A Film for Our Times

Yesterday MB and I went to see the new movie called Trumbo.  I didn't know much about the life of Dalton Trumbo but this film is a work of art and I came away with my soul stirred.  The story reminds us all in that these times of endless war and the destruction of our constitutional rights we each must draw upon our reservoir of courage and fierce determination - we are not the first to face the boot of the repressive forces in this country and surely won't be the last.

Years ago I read the anti-war classic Johnny Got His Gun and it left a deep mark on me.  MB reminded me this morning that the book was written by Dalton Trumbo.

You don't want to miss this great story.

The Ukraine Story

 

This video gives a review of the last two years in Ukraine.  This backgrounder is a good intro for anyone who feels confused about the civil war going on.  The US has been directing the puppet regime in Kiev's attack on their own citizens in the eastern regions of Ukraine - in the Donbass as it is called.

 

The Kiev regime has been shelling homes, schools, hospitals, day care centers, churches, rail systems, power plants, airports and more.  Those living in the east have formed self defense forces and have received some material aid from Russia although there is no evidence that Russia has sent tanks and troops into Ukraine.

 

It is my opinion that the US wants to create chaos along the Russian border in eastern Ukraine as part of its ultimate goal to force regime change in Moscow.

Global Corporate Empire Update

• Sputnik reports:

"Turkey decided to down a Russian bomber because it continues to patronize the terrorists. The other reason is the fact that in five days Russian airstrikes destroyed over 1,000 tank trucks carrying stolen oil from Syria to Turkey."

• NSNBC International reports:   

If anyone ever doubted that the joint criminal enterprise called NATO was supporting and directing the terrorist groups in Syria, the same groups, they claim, that conducted the attacks in Paris and on the Russian airliner over Sinai, they now have the proof.  Can there be any doubt that this attack on Russian forces in Syria is intended to disrupt the Russian-Syrian campaign against those NATO supported terrorist groups? Can there be any doubt that if they are willing to shoot down one Russian aircraft they are willing to shoot down more? Can there be any doubt that this attack is intended to push Russia to react with counter force against Turkey resulting in a claim by NATO that it is under attack, resulting in a general war?

• Express (UK) right-wing media reports:

As tensions between Russia and Turkey continue to ratchet up, 57 per cent of readers believe the prime minister should back Putin's nation. This is despite Downing Street coming out in support for its NATO ally after the Russian Su-24 bomber was shot down in Turkish airspace sparking a potentially deadly international crisis.

A Number 10 spokesman said: "We will continue to work closely with the Turks and we will stand by the offers of support we have made to them already." But in a poll of more than 2,300 people, just eight per cent of them believed the British government should support Turkey. It revealed a fair 35 per cent believe Britain should sit on the fence and "stay out of it".

• Daily Mail (UK) reports:

He [Putin]  told a press conference yesterday: 'The American side, which leads the coalition that Turkey belongs to, knew about the location and time of our planes' flights, and we were hit exactly there and at that time.

'Why did we pass this information to the Americans? Either they were not controlling what their allies were doing, or they are leaking this information all over the place.'

Ahead of the conference, Putin and Erdogan traded barbs, with the Russian leader saying he was waiting for an apology and Erdogan ruling out any such move.

Putin has dismissed as 'rubbish' Turkey's claim that it would not have shot down the jet if it had known it was Russian.

Gathering of Generations

Protest at Turkey Consulates & Embassies

Obama and Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Message from a friend in Ukraine: All who want peace in the world, gather for a protest near the Consulates and Embassies of Turkey all over the world to express your thoughts and feelings concerning the downed Russian aircraft. We propose to do this in the coming days. We demand to convict the political leadership of Turkey who are the direct perpetrators of this crime, and their curators from NATO who cover them. I write to you to ask to support this activity.

I strongly agree that there must be a clear message from the international community of peace loving people that what Turkey has done is way beyond bounds.  Turkey's President Erdogan supports fundamentalist Islam and has been enabling ISIS.  The US of course knows this and tries to pretend it wants to destroy ISIS but that is not the case.  Washington wants ISIS to continue to grow in order to take down Syria, Iran and then Russia.

Wake up and smell the coffee folks.  This Turkish take down of the Russian plane is another US-NATO (Turkey is a NATO member) attempt to justify and start a war with Russia.  Now is the time to speak out before the nukes start to fly.

For those who think that war with Russia is not possible I say this - stop thinking rationally and begin to recognize that the US government is controlled not by the citizens but by a criminal syndicate of psychotic corporate operatives.

Take action: You can call the Turkish embassy in the United States at 202-612-6700 and press # 8 for the office of the ambassador.  I just called and was hung up on but got my message delivered before they did.  My bottom line is that Turkey is way out of control and in the wrong on this one.

Get more background here

Trump: "I Was the One"

More bullshit from the leading Republican candidate for president.  His Hollywood inspired campaign seems well coordinated to ensure that the oligarchy's favorite candidate Hillary Clinton will be elected as the US's next president.

Compare and Contrast

 

 

Just which government is telling us the truth about Syria and Turkey?

 

Former General Says Turkey Shootdown was Pre-Planned

 

The former US general's words speak for themselves.....

