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....
About Me
- Name: Bruce K. Gagnon
- 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. @BruceKGagnon
Saturday, September 24, 2016
Friday, September 23, 2016
Heading to DC for Peace Conference
I leave very early in the morning for Washington DC to attend and speak at this peace conference being held at American University.
I will talk about Ukraine and South Korea on Sunday at 10:00 am.
On Monday morning there will be a protest at the Pentagon that I will join as well.
You can see the conference schedule here
U.S. Agency for Int'l Development Cheats Haiti
After the earthquake in 2010 nearly $10 billion dollars of foreign aid was pledged to rebuild Haiti. Vikram Gandhi went to see just how that money is being put to use.
Palestine in America
National Guard soldiers stand among protesters during another night of
protests over the police shooting of Keith Scott in Charlotte, North
Carolina, Sept. 22, 2016.
It happens practically every day now. Cops shoot another black person down in the streets of America. It's a war on the poor - the unwanted, the superfluous populations.
I've long asked - after all the wars and killing of innocent people around the world by the US, what makes you think we here in America are so special that they won't at some point do the same to us?
Well it is happening now - and first they come for the blacks and those of Muslim faith, then they come for the Hispanics, then they come for the peace activists, and then they come for you but no one is left to defend you.....
This nightmare will be Obama's legacy. He escalated Bush's wars. He kept the military budget at maximum levels, he worked with Congress to pass a health law that only benefits the insurance companies, he continued with cuts in social spending, he has expanded domestic surveillance by the NSA and Homeland Security, he worked to send $38 billion in weapons sales to Israel......
When did Obama ever fight for the black community? When did he go to the mat for urban America the way he fights for the corporate Trans-Pacific Partnership trade bill?
The American people are now being brought onto the reservation by the pirates that run our government.
The US has declared a global war - against all people except the 1%.
Bruce
Bruce
Different View on the Syria War
US Peace Council organized a fact-finding trip to Syria. When they returned they held a news conference in order to confront a hostile American media that continues to lie and distort the reality of Syria.
Have we not yet learned how the US imperial modus operandi really works?
Washington demonizes a particular country leader, starts a war in a that country (Panama, Yugoslavia, Iraq Libya, Syria), sabotages peace efforts, turns the place into a mess killing legions of innocent people after claiming the leader of that country is killing innocent people!
Here is a different view.
Bruce
Updated Space Week Events List
October 1-8, 2016
Keep Space for Peace Week
International Week of Protest to
Stop the Militarization of Space
No Missile Defense
Stop Drones Surveillance & Killing
Stop the Endless Wars
No to NATO
End Corporate Domination of Foreign/Military Policy
Convert the Military Industrial Complex
Deal with climate change and global poverty
Stop Drones Surveillance & Killing
Stop the Endless Wars
No to NATO
End Corporate Domination of Foreign/Military Policy
Convert the Military Industrial Complex
Deal with climate change and global poverty
List in formation
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Alice Springs, Australia (Oct 1) National Conference Pine Gap: Serving US Militarism for 50 Years – Time for Independence? Panels include: Pine Gap & US Base in Darwin, Security Threat to Australia?; War with China?; Mass surveillance; Nuclear and Drone warfare; Arms Manufacturers; Regional Arms race threat to peace. The Chifley, Alice Springs Resort, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm, aspatt2016@gmail.com
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Alice Springs, Australia (Oct 2) Joint Cavalcade to gates of US Spy base at Pine Gap 9:00am - 12:00pm, aspatt2016@gmail.com
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Bath Iron Works, Maine (Oct 1) Vigil across from administration building on Washington Street (Navy Aegis destroyers outfitted with “missile defense” systems built at BIW) 11:30-12:30 am Smilin’ Trees Disarmament Farm (207) 763-4062
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Berlin, Germany (Sept 30 – Oct 3) ‘Berlin Congress 'Disarm! for a Climate of Peace: Creating an Action Agenda’ at Technical University. Sponsored by IPB, WILPF, Pax Christi and others. https://www.ipb2016.berlin/event/ipb-world-congress-berlin/
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Berlin, Germany (Oct 8) Nationwide demonstration Down with Weapons! Cooperation Instead of NATO Confrontation, Disarmament Instead of Welfare Cuts http://friedensdemo.org/aufruf-zur-demonstration-am-08-10-2016-in-berlin/
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Boston, Massachusetts WILPF will organize protest
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Caracus, Venezuela (Oct 6) Protest by International Solidarity Committee (COSI), roso_grimau@yahoo.es
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Chandrapur, Mahrashstra State, India (Oct 7) Power Presentation on Space for Peace at Shantaram Pothdukhe Law College,
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USAF Croughton, England (Oct 1) March & Rally at U.S. satellite communication and intelligence base. (Space communications, drones, bomber guidance, missile defence and command & control functions.) 12-3 pm. Oxfordshire Peace Campaign, oxonpeace@yahoo.co.uk
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Gangjeong, Jeju Island, South Korea (Oct 1-2) Distribution of leaflets about space week during the Jeju Peace festival armha2013@gmail.com
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Gangjeong, Jeju Island, South Korea (Oct 7) A Concert in remembrance of US invasion of Afghanistan at Gangjeong Peace Center, Gangjeong village armha2013@gmail.com
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Gangjeong, Jeju Island, South Korea (Oct 1 to 8) Picketing, educating, expressing solidarity with space week at Navy base where ‘missile defense’ systems will be ported onboard US Aegis destroyers armha2013@gmail.com
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Gimcheon, South Korea (Oct 1-8) Nightly candlelight vigil against US deployment of THAAD ‘missile defense’ system near their community.
