oil.
The hail-mary answer to a Trump presidency: Progressives Still Have a Trump Card to Play against Trumpian Autocracy
By Dave Lindorff
Focus: The European Union - Dec 15, 2016
Note: I am a believer in the European Union. I think that it is an historical development, a political experiment to be replicated regionally in other parts of the world. Nowadays it is suffering difficulties like any emerging reality but it will ultimately succeed. As the 2016 has been a crisis year for the EU, the 2017 may set a relaunch of the initiative with new elections and changes looming.
EU agrees to extend Russia sanctions until mid-2017 over the turmoil in Ukraine - Reuters
EU fatigue over Russia sanctions shows as Putin reset looms - Bloomberg
Why the EU sanctions against Russia won’t last - Sputnik
Medvedev says EU food embargo remains in response to anti-Russian sanctions - RT Business
Federica Mogherini, top EU diplomat, says bloc is prepared for Trump - WSJ
EU foreign policy chief Mogherini speaks on Trump, Russia, Iran deal, Syria - WSJ
European Council conclusions on Ukraine, 15 December 2016 - EU Consilium
Turkey will have backup plans if EU visa deal falls through, Erdogan says - Reuters
Turkey’s relationship with the EU is worse than ever - VICE News
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EU leaders plan military overhaul after pressure from Trump - WSJ
EU investment bank to fund defense research: EU summit draft - Business Insider
EU Council draft summit conclusions - EurActiv.com
Website of the European Council, 15/12/2016 - EU Consilium
NATO to hold talks with Russia Monday: Stoltenberg - AFP
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Brexit: EU leaders to discuss UK's exit without Theresa May - BBC News
UK confident of negotiating Brexit within two years: May's spokesman - Reuters
UK faces Brexit settlement bill of up to £50bn, Sky sources say - Sky News
Brexit trade deal could take 10 years, says UK's ambassador - BBC News
Lloyd's of London plots EU shift to ward off Brexit threat - Telegraph
IMF and EU policymakers take Greece bailout spat online - ft.com
To contact Bartolo email peaceloverblog[at]yahoo[dot]com (replacing [at] with @, [dot] with .)
Focus: Aleppo - Dec 14, 2016
Russian Defense Ministry reports more than 360 gunmen lay down arms in Aleppo - TASS
Damascus in close contact on military planning with Moscow and Tehran - TASS
Syrian leader Assad's Shi'ite allies helped him win in Aleppo - Reuters
U.S. may target heavy weapons seized by Islamic State in Palmyra, US general warns - Reuters
VIDEO: Abandoned Russian military base in Palmyra - YouTube
No complete confidence US arm supplies to Syria ‘can’t change hands’: State Dept - RT America
VIDEO: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard introduces bill to stop arming terrorists - YouTube
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VIDEO: Ambassador Samantha Power's attack on Syria, Russia and Iran over deaths in Aleppo - YouTube
VIDEO: Russia’s UN Ambassador Churkin responds to Samantha Power on Syria - YouTube
VIDEO: Syria Ambassador Bashar al-Jaafari statement at the UN Security Council on Aleppo - YouTube
Senators McCain and Graham: Aleppo a ‘testament to our moral failure, everlasting shame' - Newsmax
New York Times editorial: Aleppo’s destroyers: Assad, Putin, Iran - The New York Times
Germany blames Russia over Syria, says sanctions still on table - sg.news
Russian Defense Ministry calls criticism over Aleppo ‘Russophobic hot air’ - themoscowtimes.com
Syria's Assad: Trump can be our natural ally to fight terrorism - Reuters
Assad: All Western aid for Syria sent to terrorist groups, not civilians - Sputnik
TRANSCRIPT: Assad full interview - Syrian Arab News Agency
To contact Bartolo email peaceloverblog[at]yahoo[dot]com (replacing [at] with @, [dot] with .)
VIDEO: Militarizing Police and a Policelike Military
C-Span Video is here.
