Organizing Notes

Bruce Gagnon is coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space. He offers his own reflections on organizing and the state of America's declining empire....

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Location: Brunswick, ME, United States

The collapsing US military & economic empire is making Washington & NATO even more dangerous. US could not beat the Taliban but thinks it can take on China-Russia-Iran...a sign of psychopathology for sure. We must all do more to help stop this western corporate arrogance that puts the future generations lives in despair. @BruceKGagnon

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Space dangers: Contested orbits and mounting space junk

 


By Bruce Gagnon 

Space orbital parking lots are getting dangerously crowded risking cascading collisions ( Kessler Syndrome) which could become so severe that space flight would be impossible due to the orbiting field of debris. If this was to occur much of life on planet Earth would go dark as our daily activities are enabled by space satellites (GPS, Internet banking, weather prediction, cell phones, air traffic control, etc).

In addition, because of the massive escalation of satellite launches, astronomers are complaining that we are losing the night sky.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX makes rockets and satellites to build Starlink, a broadband Internet system that once completed will cover the entire world. SpaceX has so far put 2,500 satellites into orbit and plans for 42,000 satellites in low-Earth orbit (LEO) occupying 80% of this space.

The Pentagon funds and tests Starlink to use its military capabilities. Starlink satellites are being utilized by the Ukrainian military to guide drones, artillery shells, and missiles into Russian positions and at civilian targets.

Very recently Musk has begun to slightly restrict the use of Starlink by the Ukrainian military as he feared that Russia might take action against the constellation.

Anti-satellite weapons (ASAT) have been tested by India, US, Russia and China. ASAT’s need no explosives, at orbital speeds kinetic energy (one thing smashing into the other) does the job. 

Virtually all warfare on the planet is now enabled by space technology. Thus filling up the increasingly limited parking spaces in various orbital regions will determine which nation has an advantage.

NATO in 2019 announced a new doctrine calling space a ‘fifth operational domain’. NATO maintains that the US-led bloc will use commercial satellites as a military booster. 

The 1967 U.N. Outer Space Treaty prohibits ‘weapons of mass destruction’ in space or on ‘celestial bodies’ like the moon. But currently ‘weapons of selective destruction’ fall outside of the OST. Thus a new treaty is urgently needed.  


 

 

Russia and China have been leading the effort at the UN to create a new treaty to ban all weapons in space for many years. But the US and Israel have been blocking such a step for peace in space. The official US line through Republican and Democratic administrations is ‘there is no problem in space, and no new treaty is needed’.

During recent years the numbers of satellites orbiting the Earth has grown dramatically. Thousands more satellite launches have been approved by the Federal Communications Commission despite legal action by a coalition of groups (including the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space).

Each launch releases toxic agents which are destroying the Earth’s ozone layer. In addition, when satellites fall from lower earth orbit and burn-up on reentry they release a deadly stew of electronic particles into our atmosphere.

Russia has issued a warning to the US-NATO that they are ‘exposing civilian space assets to potential attack by utilizing them for military purposes’.

In early February Ukrainian troops fired rockets from a US-made HIMARS system which hit a hospital in Novoaydar, killing 14 Russian-ethnics and injuring 24. Russia claimed that Kiev used western satellites operated by NATO personnel to target the hospital.

In late February China announced that it was preparing to launch close to 13,000 satellites into LEO in a move to counter Musk’s SpaceX network. China stated that they intended to ‘ensure that our country has a place in low orbit and prevent the Starlink constellation from excessively preempting low-orbit resources.

~ Bruce Gagnon is coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space and lives in Brunswick, Maine.

US-NATO threatens Global South

 


 

The foreign ministers of the US, Germany, and Ukraine told the world at the Munich Security Conference, “Neutrality is not an option” in the West’s proxy war against Russia, implicitly criticizing the vast majority of Global South countries, which are independent.

Monday, February 27, 2023

U.S. nukes near quake disaster in Turkey

 

Click on map for clear view


 

50 US nuclear weapons are stationed illegally at the Incirlik Air Base in Adana, Turkey. They are located just a few miles west of Gaziantep, Turkey which was Ground Zero of the recent devastating earthquake in Turkey. 

Demand that the US remove their nuclear weapons immediately.

Our nuclear weapons on Russia's border have provoked Russia, lead to war, threaten all creation, and they could be destroyed in an earthquake!!

By Kathy Boylan
Catholic Worker
Washington DC

NATO entering new phase in Indo-Pacific “at lightning speed”

 


 

By Rick Rozoff     

Atlantic Council
February 6, 2023

NATO is entering a new phase in the Indo-Pacific

[Recently], US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and the Philippines’ National Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez announced plans to accelerate the implementation of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA)…granting US rotating forces access to four additional military bases, bringing the total number of EDCA sites to nine. It’s the latest example of the Biden administration’s strategy to harness the United States’ “unmatched network of allies and partners” in competing with China. While the US-Philippines announcement is getting plenty of air time, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s visit to South Korea and Japan last week is not – but it deserves equal attention. Indeed, of the two, the latter development could prove to be more consequential.

[T]he United States already has access to five air bases, including the Antonio Bautista Air Base in Palawan…as well as Cesar Basa Air Base and Fort Magsaysay near Manila on Luzon Island….

The strategic implications of Stoltenberg’s visit to Seoul and Tokyo….While diplomatic relations between the two northeast Asian countries and the Alliance are nothing new – both South Korea and Japan have been members of NATO’s “partners across the globe” for more than a decade – Stoltenberg’s visit shows that the transatlantic Alliance’s strategic approach to the Indo-Pacific is entering a new phase.

…As the secretary general told an audience in Seoul, his delegation’s visit is “a strong expression of the great importance we attach to the partnership between the Republic of Korea [South Korea] and NATO.”

Throughout his visit to the region, the secretary general argued that NATO’s security and East Asia’s security are interconnected….

Stoltenberg’s language and tone when referencing China this past week was particularly noteworthy. China only appeared on NATO’s agenda for the first time at the Alliance’s London Summit in December 2019….Skip ahead to last week and the language Stoltenberg used to describe China represents a noticeable shift. The secretary general told reporters in Tokyo that Beijing, together with Moscow, is “leading an authoritarian pushback against the international rules-based order.” In case his point was lost on the assembled journalists, he continued: “What is happening in Europe today could happen in East Asia tomorrow…and noted the “scale of the challenge” that China presents requires the Alliance and Japan to “work together to address it.”