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Port Louis, Mauritius (Oct 1-2) LALIT 2nd Action Conference called “Diego Garcia: 50 Years’ Occupation & Banishment, 50 Year’s Struggle”. Topics include: The secret history of the U.S. Military Base on Diego Garcia and its role as a key installation in the Air Force’s Satellite Control Network. Contact: raj8@intnet.mu
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Digapahandi, Orissa State, India (Oct 4) Seminar at Bijoy Patnak, Government Women's College, Mr. Haraprasad Rath, Organiser ratha.haraprasad@gmail.com
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Digapahandi, Orissa State, India (Oct 6) Demonstration and Discussion at Chaamundi College, Mr. Haraprasad Rath, Organiser ratha.haraprasad@gmail.com
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Fresno, California (Oct 7) Tabling & leafletting at CSUF Cineculture Film Class ilsasso2003@yahoo.com
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RAF Fylingdales, North Yorkshire, England (Oct 1) Demonstrate against US Missile Defence and space-based warfare, 12-3 pm, Yorkshire CND info@yorkshirecnd.org.uk
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King of Prussia, Pennsylvania (Oct 8) Brandywine Peace Community will hold an anti-war 'REACH-OUT' to our neighbors. Lockheed Martin, 230 Mall Boulevard (corner of Mall and Goddard Boulevards, behind the King of Prussia Mall) Noon – 2 pm. Lockheed Martin is the world's #1 war (including killer drones) and nuclear weapons profiteer. Nuclear weapons and use are still the central threat of U.S. global empire. Music by Tom Music. Come with a whole lotta noise and love for people and the planet in the face of the presidential election madhouse. For more information: call (610) 544-1818, www.brandywinepeace.com/events.
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Kirtland AFB, Albuquerque, New Mexico (Oct 1) Protest at Gibson @ Truman Street SE from 10 am to Noon. Kirtland does Research & development on directed energy beam weapons, lasers, microwave, rail guns and others technologies in the war to defend freedom and liberty for American corporations. They want to put big killer lasers on aircraft soon. In addition KAFB operates a special satellite control system for global war that also enables drone attacks around the world on a moment’s notice. Kirtland houses one of the largest offensive cyber warfare centers that hacks into other nation’s computer systems. Sponsored by Stop War Machine and others. citizen@comcast.net
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Maine Peace Walk (Oct 11-26) Stop the War$ on Mother Earth, Penobscot Nation on Indian Island to Kittery Naval Submarine shipyard in Kittery, More info at http://vfpmaine.org/
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Menwith Hill, England (Oct 4) Demonstration at U.S. NSA/NRO Spy Base in Yorkshire. Sponsored by CAAB mail@caab.corner.org.uk
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Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota (Oct. 5) At the weekly peace vigil on a bridge spanning the Mississippi River between Minneapolis/St. Paul, Women Against Military Madness will hold signs about stopping the provoking of Russia and China. From 5:00-6:00 p.m. during rush hour traffic. On Oct. 8 a coalition of peace groups in the Twin Cities will rally with a focus on Afghanistan because it is the 15th anniversary of the U.S. war on that country; there is sure to be an anti-drone presence. beaudmj@gmail.com
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Nagpur, India (Oct 2) Dharna (Squatting Demonstration) J. Narayana Rao, Coordinator jnrao193636@gmail.com
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Niscemi, Sicily (Oct 2) Protest march at US space warfare communications base by No MUOS campaign sadhusan@virgilio.it
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Regina, Canada (Oct 8) Panel discussion against Canada joining the U.S. ballistic missile "defence" system. The venue is Meeting Room 208, Research and Innovation Center, University of Regina at 2 p.m. Speakers include: David Gehl, Dr. Stephen Moore, and Dr. William Stahl. Sponsors: Regina Peace Council, Making Peace Vigil, and PeaceQuest Regina. Info contact: Ed Lehman 306-718-8010 or edrae1133@gmail.com