Speakers:
Jamani Montague
Jamani Montague is a student activist at Emory University, studying International Studies and Environmental Science. Her research interests include race theory, prison ecology, comparative politics and eco-colonialism. Jamani is the Prison Advocacy Coordinator for RootsAction.org, where she works closely with prisoners, the media, and legal activists to bring civil and environmental justice to those behind bars. She plans to pursue a PhD in Environmental Health Studies and eventually teach in universities and prisons.
David Swanson
David Swanson is an author, activist, journalist, and radio host. He is director of WorldBeyondWar.org and campaign coordinator for RootsAction.org. Swanson's books include War Is A Lie and When the World Outlawed War. He blogs at DavidSwanson.org and WarIsACrime.org. He hosts Talk Nation Radio. He is a 2015 and 2016 Nobel Peace Prize Nominee.
Leah Muskin-Pierret
Leah is an activist working on challenging U.S. militarism in the Middle East. She focuses on ending U.S. complicity in Israeli apartheid to make way for Palestinian liberation. She hopes to chip away steadily at the military industrial complex until that day when activists have all the resources they need and the military needs to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber.
Miriam Pemberton
Miriam Pemberton is a Research Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies. She directs its Peace Economy Transitions Project which focuses on helping to build the foundations of a postwar economy at the federal, state and local levels. She co-chairs the Budget Priorities Working Group, the principal information-sharing collaboration of U.S. NGOs working on reducing Pentagon spending.
In addition to articles and opeds, her publications include two report series. “Military vs. Climate Security” compares federal spending on the two security domains, and argues for a shift of security resources toward mitigating climate change. “A Unified Security Budget for the United States” examined the balance of spending on military forces, homeland security and non-military foreign engagement and argues for a rebalanced security budget.
With William Hartung of the New America Foundation, she is co-editor of the book Lessons from Iraq: Avoiding the Next War (Paradigm Publishers, 2008). Formerly she was editor, researcher and finally director of the National Commission for Economic Conversion and Disarmament. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.
Focus: Russia - Dec 13, 2016
House Intelligence Committee Chair Nunes won't start new probe into Russian hacking - TPM
Congress can’t decide how to probe charges Russia aimed to help Trump - The Washington Post
Obama doubles down on Trump, blames Russia for hacking - New York Post
Top intel office not on same page as CIA regarding Russia hack assessment - Fox News
Did the Russians “hack” the election? A look at the established facts - Ars Technica
Vladimir Putin "ready" to meet Donald Trump "any moment" but likely after innauguration - CBS News
‘West has been blaming Russia for everything, now there’s backlash’: Gorbachev - RT News
VIDEO: Gorbachev: "World needs Russia & the U.S. to cooperate" - CBS News
Excerpts from AP interview with Mikhail Gorbachev - US News
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Moscow sees Rex Tillerson as chance to end sanctions, reboot U.S. ties - WSJ
Priebus: Trump won't rule out lifting Russia sanctions - POLITICO
Tillerson visited White House often over Russia sanctions, advocated against them - Bloomberg
Exxon would win if Tillerson works to lift Russia sanctions - CNN
McCain again voices concerns about Tillerson's ties to Putin - TheHill
Austrian Vice Chancellor repeats call for phasing out of anti-Russia sanctions - Sputnik
EU officials look into Rosneft sale for possible sanctions breach - Reuters
Japan says 'no deal' with Russia that undermines G7 sanctions - SMC
Russia's Putin says Western sanctions an obstacle to talks with Japan: media - Reuters
Putin: Disruptions of EU gas supplies via Ukraine possible - The New York Times
Sweden won't block Nord Stream harbor deals, but raises defense concerns - Reuters
Iran, Russia sign major deal on development of oil, gas fields - Tasnim News Agency
Russia's Rosneft takes part of Egyptian gas field for $1.6B - ABC News
Russia's biggest oil producer rises from slump, looks to 2017 - TheStreet
To contact Bartolo email peaceloverblog[at]yahoo[dot]com (replacing [at] with @, [dot] with .)