…All of this is a far cry from just a few years ago. In Alliance terms, the shift in NATO’s strategic messaging on China has occurred at lightning speed.

Stoltenberg’s visit marked more than just a shift in rhetoric. It marked a growing realization since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last February on the part of both NATO and US allies in the Indo-Pacific that the security of the North Atlantic and Asia are “inseperable.” There have already been tangible results, such as progress toward a new Individually Tailored Partnership Programme between NATO and Japan, a framework agreement that outlines each NATO partner’s objectives for its relationship with the Alliance. Stoltenberg also used his trip to publicly announce his intention to invite both the South Korean and Japanese leaders to the NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, later this year. In a historic first, leaders from Japan and South Korea – together with leaders from New Zealand and Australia – attended the Madrid Summit last summer where NATO unveiled the new Strategic Concept…. 

U.S. provokes confrontation with China

 


 

Amid Beijing’s calls for peace and stability in the region, and asking Washington to stop its aggressive, bullying behavior, the US military continues to provoke China by flying aircraft inside the South China Sea with mainstream media like CNN and NBC onboard, at one point taking their jet down to just 300 meters above sea-level and making a beeline for a Chinese navy vessel. 

How ordinary Americans think this US aggression on the other side of the world is okay is beyond me. 

We’ll discuss. This is Reports on China, I’m Andy Boreham in Shanghai. Let’s get reporting.

Sunday, February 26, 2023

Brecht: 'You have to stand up, if you don't want to go under....'

 


 

General, your tank is a powerful vehicle

It smashes down forests and crushes a hundred men.

But it has one defect:

It needs a driver.

By Bertolt Brecht

Brecht is convinced: "The worst illiterate is the political illiterate, he doesn't hear, doesn't speak, nor participates in the political events. He doesn't know the cost of life, the price of the bean, of the fish, of the flour, of the rent, of the shoes and of the medicine, all depends on political decisions. The political illiterate is so stupid that he is proud and swells his chest saying that he hates politics. The imbecile doesn't know that, from his political ignorance, is born the prostitute, the abandoned child, and the worst thieves of all, the bad politician, corrupted and flunky of the national and multinational companies."

  • "Then the man, in cheerful disposition asked again: 'How did he make out, pray?' Said the boy: 'He learnt how quite soft water, by attrition over the years, will grind strong rocks away. In other words, that hardness must lose the day.'"
  • Brecht's unshakable optimistic and anticipatory conviction was that Hitler's regime will fall. Peaceful and persistent cooperative popular movements can overcome the most brutal 'elite' in the long run. Those in power now will not have the last say. Things are not going to be as they are. Fascism will not prevail. At the same time Brecht was neither naive nor an illusionist. He wrote elsewhere: "Where there is violence only violence can provide the remedy". It is all about the historical context.
  • "No help will come from the Gods who are leaving the solution to mankind."

His understanding of an educator was to raise questions, to make suggestions, to encourage debate. Brecht remains a writer who believes in reason and the values of enlightenment as much as in poetry. All his late dramatic art is characterized by his belief that "You have to stand up, if you don't want to go under, surely you will understand that."

The Great Disorder

We see the curtain closed, the plot un-ended.
In your opinion then what's to be done?
Change human nature or the world?
Well which?
Believe in bigger, better gods or none?
The right way out of the calamity
 
You must find for yourselves.
Ponder my friends.
How men with men may live in amity
And good men - women also
reach good ends.
There must, there must be some end
That would fit.
Ladies and gentlemen, help us
look for it.

~ All of this was extracted from a recent lengthy paper on Brecht by Irene Eckert who lives in Potsdam, Germany in January 1923. All editorial comments in this piece belong to Irene.

Rising for peace in Deutschland

 


 

Thousands of people on Saturday gathered at the Brandenburg Gate, a landmark in German capital city Berlin, to protest against weapon supplies to Ukraine and call for a peaceful settlement of the conflict. 



Canadians hit the streets

 


 

Canadian anti-war protesters gathered in Vancouver on Friday to condemn NATO for fueling the Ukraine crisis by constantly sending weapons while calling for peace talks to settle the year-long conflict.  

Sunday song

 


 


Saturday, February 25, 2023

Thousands in Berlin protest weapons to Ukraine

 



Sputnik

Thousands rallied near Berlin's iconic Brandenburg Gate on Saturday to demand that Germany help bring a peace process forward between Ukraine and Russia, instead of funneling deadly weapons to Kiev.

The "Peace Rally" was organized by the left-wing Die Linke party, which estimated attendance at more than 50,000. Protesters were seen waving peace flags and holding up placards that read, "Make Peace, Without Weapons" and "Diplomacy Instead of Arms Deliveries."

Sahra Wagenknecht, a lawmaker from Die Linke who called the rally, accused Chancellor Olaf Scholz in a speech of allowing Germany to be dragged deeper and deeper into the Ukrainian conflict.

"We do not feel represented by a chancellor who… repeatedly bows down to warmongers in his coalition and crosses one red line after another… We do not want German tanks to shoot at grandchildren of Russian women and men, millions of whom were slaughtered by the Wehrmacht," she said.

She also criticized defense industry lobbyists in the government and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, whom she accused of "trampling on the international arena like a bull in a china shop" and having "so little control over what she says publicly that she has mistakenly declared a war on Russia."

In the protest's manifesto, the left party demanded that Chancellor Scholz "stop the escalation of weapons deliveries" and focus instead on promoting a ceasefire and peace negotiations to avoid a third world war. A petition launched by Wagenknecht on change.org website this month has been signed by almost 650,000 people.

Facing the future - militarization of thought

 


Dr Robert Malone, is an internationally recognized virologist, immunologist, physician, biochemist and author. 

He is credited as the original inventor of mRNA delivery and vaccination as a technology and has spent much of the last 40 years of his life working on vaccine development and drug repurposing for infectious disease outbreaks.

Friday, February 24, 2023

Pentagon spokesman lies about NATO

 


 

Pentagon spokesman for Biden gets exposed by member of the media during news conference in Washington. 

In this short clip, Patrick Bet-David, Jimmy Dore, Adam Sosnick and Vincent Oshana talk about the Russian-Ukrainian war. 

Painting for peace at Space Force base

 

Space Force base GI helps paint banner

 

Hey Bruce,

I thought of you. We were at the Vandenberg Space Force base on January 22nd to celebrate the entry into force of the nuclear ban treaty.  We were painting a mural on a canvas out in front of the base when the base security came out. 