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San Francisco, California (Oct. 9) Bay Area CODEPINK Monthly Peace Walk on the Golden Gate Bridge. Stop Drone Surveillance & Killing: Shut Down Beale AFB & Shut Down Creech AFB. Noon-2pm, Rally & March on the Bridge. ratherbenyckeling@comcast.net
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Santa Rosa, California (Oct 10) Lynda Williams, SRJC Physics Faculty presenting ‘The Gold Rush in Space: The Risks of Mining Asteroids’, Noon – 1:00 pm in Newman Auditorium, Emeritus Hall, Santa Rosa Junior College lyndalovon@gmail.com
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Seattle, Washington (October; Dates TBD) Leafleting against the Trident nuclear weapons system, at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor and communities around Puget Sound. Contact Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action (gzcenter.org) at info@gzcenter.org
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Seongju, South Korea (Oct 1-8) Nightly candlelight vigil against US deployment of THAAD ‘missile defense’ system near their community.
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Sunnyvale, California (Sept 26) Vigil at Lockheed-Martin (Fifth Street & L-M Way) at noon. Lockheed profits from war. Its web site lists over 400 products designed to meet the needs of today's “warfighter.” These range from Hellfire, PAC3 and Javelin missiles the F16, 22, 35 and 117 fighters, military satellites, integrated defense systems, and dispensers for cluster bombs. Sponsored by Pacific Life Community. ehmke@stanford.edu
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Tucson, Arizona (Oct 4) Peace vigil against drones piloting at Davis-Monthan AFB, Craycroft Road entrance, 7:00am Contact nukeresister@igc.org or 520-323-8697
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Tucson, Arizona (Oct 4) Speech by John LaForge ‘Dangerous, Useless, Expensive: Why Eliminate Land-Based Missiles’ at Himmel Library (1035 N. Treat Ave), Contact nukeresister@igc.org or 520-323-8697
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Vadso, Norway (Oct 10-11) National conference called ‘Military Intelligence as a democratic blind zone’. Event will discuss NSA-cooperation with Norway 1952-2016. In Vadsø is a huge US space Communications-Intelligence station near the Russian border. Event held at Scandic Vadso Hotel. For more information contact torill@formidlingskraft.no
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Volk Field, Camp Douglas, Wisconsin (Sept 27) Vigil Against Drones 3:30-4:30, Gates of Volk Field, an Air National Guard Base where they train personnel to operate the Shadow Drone. The monthly vigil at Volk Field is a legal vigil where we will be on public property. It will be a solemn vigil, remembering the victims of US drone attacks. For information joyfirst5@gmail.com or blbb24@att.ne
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Pentagon, Washington DC (Sept 26) 9:00 a.m. Nonviolent Action at Pentagon. Our gathering will begin outside The Pentagon near the top of the Metro subway escalators (the Pentagon stop) next to the bus bay. Bring your signs and banners and join our spirited nonviolent witness against war! We will also be delivering to the Pentagon a petition to close Ramstein Air Base in Germany, as U.S. whistleblowers and Germans together deliver it to the German government in Berlin. http://worldbeyondwar.org/
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Pentagon, Washington DC (Oct 3) Weekly Dorothy Day Catholic Worker Peace Vigil (7-8 AM) will display Keep Space for Peace signs. artlaffin@hotmail.com
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White House, Washington DC (Oct 7) Weekly Dorothy Day Catholic Worker White House Peace Vigil (Noon-1PM) will display Keep Space for Peace Signs) artlaffin@hotmail.com
* The award winning
documentary Pax Americana & the Weaponization of Space is available online
at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRA5bEO0cUg&feature=player_embedded
Thursday, September 22, 2016
Syria Bombing Not an Accident
No doubt in my mind that the US is protecting its ISIS operatives.