Tomgram: Tim Shorrock, American Military Power in Asia and the Trump Factor
This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To receive TomDispatch in your inbox three times a week, click here.
Talk Nation Radio: Craig Murray: Russia Didn't Do It; Vincent Emanuele on Stopping Pipelines and Wars
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Craig Murray is an author, broadcaster and human rights activist. He was British Ambassador to Uzbekistan from August 2002 to October 2004 and Rector of the University of Dundee from 2007 to 2010. See https://www.craigmurray.org.uk
Murray explains that he has met the leaker of either the DNC or Podesta emails and that both sets of emails were leaked by one or more people at either the NSA or the Democratic Party, that Russia played no role at all.
Vincent Emanuele (pictured at right) joined the United States Marine Corps as a squad automatic machine gunner in 2002. After two combat-deployments in Iraq, he refused orders for a third and immediately began organizing with Veterans for Peace and Iraq Veterans Against the War. In 2008, Vince testified to Congress at the Winter Soldier Hearings on Capitol Hill, where he provided detailed accounts of war crimes, atrocities, drug abuse and sexual assault within the military. See https://www.facebook.com/vincentjr.emanuele
Emanuele is just back from Standing Rock and discusses environmental and antiwar strategy. This show contains half our discussion. The second half will appear next week.
Total run time: 29:00
Host: David Swanson.
Producer: David Swanson.
Music by Duke Ellington.
Download from LetsTryDemocracy or Archive.
Pacifica stations can also download from Audioport.
Syndicated by Pacifica Network.
Please encourage your local radio stations to carry this program every week!
Please embed the SoundCloud audio on your own website!
Past Talk Nation Radio shows are all available free and complete at
http://TalkNationRadio.org
It Was LEAK, not hack
US Intel Vets Dispute Russia Hacking Claims
As the hysteria about Russia’s alleged interference in the U.S. election grows, a key mystery is why U.S. intelligence would rely on “circumstantial evidence” when it has the capability for hard evidence, say U.S. intelligence veterans.
Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity
MEMORANDUM
Allegations of Hacking Election Are Baseless
Focus: The Pentagon - Dec 12, 2016
Lockheed Martin says company already cut F-35 costs - Reuters
Lockheed shares fall after Trump tweets about F-35 jet costs - CBS News
Defense ETFs are under fire from Trump - ETF Trends
F-35 jets bound for Israel grounded due to their inability to take off in bad weather - CNNPolitics.com
Misleading F-35 answers drafted by Pentagon, testing chief says - Bloomberg
Oversight panel demands answers on Pentagon waste report - TheHill
Letter of House Oversight Committee members to Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Pentagon waste report - oversight.house.gov
Congress creates new DoD Chief Management Officer, whose primary job will be overseeing and reforming DoD headquarters functions - FederalNewsRadio.com
Final NDAA trims civilian and military jobs in DoD - FederalNewsRadio.com
DoD stuck with too many acquisition reforms and not enough staff - FederalNewsRadio.com
Pentagon taking a more serious look at off-the-shelf technology, Buy technology that is already available rather than spend money a new one - nationaldefensemagazine.org
Senate passes annual defense policy bill, sending it to Obama for his signature - The Boston Globe
Ashton Carter essay: The Pentagon must think outside of its five-sided box - The National Interest
To contact Bartolo email peaceloverblog[at]yahoo[dot]com (replacing [at] with @, [dot] with .)
Tomgram: Rebecca Gordon, Yet Another Undeclared U.S. War
This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To receive TomDispatch in your inbox three times a week, click here.
Today, Pope Francis Issued the Catholic Church’s First Statement on Nonviolence—Ever
By Rev. John Dear
Today, Pope Francis released the annual World Day of Peace Message for January 1, 2017, called “Nonviolence—A Style of Politics for Peace.” This is the Vatican’s fiftieth World Day of Peace message, but it’s the first statement on nonviolence, in the tradition of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.—in history.