Dimitri talked one of the security personnel into helping paint the mural. It reminded me of the story that you had of encountering protesters at Travis Air Force base when you were in the service [during the Vietnam war] and being moved by them.  

Anyway, it just made me think of you.

Blessings,
Dennis Apel
California

Thursday, February 23, 2023

German peace activist facing jail time

 


 

Heinrich Bücker is the founder and operator of Berlin’s Coop Antiwar Cafe, a popular gathering place for leftist activists in the city. 

He has come under attack by the German government for his criticism of Germany’s role in the war in Ukraine. 

Bruce Gagnon interviews Heinrich about the German governments increasingly aggressive attitude toward Russia.

Global Network social media links: https://linktr.ee/space4peace

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Comedian Jimmy Dore at DC rally

 


 

At the recent Rage Against the War Machine rally in Washington DC, jagoff comedian Jimmy Dore took to the stage to remind the attendees that the War in Ukraine is not about “freedom” or “democracy” but rather, like practically all wars, is in service of the oligarchy that rules us and seeks to keep us divided. 

Excellent finish by Jimmy - be sure to listen to at least the last couple of minutes.

Update from Finland on US-NATO expansion

 


 

By Kerstin Tuomala 
Finland

I live in the country side and it is different from living in the towns. Here is a tradition just to visit neighbors and friends unofficially - just to drop in. In these days it is very important to meet people, because the society is getting hard and impersonal. Finland has never had such an aggressive policy during my life - and most ministers are women - green and so called left (social democrats and left association, also center-party and some small party). You could expect a feminine policy - but NO! They are worse than men, especially our prime minister, Sanna Marin, social democrat.

The NATO process was quite undemocratic and no referendum was hold- opposite to what both the president and prime minister promised before they went to Washington and other places, from where they seemed to be instructed. The polls they refer to are made in ways to get the results they want - they have not taken big enough random samples for interviews, but they have take samples from a limited group in the internet and they are excluding the oldest people from the polls, which is not correct at all. We, who now are old, have experienced the cold war and have also seen the benefits of having reasonable and diplomatic relations with all our neighbors including Russia. When we tried to complain about this, we were ignored.

I am still with the Peace committee of Lapland, I am taking care of the economy. We had a meeting in the beginning of this month, in Kemi, 200 kms from here. We were learning about the new USA bases in Norway. In the area of the bases the law of the United States of America is valid and if a Norwegian break the USA law in his/her own country but on the area of the base she/he would be investigated and/or judged through the law of the US. But the US soldiers and personal will not have to obey Norwegian law. What is this other than occupation?

Very secretly but obviously, our leaders of the foreign policy are arranging something like these bases also here in Finland. Of course we are very worried about this all, together with the fact that almost every cooperation and diplomatic relations with our neighbor Russia are cut down. It has taken decades to create good relations and now they are destroyed by Finnish policy by people who are inexperienced and incompetent what comes to interaction and skillful diplomacy. Our medias are dependent on Stratcom in Riga and the Hybrid center in Helsinki. Some people still get their views printed in the papers but it is much more difficult than ever.

In this situation I realize that the peace people in Maine - You and Your friends write to Your government and the Congress to demand those responsible for destroying Nord Stream 1 and 2 to be investigated and punished. I agree. It was a terrorist deed and also a deed against us all who live in the region, it was a crime against the environment. Thank You for writing these letters!! 

It is really important. As it is important to free Julian Assange because journalism is not a crime. It is important that people like Julian and Seymour Hersh can do their jobs and seek for the truth. For the details - I read a detailed description about how some ships from the Swedish navy operated at the places near Bornholm just where the explosions took place just two days before. They used the transponders at times and at times not, but they did something at the places one day and then went to the harbor and returned the next day. That has also to do with the explosions - it cannot be other wise, since they operated exactly at the location of the explosions. I think there are details we will learn more about in time....Although USA is responsible, somehow also the Swedish [and Norway] navy were involved.

The peace movement in Finland is split. There are some associations who demonstrate 25th of February against the war in Ukraine but instead of demanding our government not to send arms to Ukraine and to work instead for peace, they go to the Russian embassy and demand the war to stop. We in Lapland will study what is going on, and I try to participate even though I have to drive 200 kms one way and then back. It seems that very few persons know about what has gone on in Ukraine since the [2014 US orchestrated] coup. The peace movement is split.

Fortunately there are competent people now gathering together to seek for what to do. So we are not without hope.

I really hope the people of Europe would start to care about the security here, look really about how to find the way to peace in Europe for all Europeans. I believe we should learn to live on our continent not using the soil of other peoples for our benefits. I believe USA could live quite well in USA and we should leave the soils of Africa, Asia and Latin-America to their peoples. That is how we could survive as mankind. Not to use more than we have, not to exploit others but to work together and help each others. 

Upcoming Gagnon Zoom talk with Philippine activists

 

 
 

US and its Forever Wars: US NATO Proxy War on Russia

SUNDAY @ 10:00-12:00 noon Philippine TIME
(9 pm EST in US)

Speaker:  Bruce Gagnon
Coordinator - Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space

Zoom Meeting
http://bit.ly/3KdER3b

Philippine Initiative on Critical & Global Issues (Phil-Initiative) -  a new network made up of democratic organizations and individuals who are keen on studying and discussing not just the historical roots but also the present state of imperialism in the face of changing world and ever-increasing tension between and among global powers.

As Phil-Initiatives continue organizing a series of Learning Sessions on BIG POWER DYNAMICS taking up the different dimensions of imperialist wars of aggression - its origins, its impact on nations and lives of people including the implications to peace and security in our region - we would like to focus on the U.S. FOREVER WARS particularly for February & March this year.  

With the war in Ukraine already 1 year since it started and the recent agreement of the Philippines and the United States for an expanded EDCA (Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement)  - we would like to provide a platform for Philippine social movements to learn about the implication of these new trends.

  • What were US motives/interest in its support for Ukraine in the ongoing war?
  • What would be the outcome of the war on Ukraine?  Is its end near?  What could be the factors that this war would end?
  • What were US’s motives in going to war against Iraq?
  • Did the US get its politico-military and economic objectives? Did the US win in the broad sense?
  • Why do some people say that the war in Iraq did not really end?
  • What should we learn from the Iraq experience? 