US wants to take down the Syrian government in order to expand Israel's land grab in the Golan Heights, steal the oil from Syria, and expand the ISIS military capability so it can then be turned against Iran and ultimately Russia.
The goal is to carve Syria up into pieces just like the US has successfully done in Iraq and previously (under Bill Clinton) to Yugoslavia. It's a bi-partisan operation in Washington.
Russia and Iran realize that the US-ISIS-NATO operation must be stopped in Syria before it gets bigger and much worse.
The US is lying about every thing going on Syria - sadly many in the peace movement and throughout our society are confused by the entire war and frozen into submission.
Russia keeps trying to get the US-NATO to agree to a real ceasefire and a peace agreement but each time they get near one the US then breaks the deal like they did with this bombing of the Syrian military forces in Deir ez-Zor on September 17. Of course the US then blames Russia for everything in order to escape taking responsibility for its own actions.
Russia and the US are on a collision course.
You have to review Russian media sources in order to get another side of the story in Syria or Ukraine....at least then you can see that there is much more complexity to these events than western media allows the public to see......
Bruce
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Truth Telling Time
Thank you Mr. Putin for telling the truth about US operations in Syria.
There is an obvious reason that the US has demonized Putin.
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Hollywood Script Writing
Could we say 'power trippin'?
It's all a Madison Avenue
Hollywood
script
written by the 1%
for the viewing pleasure
of the rest of us
They say
you have to hear something
seven times
before you will
remember it
We got the message.
Hillary
is talking to the women
'we've got to
stick together'
Hillary means
'women's liberation'
just like
Obama
was black liberation
except cops
keep shooting
unarmed black
men and boys
cold blooded
in the streets
of America
The new
civil war
blue
on
black
no
shades of gray
involved
this time
it's clear
what
is happening....
Listen hard
you'll hear
it all again.....
Bruce
Nader: Sanders Effort Aborted
I voted for Ralph Nader twice when he ran for prez. The second time was the famous hanging chad election that Bush-II stole. Many liberals blamed Nader for Gore's loss.
The truth of that election though was Al Gore never fought for his own voters as he sat back and watched the Republicans take the election. The suppressed black vote in Florida, where I was living at the time, was massive across the state. Gore never said much about that stain on democracy.
But in the end - all the Democrats could do was say that the whole sordid affair was Nader's fault - and sadly many of those same liberals still say it today.
It's sad to see Bernie turn into a sniveling shepherd for Hillary. It's enough to make a person cynical.....
Bruce
Get Me Out of Here!
- One person from my old Florida days continues to ride me on my Fazebook page, yesterday complaining that: "I have often wondered during the past year when you became a classic 'Alex Jones tin foil wearing conspiracy' addict? I mourn the intelligent Bruce Gagnon I knew years ago." This person has been regularly objecting to my postings that have shown any criticism of Hillary Clinton as an agent of the neo-cons who have taken over foreign and military policy decision making in Washington. Like many fans of Clinton, this individual from Florida does not want to hear any critique of Clinton - particularly anything concerning her support for the Iraq war, the take down of Libya, or her calls for a No Fly Zone over Syria. The most recent article I posted that drew a complaint can be seen here.
- But it is not just me getting the acidic complaints because I dare criticize Hillary Clinton. Many others, particularly former Bernie Sanders supporters who can't stomach voting for Clinton, are being slammed by 'liberal' Democrats. I was surprised to see reported in the Los Angeles Times the other day that Trump was now polling 14% support in the black community (and slowly trending upward) despite his racist posture. This indicates that Clinton's bad smell is pushing away more than former 'revolution' seeking Bernie supporters. The Democratic party is hemorrhaging - their cheating during the recent primaries to hand the nomination to Hillary has backfired on them as the public increasingly rejects their candidate. Turnout will be tough for the Dems to generate as Hillary is not motivating alot of real passion. Thus the need for the 'libs' to turn up the heat on wayward radicals.
- Bernie has put out the word to the liberals that 'we've hit sheep dogging time' and everyone needs to work the independent left over a bit - hit them at their knees. My question: when the NSA and Homeland Security boys come to round up even the 'libs', who do they expect to stand up for them? Talk about burning your bridges! Even Daddy Bush (George H. W. Bush) from his wind turbine powered wheel chair in Kennebunk, Maine has declared he is voting for Hillary. What more do you want? Vote Hillary....the candidate of Wall Street and the CIA! And then when Hillary starts a war with Russia and/or China you can put a peace bumper sticker on your car. Right next to the Hillary sticker. That's what I call covering all the bases.