We need to make “active nonviolence our way of life,” Francis writes at the start, and suggests nonviolence become our new style of politics. “I ask God to help all of us to cultivate nonviolence in our most personal thoughts and values,” Francis writes. “May charity and nonviolence govern how we treat each other as individuals, within society and in international life. When victims of violence are able to resist the temptation to retaliate, they become the most credible promotors of nonviolent peacemaking. In the most local and ordinary situations and in the international order, may nonviolence become the hallmark of our decisions, our relationships and our actions, and indeed of political life in all its forms.”
In his historic statement, Pope Francis discusses the violence of the world, Jesus’ way of nonviolence, and the viable alternative of nonviolence for today. His message is a breath of fresh air for all of us, and offers a framework for all of us to envision our lives and our world.
False Flag; Shock and Awe: Who Cares
The Syrian-Sarin ‘False Flag’ Lesson
Editor Comment: Amid Official Washington’s desire to censor non-official news on the Internet, it’s worth remembering how the lack of mainstream skepticism almost led the U.S. into a war on Syria.
By Ray McGovern
A review of events leading to the very edge of full-blown U.S. shock-and-awe on Syria three years ago provides a case study with important lessons for new policymakers as they begin to arrive in Washington.
Life on Earth is Dying
On the day that you read this article, 200 species of life on Earth (plants, birds, animals, fish, amphibians, insects, reptiles) will cease to exist. Tomorrow, another 200 species will vanish forever.
Scapegoating by the Political Right: A Mask for Privilege
Recently, many commentators have expressed surprise at the romance between the incoming Trump administration and the hate-filled ranks of racial, religious, and nativist bigots.
Focus: Donald Trump and Russia - Dec 11, 2016
GOP senators challenge Trump on Secretary of State prospect Tillerson's Russia ties - Fox News
VIDEO: Interview with Sen. John McCain on Russia (Tillerson question at 5:55 min) - YouTube
Behind the deep ties between Exxon's Rex Tillerson and Russia - CNN
What the Chinese think about Exxon's Rex Tillerson - Yahoo Finance
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Trump: Claims of Russian interference in 2016 race 'ridiculous,' Dems making excuses - Fox News
Senate Republicans join Democrats in calling for probe of Russian electioneering hacks - CBS News
Trump, CIA on collision course over Russia’s role in U.S. election - The Washington Post
New York Times editorial: Russia’s hand in America’s election - The New York Times
To contact Bartolo email peaceloverblog[at]yahoo[dot]com (replacing [at] with @, [dot] with .)
The fake campaign to blame “the Russians”: Democratic Losers and their Media Backers Seek a Scapegoat for Their Own Disaster
By Dave Lindorff
Focus: Russia and NATO - Dec 9, 2016
U.S. Senators urge Trump to take tough line on Russia - Reuters
Congress reassures Baltic representatives on NATO commitment - defensenews.com
Obama orders 'full review' of possible Russian hacking in US election - The Guardian
Secret CIA assessment says Russia was trying to help Trump win White House - The Washington Post
EU, NATO cement 'transatlantic bond' before Trump takes office - Reuters
European Defence Action Plan: Towards a European Defence Fund - European Commission
Opinion: US should redesign NATO and let Europe lead its defense - US News
NATO chief urges West to keep pressuring Russia over Ukraine - AP
NATO troops are to be put on heightened alert amid mounting tensions with Russia - Daily Mail Online
Pentagon awards $350Mln contract to integrate joint planning systems for NATO members - Sputnik
Lavrov: NATO trying to drag Montenegro into alliance before Obama leaves office - TASS
----------------------------------------------------
Inside Russia's stronghold of Kaliningrad 'where World War Three could start' - Daily Mail Online
Russian Foreign Ministry refutes claims on militarization of Kaliningrad exclave - Sputnik
Putin sends a squadron of Russia’s new Su-35S fighter jets to the Finnish border - Daily Mail Online
Trump has Goldman Sachs rethinking Russia - Forbes
One-time Trump adviser Page sees business opportunities in Russia - Reuters
Vladimir Putin advised Oliver Stone on Snowden film - TV3 Xposé
To contact Bartolo email peaceloverblog[at]yahoo[dot]com (replacing [at] with @, [dot] with .)