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Protest in Munich during warmongers conference

 


 

Protesters in the German city of Munich called for peace talks on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and an end to the supply of arms to Ukraine on the second day of the annual Munich Security Conference.

More than 500 activists gathered at one demonstration spot near the city center, holding signs with messages like "stop the war" and "weapons bring death and destruction". They opposed the discussions at the conference on further stepping up military support to Ukraine and criticized the United States and NATO for causing the conflict and its escalation.

Ukraine: Bought and sold

 


 

The Grayzone's Max Blumenthal and Aaron Mate discuss Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's announcement of key partnerships with the Blackrock venture capital firm and Goldman Sachs to privatize Ukrainian assets and deepen the country's debt as part of his post-war reconstruction plan. 

Also see story about the Ukraine army using chemical weapons against Russian soldiers here 

Monday, February 20, 2023

Raging Against The War Machine in Maine

By Lisa Savage

 


Yesterday's gatherings to rage against the war machine in Maine were among the most interesting I've organized. Not only did we get a bunch of new people to fill in the ranks of those missing because they only oppose wars when a Republican is in the White House, but our participants were from a broad range of political parties and tendencies: Green Independent Party of Maine, Communist Party of Maine, Libertarian Party of Maine, and independents were all represented.

Two people said they were Republicans, while two others told me (separately) that they were registered Democrats but did not feel like the party represented their interests and were planning to unenroll. 

 

 

One person came from New Hampshire to join us, while two others had come up from NYC as one of them has ties to Waterville, Maine.


 

Professors from the Maine College of Art in Portland and Colby College in Waterville were with us, plus someone who works at the University of New England.

 

 

Our messaging was varied and most signs or banners played on one of the nine demands we were organized around for raging on February 19:

  • Not One More Penny for War in Ukraine
  • Negotiate Peace
  • Stop the War Inflation
  • Disband NATO
  • Global Nuclear De-escalation
  • Slash the Pentagon Budget
  • Abolish War and Empire
  • Restore Civil Liberties
  • Free Julian Assange
 


In addition we had a sign made the night before at my house calling out the Biden administration on revelations by investigative reporter Sy Hersh that the Nordstream pipelines were bombed by U.S. and NATO nations working together under cover of so-called "war games."
 
 


I saw another good sign on this theme in the coverage of the Rage event in Washington DC.

Estimates of that crowd range from 3,000-5,000 (crowds are notoriously hard to count). We had 20 in Bath and 16 in Westbrook, with some overlap. Many of the groups represented said their members had traveled to DC for the bigger rally. Honestly, as an anti-war organizer in Maine, I'm pleased when we have attendance in the double digits.

We also received coverage from Maine Public Radio and I just finished a follow-up radio interview this morning with the Ric Tyler/George Perry Show. Those two media outlets in Maine are as far apart ideologically as our group was. However, since the corporate media ignores us in these days of draconian narrative control, I'm willing to spread our message on whichever platforms are available. (Just to be clear, I don't align politically with either of those media outlets.)

What's next? March 18 is the date we agreed to meet again in Westbrook, where response was positive from many of the hundreds of cars that drove by in an hour.

Want to join us next time? Leave your email address in the comments and we'll be in touch. Because we don't have to agree on everything to stand together against the real possibility of a nuclear World War 3.
 

Blindly following the American empire





The Australien Government has made an ad for its new AUKUS military alliance, and it’s surprisingly honest and informative.  

Sunday, February 19, 2023

Sunday song

 


 


Saturday, February 18, 2023

US Forces in Europe to take part in Exercise Arctic Forge

 


By U.S. Army Europe and Africa Public Affairs, US European Command Stuttgart, Germany

Activities begin this month in Finland and Norway as part of exercise Arctic Forge.

Arctic Forge 23 is a U.S. Army Europe and Africa-led umbrella exercise for U.S. contributions to partner-hosted exercises in Finland and Norway, focused on building Arctic military capabilities and cooperation.

"Whether we are campaigning, competing, responding to crisis or in conflict, winning matters," said U.S. Army Europe and Africa Commanding General, Gen. Darryl A. Williams.  "And we must win in any engagement, including and especially the Arctic, where over-the-pole exercises like this with the Total Army and with our Allies and partners not only protect U.S. national security interests, but ensure a safe and secure region."

The exercise takes place from Feb. 16 through March 17, 2023, and will strengthen existing partnerships and attract new like-minded partners to meet shared challenges, opportunities, and responsibilities in the Arctic.

Arctic Forge 23 includes Finland's Defense Exercise North, and exercise Joint Viking in Norway.

The goal of Defense Exercise North is to demonstrate readiness by deploying a combat-credible force to enhance power in NATO's northern flank in support of our partner Finland, an aspiring NATO member.

Defense Exercise North begins when U.S. Army personnel from the 11th Airborne Division, will deploy from Alaska to Finland. This portion of the exercise will include an over-the-pole flight. They are augmented by personnel from the 10th Mountain Division and Virginia Army National Guard, deploying from New York and Virginia to Finland. The 280 U.S. Army personnel will train alongside approximately 550 military personnel from Finland, focusing on commanding and controlling a multinational force at the battalion level, modernization and experimentation.

 

This US war game was held on the Norway-Russia border and began on Feb. 24, 2022


"The Arctic Angels are excited to continue training with our Arctic Allies and partners, and we look forward to working with and learning from the Arctic experts from the Finnish Defence Forces, especially the Maavoimat, as we continue our role as America's Arctic professionals," said Maj. Gen. Brian Eifler, commanding general of the 11th Airborne Division.

Approximately 730 U.S. Marines from II Marine Expeditionary Force and 200 U.S. Army personnel are participating in exercise Joint Viking alongside more than 10,090 combined military personnel from Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom.

"This is an incredible opportunity to team up Marines and Sailors from across the Marine Air-Ground Task Force with our U.S. Army and NATO European Allies and partners," said Lieutenant General David A. Ottignon, commanding general, II Marine Expeditionary Force. "Our relationships with our Nordic partners and Allies have never been better. We learn so much from training with them and enhancing our ability to sustain ourselves and operate in the high north. We are more survivable and lethal in austere environments because of exercises like Joint Viking."

During Joint Viking, U.S. Army personnel participating will conduct winter warfare and maneuver training with their multinational counterparts providing indirect fires from the 41st Field Artillery Brigade, and air defense integration from the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, into Norwegian Land Forces operations. Additionally, staff augmentation from the 56th Artillery Command and the 21st Theater Sustainment Command will integrate with their Norwegian counterparts to assist with the joint fires process, and train on winter warfare logistics.