- A recent article reported one former Sanders supporter named David Kerans having learned that in some states the voting results were altered by up to 10 percent in Clinton’s favor.... The voting machines were apparently rigged to register every one of Sanders' vote as 0.8 points and every one of Clinton's as 1.2 points. Sanders' supporters learned that the voting machines used during the elections are not subjected to any form of oversight by the authorities, with both hardware and software being supplied by private companies.
- The 2016 Duma parliamentary elections in Russia further gave evidence to the fact that Putin's popularity remains strong - in spite of western economic sanctions. Putin's United Russia party took 343 seats out of 450 in the Duma. The parties that came in after United Russia (Communists, Liberal Democrats and Fair Russia) are also described as pro-Putin. So the western hopes that the pro-Washington parties would score big were dashed by the Russian voters. Pro-US political parties barely got 3% together. Thus US-NATO is left to only one tool in their box of toys - more destabilization of Ukraine, Georgia and other countries along the Russian border. Plus, of course, more NATO war games and missiles aimed at Russia.
Monday, September 19, 2016
NSA is Tracking Every Phone in the World
Oliver Stone's new film now appearing in local theaters.
A really great and dramatic movie that is a must see.
Snowden is a real hero.
Following the UK Labour Leadership Fight
To the surprise and dismay of many Labour MP's in the UK, Corbyn was elected with the backing by Momentum, and is expected to win again next week in an another leadership election says, Professor Leo Panitch.
Leo Panitch is the Senior Scholar and Emeritus Professor of Political Science at York University, Canada.
He is the author of many books, the most recent of which include UK Deutscher Memorial Prize winner The Making of Global Capitalism: The Political Economy of American Empire, In and Out of Crisis: The Global Financial Meltdown and Left Alternatives, and Renewing Socialism: Democracy, Strategy and Imagination . He is also a co-editor of the Socialist Register, whose 2017 volume, which will be released in time for the Labour Party Conference and launched in London in November, is entitled Rethinking Revolution
U.S. Largest Overseas NSA Spy Base
Leaks by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden have revealed how his former employer used the US spy base at Menwith Hill in Yorkshire, England to conduct ‘kill or capture’ missions in its global shadow war.
The new files published by The Intercept partly lay to rest speculation by journalists and campaigners over what really goes on at the US base.
They show that secretive NSA kill-capture operations in the Middle East have been developed and initiated from inside the base’s heavily guarded perimeter wire.
Sunday, September 18, 2016
Absolute Coordination Between US Warplanes & ISIS during Syria Attack
Listen to this folks - you'll never hear this on mainstream media in the west. We get nothing but Pentagon propaganda here in the US.
Thank god for RT International.
If you truly want to understand the whole Syrian mess then read this article by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called Why the Arabs don’t want us in Syria: They don’t hate ‘our freedoms.’ They hate that we’ve betrayed our ideals in their own countries — for oil.
No MUOS Anywhere!!!!
US space warfare communications base in Sicily.... MUOS stands for The Mobile User Objective System.
The MUOS system includes four ground station facilities, each of which serves one of the four active satellites of the MUOS constellation and are located at: the Australian Defence Satellite Communications Station at Kojarena about 30 km east of Geraldton, Western Australia; Naval Radio Transmitter Facility (NRTF) Niscemi about 60 km from Naval Air Station Sigonella, Sicily, Italy; Naval SATCOM Facility, Northwest Chesapeake, Southeast Virginia; and the Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station Pacific, Oahu, Hawaii.
U.S. Bombs Syrian Military
US-led coalition jets have bombed Syrian government forces’ positions near the eastern city of Deir ez-Zor, killing 62 troops and "paving the way" for Islamic State militants to capture more land.
Even the US military newspaper Stars & Stripes admitted that the US had done this bombing. See it here
Is the US trying to torpedo this Syria ceasefire? Is the US trying to draw Russia into a dog fight over the skies of Syria?
Are the Pentagon and State Department in the US at war with each other? Who is actually running US foreign and military policy these days?
Is the US angry over the fact that it is losing in Syria and trying to turn the tables?
Is the US Ambassador to the UN crazy?
Bruce