Black and Foreign Lives Matter: Ending Gun Violence Requires Ending War
Happy Human Rights Day, and what ever happened to the right to life?
We need to stop imagining that when wars come home to the land of their creators that the suffering created is something separate from war. And we need to stop imagining that racist cruelty at home doesn't fuel the distant wars.
Imagine a country in which people condemn gun violence and police violence while actively pushing for a new cold war with Russia or urging the bombing of Syria or cheering a string of drone murders and tolerating the expansion of the U.S. military presence to darn near the whole globe. Or a peace movement that condemns foreign drone murders while failing to focus on the higher number of murders creating by U.S. police officers.
Weapons dealing is an integrated global enterprise that feeds on racist, bigoted, violent, and macho ideologies wherever it can find them. Trying to defeat it with separate anti-gun and anti-war movements not united in their work won't succeed. Most of the guns are sold abroad, many of them deployed against U.S. fighters in the wars. Many gun owners' fantasies are closely related to war.
When local police are given weapons by the U.S. military and training by the militaries of the United States and other nations, and when they employ veterans of the military, which employs veterans of the police and prison industries in turn, demanding that the warlike behavior that results on our streets and in our homes be restricted to foreign wars will not work, not practically and not morally. It makes as much sense as a protester asking that an oil pipeline be rerouted somewhere else. The damage to the earth will still be done, no matter the route. Donald Trump says he'll have less war but more military spending. That's like having more ice cream to lose weight.
Military Recruiting in the United States, and Planning its Decline and Fall
This text is the foreword to a new book by Pat Elder called Military Recruiting in the United States.
Most people in the United States are far from aware of the full extent of military marketing, advertising, and recruitment efforts. We run into movies and comic books and video games and toys and school worksheets and science fairs and television shows and websites all the time that have been funded by and created in collaboration with the U.S. military. But we don’t know it. Or we know it, but we have so internalized the idea that the most expensive and extensive military the earth has ever known is simply normal, that we don’t think of its role in our educational and entertainment systems as in any way questionable. We don’t even think of the military’s marketing as being aimed at recruitment, much less ask each other whether that’s a good thing or being done in a proper way, or whether we ourselves should be forking over some $600 million a year just for the military’s advertising budget.
A return to McCarthyism: Rather than Exposing Propaganda, Washington Post Shows How It’s Done
By Dave Lindorff
Focus: Aleppo - Dec 8, 2016
'No progress' as Kerry, Lavrov meet on Syria: US - AFP
U.N.'s Egeland says U.S. and Russia 'poles apart' on Aleppo - Reuters
VIDEO: Statement of Jan Egeland, Special Advisor to Special Envoy for Syria - UN Web TV
Lavrov regrets Obama administration continues unfriendly steps against Russia - TASS
Lavrov says US voiced regret over shelling of Russian hospital in Aleppo but somewhat hazily - TASS
Russian naval task force enters port of Tartus. What does this mean? - southfront.org
Agreement on Russian permanent naval base in Syria's Tartus is on final stage - southfront.org
Russia deploys military police to Syria - southfront.org
VIDEO: Russia deploys military police to Syria - YouTube
A rising star in the Russian military killed in Aleppo - The Daily Beast
Turkey sending 300 troops to reinforce Syria operation: state media - Reuters
Turkish border guards kill three Syrian Kurdish civilians - kurdistan24.net
Turkey launches humanitarian campaign for besieged Aleppo - hurriyetdailynews.com
Iranian-made drone involved in attack on Turkish soldiers in Syria on Nov 24 - hurriyetdailynews.com
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Syrian army's Aleppo advance slows but victory in sight - Reuters
Lebanon cannot disassociate itself from the Syrian conflict, Al Assad warns - GulfNews.com
Kurdish forces liberate six districts of Aleppo from al-Nusra Front terrorists - Sputnik
Turkey says Syrian Kurdish YPG working with Assad's forces north of Aleppo - Reuters
Assad supporters see domino effect in Aleppo government win - Fox News
Rebels seek ceasefire with Syrian army closer to retaking Aleppo - Reuters
Islamic State makes advances towards Palmyra killing atleast 34 Syrian soldiers: monitor - Reuters
MAP: Military situation in area of Palmyra on December 8, 2016 - southfront.org
To contact Bartolo email peaceloverblog[at]yahoo[dot]com (replacing [at] with @, [dot] with .)