The U.S. Army trains and equips its forces to operate in extreme cold, high altitude, and variable weather conditions and operates alongside Allied and partner Arctic nations, which demonstrates our resolve to securing national interests in the Arctic region.

Dear Congressperson.......

 


 

Here are a series of letters to Congress critters that 'represent' us here in Maine.

 

  • Members of our government participated in planning and implementing destruction of the Nordstream 1 and 2 Pipelines.  If any other actor in the world had done the same, my government would declare it a terrorist act and seek redress.

As Maine's Senate and Representatives to Congress, I implore you to seek the truth of what happened, and hold accountable both individuals and government agencies that facilitated this act, and any cover up that followed.

Rather than continue to escalate, tt is long past time to demand negotiations to end this war in Ukraine, and to redirect Pentagon funds (the single government agency that has never passed an audit!) to decrease our country's contributions to climate change. Rather than pave the way to World War III, it's time to act as though we really do want humanity to survive this century.

Yes, I expect to hear from you on this issue.

~ Mary Beth Sullivan
Brunswick, Maine  

  • The US is sinking fast as a credible leader. Destroying Nordstream was the act of a spoiled, even demonic child. We are an embarrassment in the world when we could be wise. 

When will Europe throw up its hands in wonder that they could ever have trusted us. The emperor is down to his Bully Suit…for all the world to see. 

Take a deep breath and step on to a whole new path. A path to sharing. A path to wisdom and sustainability. I wish you well. 

This is what Sy Hersh said when asked how he found courage to speak the truth: "What’s courageous about telling the truth? Our job isn’t to be afraid. And sometimes it gets ugly. There have been times in my life, when — you know, I don’t talk about it. Threats aren’t made to people like me; they’re made to children of people like me. There’s been awful stuff. But you don’t worry about it — you can’t. You have to just do what you do.”

~ Rosie Paul
Brunswick, Maine  
 
  • I am horrified and you should be, too, to read Pulitzer prize winning journalist Seymour Hersh's recent article on the Nordstream pipeline terrorist attack by the Biden administration.

Congress must immediately begin hearings to shed light on our government's terrorism activities and bring the participants of this crime to justice.

This is a massive disgrace for our nation which is.fast becoming a pariah state in the eyes of the rest of the world. It also happened to cause an increase in fuel prices for all Americans.
This crime cannot go unpunished.

~ Natasha Mayers
Whitefield, Maine   



  • The U.S. has a long history of intervening in foreign countries. Our actions involving Ukraine are only the latest example of U.S. foreign policy.

Statements by members of Congress and the Administration declaring that Russia’s actions in 2022 were “Unprovoked” belies and ignores factual history – to wit:

                -President Clinton’s decision in the 90’s to use NATO to surround Russia with military bases and military exercises.

-Supporting the 2014 coup that replaced a democratically elected pro Russian president who supported the Nord Stream pipeline with an anti Russian president.

-training and supplying far right malitias that self identified as neofascist.

-supporting eight years of civil war.

-blocking Naftali Bennett’s efforts to mediate negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.  

Blowing up the Nord Stream pipeline did not happen prior to the Russian action but shows the extent to which U.S. efforts to oppose all things Russian will follow. As one of your constituents I am saddened and ashamed at the actions of my Government, both at the Administrative and Congressional levels.

~  Jerry Provencher
Bath, Maine 

 

  • How do you feel about presiding over World War 3? Will you be satisfied with how history treats your role in the U.S. making war on both Russia and China -- at the same time! -- and attacking countries that are supposedly our allies? The sabotage of NordStream pipelines has had many ill effects already: an enormous release of methane, the most harmful of greenhouse gases. A very cold winter without adequate heat in Germany, the other NATO powerhouse. Shredding of respect for the U.S. among other nations. A huge loss of credibility.

And, we have not even seen the military response from Russia that is to be expected after we destroyed a valuable investment in energy infrastructure between that country and Germany.

If you have studied history at all, Senator Collins, you would know that we are in a very precarious situation that could easily end in total nuclear annihilation for most life on Earth. If that happens, you will no longer need to be concerned with your legacy as a leader. There will be no one left to know or care about your support for WW3.

~ Lisa Savage
Solon, Maine  


  • I am more than angry to read Pulitzer prize winning journalist Seymour Hersh's recent article on the Nordstream pipeline terrorist attack by the Biden administration.

It is no surprise that western mainstream media is down-playing this blockbuster story. Congress must immediately begin hearings and bring the participants of this crime to justice. What tiny bit of respect the US still had around the world has now collapsed. This is a massive disgrace for our nation. This crime cannot go unpunished.

-Bruce K. Gagnon
Brunswick, Maine  


  • I can think of absolutely no reason to think that Biden, his handlers, and the State Department (probably many people in Congress knew about it before the explosions) did not order the blowing up of the Nord Stream Pipeline (s).  This  is very likely an act of International Terrorism. Seymour Hersh is a Pulitzer Prize Winning Investigative Reporter, and his block-busting article goes into much detail. This accusation demands accountability. That accountability will very likely not come from the White House, from Corporate Media, or from Congress. It will necessarily  need to come from US.     

Everyone who knew about this needs to be held accountable and  severely punished. We need to write letters to ALL of our U.S. Senators and Representatives; write Letters to the Editor to ALL of our local papers;  publicize this horrible Terrorist Attack on Facebook, Twitter, and on all online platforms;  and talk to neighbors, co-workers, members of our clubs and gyms, to our faith communities, and to our families. This - if true - is very likely worse than any action by any administration in recent history - probably excepting the endless wars. If this slides back under the radar then we have only ourselves to blame, and we will likely see worse actions in the future. I think the question should not be "Did he do it?"  

I think the question should be  "What are we going to do about it?" and "Are we going to try to save what's left of a dying democracy?"         

~ Brian Noyes Pulling
Maine 

Friday, February 17, 2023

US opposes UN resolution against Israeli settlement expansion

 


 The Cradle

The US voiced opposition to the UN Security Council’s resolution to stop the further expansion of Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories on 16 February, despite Washington previously criticizing Israel on the issue.

A few days before the proposed resolution, AP disclosed that it demanded that Tel Aviv “immediately and completely cease” settlement expansion and construction in the occupied territories.