Pilger on Western Support for ISIS

 

Afshin Rattansi goes underground with John Pilger. Award winning journalist and author, Pilger talks about how Washington, London and Paris gave birth to ISIS-Daesh. 

Full Moon Society

The sacred moon
follows one
around our planet

For generations
we've lit our
night fires
and shared our hearts
with Mother Moon

A unifying
symbol,
each of us
has some
relationship
with the shape shifting
satellite

Coca-Cola
once proposed
a huge advert
on the night orb
so we would
never forget
their toxic
drink

Long called
'The poor man's
streetlight'
the wondrous moon
shares its glow
with all,
no charge,
just a bit
of reverence
requested

Reflections on a Trip and More.....

I got home last night after the long, but uneventful, trip from England to Maine.  It took a train, two planes, a bus and a car to get me from Leeds back to Bath.

I thought I'd share some reflections from the trip and also some thoughts about 'endless war' events currently in the news.

• The people we met with in Sicily were top of the mark - good organizers, very kind and welcoming.  We ate pasta two meals each day while there and I was in heaven.
• Two of the No MUOS groups (in Ragusa and Niscemi) have joined the Global Network as affiliate members which is a great thing.  We were impressed with their campaign to shut down the new US space directed communications base in Niscemi.  We asked them to try to get more English language subtitles on protest videos and the like so that more people can learn about their campaign.
• Dave Webb did a great job lining up my trip around England.  I spoke on three different college campuses and we drove a long way to three different US space warfare downlink/radar installations throughout Britain.  We met many determined activists along the way.
• Luckily throughout the trip to Sicily and England we did lots of walking which is often hard to do when you are traveling.  
• Activists in England are very excited about Jeremy Corbyn winning the Labor party chairmanship in recent months.  Corbyn is a long-time Parliament back bencher from London who has been an active leader in the peace movement for years.  The inside story is that the battle for Labor's soul - between the left and the remnants of the Tony Blair crew - has taken on new life as Corbyn reluctantly took his turn to run for chair and unexpectedly this time the public responded wildly which has put life back into all the movements.  The corporate media is attacking Corbyn mercilessly every day and he and his spokespeople have decided only to do live interviews so that their words cannot be cut and pasted into trash stories intended to mislead the public.  Smart idea.
• Dave and I rode the trains a couple times and the privatization of the once proud British rail system continues to show that the corporations can't and won't deliver important services to the public.  The corporations are not keeping the rail lines in good repair which means the public has to repeatedly bail them out with more funds.  The trains don't run on time and many scheduled routes are changed or cancelled creating much disarray and disapproval from the riders.  
• The French terrorist event happened just as we were moving from Sicily to England.  When I, and others, heard about a terrorist 'passport' being found (coincidentally just like on 9/11 in New York) we didn't buy the story.  While I have no evidence to support this - I do believe that the French terror event was another of the Gladio-style false flag events that continue to be used by the western capitalist governments to promote war and the loss of our freedoms.  
• In the case of the French terror event the US, France, England and other NATO allies are using the horrible killings to justify widening their already insane war in Syria.  The massive refugee crisis in Europe has largely been a result of the US-NATO wars on Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria.  I am convinced that the ultimate US-NATO goal is to widen the chaos even further which serves several wicked purposes: forces the public to support even more wars; creates even more military industrial complex profits which means more austerity cuts in human services; helps undercut the big protests (now looks like they have been banned) in Paris around the climate change summit; and ultimately consolidates power in the corporate dominated governments of the NATO war machine as we see even many left/liberal politicians now scrambling to prove they will be 'tough on terror'.  Hillary Clinton is just one example.
• Turkey's shooting down of a Russian jet today raises the question about NATO (Turkey is a NATO member) possibly attempting to find a pretext to create a "No fly zone" across Syria (something Hillary Clinton has been advocating).  This would put Russia and NATO directly at odds and increase the possibility of a more direct war between them.
• The recent energy blockade of Crimea and cutting the power lines by US-sponsored Ukrainian agents seems to be timed to increase the pressure on Russia at the same moment that the US-NATO are expanding their war to take down the Moscow supported Assad government in Syria.  The US-NATO is obviously working overtime to create as many points of instability as possible on or near the Russian border.  I would not at all be surprised to see the puppet government in Kiev (under full US control) again move to restart the war and shelling of Ukrainian citizens living in the Donbass (eastern Ukraine) along the Russian border. 
• I've got much administrative work to get caught up with since being away.  As winter approaches here in Maine there is also much yet to do to prepare the house and outside for the coming snows.  I went out and brought in some wood today which is something I always enjoy doing. 

Turkey Shoots Down Russian Plane

 

Turkey shoots down Russian jet over Syria.  Russia claims the plane was one mile away from Turkish border when it was destroyed.  Turkey is a NATO member and some are speculating that they are trying to draw Russia into wider war on behalf of the west.

 

It's been well known for a long time that Turkey helps fund, shelter, train, and fund ISIS along with the US, Israel, Saudia Arabia and Jordan.

The Real Story

Everything you know about Thanksgiving is wrong ft. Franchesca "Chescaleigh" Ramsey.
Posted by MTV on Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Sunday Song