Tomgram: Nomi Prins, The March of the Billionaires
This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To receive TomDispatch in your inbox three times a week, click here.
Focus: The Pentagon - Dec 6, 2016
Congress wants hearing on Pentagon wasteful spending charges - TheHill
Chaffetz: Congress will ‘absolutely’ look at $125B in waste at Pentagon - TheHill
Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work’s response to The Washington Post - Washington Post
REPORT: Focusing a Transition, Challenges Facing the New Administration: A report by the Defense Business Board - FederalNewsRadio.com
ARCHIVE: Auditor finds U.S. Army fudged its accounts by trillions of dollars, it lacked receipts and invoices to support those numbers or simply made them up - Reuters
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VIDEO: Trump accuses Boeing of doing a little bit of a number with new Air Force One - YouTube
Boeing said to offer talks on Air Force One after Trump tweets - Bloomberg Politics
White House: New Air Force One will benefit future presidents - TheHill
Air Force grounds ‘combat ready’ F-35 over coolant line flaw - Bloomberg Politics
Yet another F-35 fighter catches fire, The incident did at least two million dollars in damage - popularmechanics.com
When pork flies: The F-35, the Pentagon’s $1.1 trillion flying money pit, is (sort of) ready for duty - Salon.com
The Pentagon is planning a new super rival to the troubled F-35 - The Fiscal Times
House lawmakers push for more F-35 funding in FY17 budget - defensenews.com
Acquisition Chief: Littoral Combat Ship program ‘broke' the Navy, is costing taxpayers billions more than budgeted - Military.com
VIDEO: Congressional hearing focuses Navy's use of Littoral Combat Ships - C-SPAN.org
Navy's troubled Littoral Combat Ship at crossroads, GAO says - Stripes
To contact Bartolo email peaceloverblog[at]yahoo[dot]com (replacing [at] with @, [dot] with .)
Talk Nation Radio: Chip Gibbons on Anti-Russia Committee and Censoring Criticism of Israel
Chip Gibbons is the Policy and Legislative Counsel for the Bill of Rights Defense Committee. He is also a writer whose work has been featured in Jacobin, Truthout, and Counterpunch. We discuss U.S. Congressional efforts to censor criticism of the Israeli government, and to create a new McCarthyite Anti-Russia Committee.
The petition we mention is here.
The account of a sleeping Congress Member we mention is here.
Total run time: 29:00
Host: David Swanson.
Producer: David Swanson.
Music by Duke Ellington.
Download from LetsTryDemocracy or Archive.
Pacifica stations can also download from Audioport.
Syndicated by Pacifica Network.
Please encourage your local radio stations to carry this program every week!
Please embed the SoundCloud audio on your own website!
Past Talk Nation Radio shows are all available free and complete at
http://TalkNationRadio.org
Tomgram: John Feffer, The Deconstruction of America, 2016-2050
This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To receive TomDispatch in your inbox three times a week, click here.