Israel’s new extremist government has faced mass criticism over increasing Tel Aviv’s military operations in the West Bank and its bid to legitimize and construct settlement outposts and housing units in the occupied territories. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to annex more of the West Bank, with his party recently proposing the annexation of the Jordan Valley.

Washington expressed that it was “deeply dismayed” by Tel Aviv’s decision to expand its settlements. However, the US State Department affirmed that it would not support the resolution, reportedly proposed by the UAE – one of the Arab states that normalized relations with Israel during the signing of the Abraham Accords in 2020.

The State Department spokesman Vedant Patel remarked: “Our view is that the introduction of this resolution was unhelpful in supporting the conditions necessary to advance the negotiations of a two-state solution.”

On the other hand, Palestinian activists and political experts have indicated that the further expansion of settlements into the Palestinian territories will hinder efforts to reach a two-state solution.  

Earlier this week, the Israeli government authorized the construction of nine occupation outposts in the West Bank, which drew mass opposition from the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Over half a million Israelis live across 200 settlements on Palestinian land, including several areas in the West Bank. These settlements are deemed illegal under international law.

This came a week after Israel’s Religious Zionism party issued a statement highlighting that there will be “no pause” to the expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, despite pushback from US officials.

“There will be no construction freeze in [the West Bank], period. There will be no damage done to Israeli deterrence against terrorists, period. There will be no continuation of illegal construction and Arab land-grabbing in open areas, period,” the statement reads.

Message from Evo Morales in Bolivia

 


Must listen to....

 


 
 

Talking about Biden's terrorist attack on Germany's Nordstream pipelines Scott Ritter calls Biden 'evil'.

He says NATO is a 'tool of the US. The #1 threat to Europe is the US'.

I agree 100%.

Scott believes that increasing pressure inside of Germany to deal with this US attack will bear fruit. 

We must all do what we can to push this corrupt government in Washington into the deep hole it deserves to be in. Biden is one of the most corrupt presidents in the history of this nation.

The fact that the so-called 'progressives' in his party are far too timid and bought off to speak out is a pure sin.

It's up to the people now. Can we get it together to protect this Mother Earth for the future generations - the humans, the water, the sky, the animals, the plants, the precious air, the rocks and the soil?

Right now we are choking on the blinding hypocrisy of the corporate media and from both parties in Congress. They are the good cop-bad cop agents of Mr. Big. 

Everything is becoming clearer to me. For years I worked so hard to try to keep good relations with all kinds of different people while working in the 'peace' movement. I've been around long enough to have seen the US invasions of Vietnam, Grenada, Nicaragua, Panama, Iraq, Yugoslavia, Libya, Afghanistan and now Ukraine. I've repeatedly seen that when the Dems were in office most 'peaceniks' would not protest their wars. When Repubs were running their wars then we'd see more people out on the streets.

So disappointingly I once again see loads of people I've known for years go into hiding because they are too afraid to speak out against Democratic party orthodoxy. 

Some of them trash people like me, or they won't respond to good hearted appeals for dialogue. What could the reasons be? 

You can pick from this list: ignorance, stupidity, social or work pressures, depression, resignation, party loyalty, or agreement and ultimate acceptance of the ruling oligarchy program. Some people are being paid to keep quiet - cash, stocks, bonds, properties, access to media - stuff like that.

The February 19 protests in DC and across the country in local communities comes at a good time thanks to Seymour Hersh. I read an update he did yesterday where he finished with this line:

Stay tuned. We are only on first base . . .

Sy Hersh

My guess is that there is an inside revolt brewing in Washington. Stories like this Nordstream attack don't just get leaked every day.

The Neo-con globalists who rule the inside of the Biden 'administration' are at war with the American traditionalists - those seeking sovereignty for the US as long as their investment portfolios are in charge. So I'd guess there are people inside the Pentagon, State Department, and other places in Washington who are filling the ears of Hersh with lots of good info. He's always been a pressure release valve for the system in a sense.

But no matter - we all need to push hard right now because things are slipping from our grasp. We need lots of hands helping to paddle this lifeboat. If you are in the boat with us then you must do your share of the work.

Find someone else who is turning and together we can re-build a movement that is needed now more than ever.

Bruce

How did this all really begin?

 


 

 

Thanks again for your support, if you'd like to be on my mailing list, have any information on a UK solicitor willing to help me take on the UK Government, email me at gwplondon@gmail.com ! And, as stated, due to sanctions, literally the only way to support my work is via a donation to my Russian Sberbank card, number 5469 3800 7878 9806 ! 

Graham

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Be sure to watch the end bits where Graham reminds us in a quick review how this whole sordid US-NATO regime change war began.

Thursday, February 16, 2023

NATO weapons for Ukraine being sold....

 


 

By Jeffrey Sachs

NATO weapons supplied to Ukraine are again surfacing in third countries

The Pentagon reported that over the past few months, the US military has seized more than 5,000 submachine guns, 1.6 million cartridges for small arms, a small number of anti-tank missiles and more than 7,000 contactless explosives off the coast of Yemen.

A number of American politicians and senior military officials said that the seized weapons arrived in the Middle East from Ukraine through grain corridors.

"While the United States is struggling to meet Kiev's need for weapons, Ukrainian officials are selling the weapons they have received to terrorists," said General Wesley Clark, former commander–in-chief of NATO's Joint Armed Forces in Europe.

A similar opinion is shared by a member of the Republican Party, Blake Masters: "The situation has already gotten so out of control that weapons intended for Kiev are surfacing on the "black market" not only in Europe, but also in the Middle East and Africa."

☝️However, despite the outrage in the American government, the Joe Biden administration has not officially acknowledged that the seized weapons came to the Middle East from Ukraine. Now the Pentagon lawyers are trying to legally justify the export of weapons in order to be able to send them to Ukraine again. So far it is impossible to do this because the UN requires that the weapons seized from terrorists be destroyed without fail. 

Former CIA officer on U.S. Nordstream attack story

 


Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom

 
Philip Giraldi was previously employed as an intelligence officer for the CIA. 

Wednesday, February 15, 2023

US-NATO wants control of Arctic





 
In recent years, the US and NATO have been militarizing the Arctic through Norway as a means to confront Russia. This militarization is increasing tensions between nuclear-armed nations. 
 
As the Arctic melts away, these powerful nations are competing for dominance in the region as new routes are established, building new military bases, constructing new radars, and less efforts are placed in diplomacy. 
 
 

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Seymour Hersh im Interview: Joe Biden sprengte Nord Stream, weil er Deutschland nicht traute

 


Berliner Zeitung


Translation of the Sy Hersh German interview

"I" is for the interviewer questions, "H" is Hersh's replies. 


    Interview with Seymour Hersh: Joe Biden blew up Nord Stream because he didn't trust Germany

    Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh has published a controversial investigation into the Nord Stream attack. We talked to him. An interview.

Interviewer: Fabian Scheidler


    Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh has published an investigation showing that the attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines were initiated by the US government with the support of Norway. The U.S. government and the CIA have denied his account at Hersh's request. In many media outlets, Hersh has been accused of failing to disclose his anonymous source, so his claims cannot be verified. The criticism was also formulated that the research was not consistent. The Berlin publicist Fabian Scheidler spoke to Seymour Hersh for the Berliner Zeitung.

    I: Mr. Hersh, please explain your findings in detail. According to your source, what exactly happened, who was involved in the Nord Stream attack and what were the motives?

    H: It was a story that cried out to be told. At the end of September 2022, eight bombs were to be detonated near the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea, six of which went off, in an area where it is quite flat. They destroyed three of Nord Stream 1 and 2's four major pipelines. The Nord Stream 1 pipeline has supplied Germany and other parts of Europe with very cheap natural gas for many years. And then it was blown up, as was Nord Stream 2, and the question was who did it and why. On February 7, 2022, just over two weeks before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, US President Joe Biden said at a White House press conference he held with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz that the US would stop Nord Stream.

    Biden said: "If Russia invades, there will be no more Nord Stream 2, we will put an end to the project." And when a reporter asked how exactly he intended to do that, since the project was mainly under German control, Biden said only: "I promise that we will be able to do it."

    His deputy secretary of state, Victoria Nuland, who was deeply involved in the events of the Maidan revolution in 2014, had made similar comments a few weeks earlier.

    I: They say that the decision to shut down the pipeline was made even earlier by President Biden. You write in your report that in December 2021, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan convened a meeting of the newly formed task force of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the CIA, the State Department and the Treasury Department. They write: "Sullivan wanted the group to come up with a plan for the destruction of the two Nord Stream pipelines."

    H: This group was originally convened to study the problem. They met in a very secret office. Right next to the White House there is an office building, the Executive Office Building, it is connected underground by a tunnel to the White House. And at the top is an office for a secret external group of consultants called the President's Intelligence Advisory Board. I mentioned this to signal to people in the White House that I have information. So the meeting was called to examine what we would do if Russia went to war.

    That was three months before the war, before Christmas 2021. It was a high-level group that probably had a different name, I just called it "Interagency Group", I don't know the official name, if there was one. They were the CIA and the National Security Agency, which monitors and intercepts communications, the State Department and the Treasury Department, which provides money. And probably a few other organizations that were involved. The Joint Chiefs of Staff were also represented. It was about making recommendations on how to stop Russia, either with reversible measures such as further sanctions and economic pressure, or with irreversible, "kinetic" measures, such as demolitions.

    I don't want to go into the details here and not talk about a specific meeting because I have to protect my source. I don't know how many people participated, you understand what I mean?

    I: In your article, you wrote that the CIA task force reported to Sullivan's Interagency Group in early 2022, saying, quote, "We have a way to blow up the pipelines."

    H: They had a way. There were people there who knew what we in America call "mine warfare." In the United States Navy there are units dealing with submarines, there is also a command for nuclear technology. And there is a mine squad. The field of underwater mines is very important, and we have trained specialists for it. A central location for their education is a small resort town called Panama City in the middle of nowhere in Florida. We train very good people there and deploy them. Underwater mining specialists are of great importance, for example to clear blocked entrances to ports and to blow up things that stand in the way. You can also blow up a particular country's underwater oil pipelines. It's not always good things they do, but they work absolutely in secret.

    For the group in the White House, it was clear that they could blow up the pipelines. There's an explosive called C4 that's incredibly potent, especially at the amount they use. It can be controlled remotely with underwater sonar devices. These sonar devices emit signals at low frequencies. So it was possible, and this was communicated to the White House in early January, because two or three weeks later, Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland said we could do it. I think that was on January 20. And then the President, when he held the press conference together with the German Chancellor on February 7, 2022, also said that we could do it.

    The German chancellor did not say anything concrete at the time, he was very vague. One question I'd like to ask Scholz if I were chairing a parliamentary hearing is this: Did Joe Biden tell you about it? Did he tell you then why he was so confident that he could destroy the pipeline? We as Americans didn't have a plan at the time, but we knew we had the ability to do it.

 

Scholz and Biden


    I: You write that Norway played a role. To what extent was the country involved – and why should the Norwegians do this?

    H: Norway is a great seafaring nation, and they have energy sources at depth. They are also keen to increase their natural gas supplies to Western Europe and Germany. And that's what they've done, they've increased their exports. So why shouldn't they join forces with the US for economic reasons? In Norway, there is also a strong hostility towards Russia.

    I: In your article, you write that the Norwegian secret service and navy were involved. They also say that Sweden and Denmark were informed in some way, but did not learn everything.

    H: I was told: they did what they did, and they knew what they were doing, and they understood what was going on, but maybe no one ever said "yes." I've worked a lot on this topic with the people I've talked to. In any case, in order for this mission to be carried out, the Norwegians had to find the right place. The divers, who were trained in Panama City, were able to dive up to 100 meters deep without heavy equipment. The Norwegians found us a spot off the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea, which was only 260 feet (about 80 meters) deep, so that they could operate there.

    The divers had to slowly return upwards, there was a decompression chamber, and we used a Norwegian submarine hunter. Only two divers were used for the four pipelines. One problem was how to deal with the people who monitor the Baltic Sea. The Baltic Sea is monitored very thoroughly, there is a lot of freely available data, so we took care of it, there were three or four different people for it. And what was done then is quite simple. For 21 years, our Sixth Fleet, which controls the Mediterranean and also the Baltic Sea, has been conducting an exercise for the NATO navies in the Baltic Sea every summer (BALTOPS, editor's note). We are sending an aircraft carrier and other large ships to these exercises. And for the first time in history, the NATO operation in the Baltics had a new program. A twelve-day mine dropping and detection exercise should be conducted. A number of nations sent out mining teams, one group dropped a mine, and another group of mines went in search and blew it up.

    So there was a time when things blew up, and that time allowed the deep-sea divers who attached the mines to the pipelines to operate. The two pipelines are about a mile apart, they lie a little under the silt on the seabed, but they are not difficult to reach, and the divers had practiced it. It only took a few hours to place the bombs.

    I: So that was in June 2022?

    H: Yes, they did towards the end of the exercise. But at the last minute, the White House got nervous. The president said he was afraid to do it. He changed his mind and gave new orders, so that it was possible to detonate the bombs remotely at any time. You do this with a normal sonar, a product of Raytheon by the way, you fly over the spot and drop a cylinder. It sends a low-frequency signal, you can describe it as a flute tone, you can set different frequencies.

    The fear, however, was that the bombs would not work if they remained in the water for too long, which was indeed the case with two bombs. So there was concern within the group about finding the right remedy, and we actually had to turn to other intelligence agencies that I deliberately didn't write about.

    I: And what happened then? The explosives were placed and a way was found to control them remotely.

    H: Joe Biden decided back in June not to blow them up, it was five months after the war began. But in September, he ordered it to be done. The operational staff, the people who do "kinetic" things for the United States, they do what the president says, and they initially thought this was a useful weapon to use in negotiations. But at some point, after the Russians invaded and then, when the operation was completed, the whole thing became increasingly repugnant to the people who carried it out. These are people who work in top positions in the secret services and are well trained. They turned against the project, they thought it was crazy.

    Shortly after the attack, after they had done what they had been ordered, there was a lot of anger among those involved about the operation and rejection. That's one of the reasons I learned so much. And I'm going to tell you something else. The people in America and Europe who are building pipelines know what happened. I will tell you something important. The people who own companies that build pipelines know the story. I didn't learn the story from them, but I quickly learned that they know.

    I: Let us return to this situation in June of last year. President Joe Biden decided not to do it directly and postponed it.

    H: Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a press conference a few days after the pipelines blew up that Putin had been deprived of a major power factor. He said the destruction of the pipelines was a tremendous opportunity – a chance to deprive Russia of the opportunity to use the pipelines as a weapon. The point was that Russia could no longer put pressure on Western Europe to end US support in the Ukraine war. The fear was that Western Europe would no longer participate.

    I think the reason for this decision was that the war was not going well for the West and they were afraid of the approaching winter. Nord Stream 2 was put on hold by Germany itself, not by international sanctions, and the US was afraid that Germany would lift the sanctions because of a cold winter.

    I: What do you think are the motives for the attack? The US government was against the pipeline for many reasons. Some say she was against it because she wanted to weaken Russia or to weaken relations between Russia and Western Europe, especially Germany. But perhaps also to weaken the German economy, which is a competitor of the US economy. High gas prices have caused companies to migrate to the US. What is your view of the motives of the US government?

    H: I don't think they thought it through thoroughly. I know that sounds strange. I don't think Secretary Blinken and some others in the administration are deep thinkers. There are certainly people in the American economy who like the idea of us becoming more competitive. We sell liquefied natural gas (LNG) with extremely high profits, we make a lot of money from it.

    I'm sure there were some people who thought, 'Boy, this is going to give the American economy a long-term boost.' But in the White House, I think, they were always obsessed with re-election, and they wanted to win the war, they wanted to win a victory, they wanted Ukraine to somehow magically win. There might be some people who think that maybe it's better for our economy if the German economy is weak, but that's crazy. I think we've gotten caught up in something that's not going to work, the war isn't going to end well for this government.

 

Still waiting for the big American environmental groups linked to the Democratic party to speak out against Biden. He created the single biggest release of climate-damaging methane ever recorded, the United Nations Environment Programme has reported.  

   

 I: How do you think this war could end?

    H: It doesn't matter what I think. What I do know is that there is no way this war is going to end the way we want it to, and I don't know what we're going to do if we look further into the future. It scares me that the president was willing to do that. And the people who carried out this mission believed that the president was aware of what he was doing to the people of Germany, that he was punishing them for a war that was not going well. And in the long run, this will not only damage his reputation as president, but also be very damaging politically. It will be a stigma for the US.

    The White House feared that it might be in a losing position, that Germany and Western Europe would no longer supply the weapons we wanted, and that the German chancellor might put the pipeline back into operation – that was a big concern in Washington. I would ask Chancellor Scholz a lot of questions. I would ask him what he learned in February when he was with the President. The operation was top secret and the president was not supposed to tell anyone about our ability, but he likes to chat, he sometimes says things he shouldn't say.

    I: Your story was reported rather cautiously and critically in the German media. Some attacked your reputation or said you had only one anonymous source and that it was not reliable.

    H: How could I talk about my source? I have written many stories based on unnamed sources. If I named someone, they would be fired or, worse, jailed. The law is very strict. I've never exposed anyone, and when I write, of course, as I did in this article, I say it's a source, period. Over the years, the stories I've written have always been accepted.

    I: How did you check your facts?

    H: For the current story, I worked with equally experienced fact-checkers as I used to have at the New Yorker. Of course, there are many ways to check obscure information that is shared with me. The personal attacks on me also miss the point. The point is that Biden has decided to let Germans freeze this winter. The President of the United States would rather Germany freeze than Germany possibly stop supporting Ukraine, and that to me is a devastating thing for this White House.

    I: The point is also that this can be perceived as an act of war not only against Russia, but also against Western allies, especially Germany.

    H: I would put it more simply. The people involved in the operation saw that the president wanted to freeze Germany for his short-term political goals, and that horrified them. I'm talking about Americans who are very loyal to the United States. With the CIA, as I put it in my article, you're working for power, not for the Constitution.

    The CIA's political advantage is that a president who can't get his plans through Congress can walk with the CIA director in the White House Rose Garden to plan something secret that can affect many people on the other side of the Atlantic – or anywhere else in the world. That has always been the unique selling point of the CIA – with which I have my problems. But even this community is appalled that Biden has decided to expose Europe to the cold in order to support a war he will not win. This is nefarious to me.

    I: You said in your article that the planning of the attack was not reported to Congress, as is necessary in other covert operations.

    H: The matter was also not reported to many places within the military. There were people in other places who should have been informed but were not informed. The operation was very secret.

    I: What role does courage play for you in your profession?

    H: What's brave about telling the truth? Our job is not to be afraid. And sometimes it gets ugly. There have been times in my life when... -- you know, I'm not talking about it. But threats are not directed at people like me, but at the children of people like me. There were terrible things. But you don't worry about it, you can't. You just have to do what you do.