If you have a PayPal account, please send your donation directly to linhdinh99@yahoo.com, to save me the fees. Thanks a lot!

For just my articles, please go to SubStack.

Monday, March 28, 2016

Head in the Sanders, Up Hillary Creek, Without a Trump Card

As published at Unz Review, CounterCurrents and Intrepid Report, 3/28/16:






No presidential candidate should be taken seriously unless he or she addresses these basic concerns:

9/11

Since this is the pretext for our endless War on Terror, it should be examined thoroughly and publicly, with testimonies from pilots, architects, engineers, scientists and eye witnesses, including first responders. Like many Americans, I find the official explanation ludicrous. Why can’t we have a convincing answer to how World Trade Center 7 imploded and collapsed into its own footprint? Or how was it possible for a Boeing 757 to shave the ground and hit the Pentagon from the side, as steered by an amateur pilot? Many other questions have also been brushed aside, with Donald Trump going only as far as implying that Saudi Arabia may be behind this tragedy. Why Saudi Arabia, but not Israel? By suppressing a legitimate investigation, Washington is at least complicit in this unspeakable crime. Both the how and who of that day need to brought to light, though I fear much of America will be smoldering ruins before then. The criminals will have finished the job.

Terrorism

The US and its allies have funded and trained the Taliban, Al Qaeda and ISIS, so how can it claim to be fighting terrorists? Bin Laden, too, was an American asset, and it sure wasn’t him our bumbling Seals killed on May 2nd, 2011. Even as a non-corpse, Osama served Uncle Sam. For five years, Syria has been attacked by American-backed terrorists. Many arrived from Libya, a country we’ve already wrecked, to the glee of Hillary Clinton. The US has a long history of using terrorists and hooligans to destabilize countries, but it poses, preposterously, as the upholder of global stability. Though none of our politicians can possibly be blind to this grotesque contradiction, they play along with the Disney script. In spite of his token or symbolic objection to the Iraq invasion, Sanders supported regime changes in Iraq, Libya, Ukraine and now Syria.

Military Reach

The US isn’t patrolling this entire earth to protect its allies, but to make sure they don’t fall out of its sphere of influence. It’s not occupying Europe to shield it against Russia, for example, but to prevent Europeans from cozying up to Russia and China. Eurasia must not become an integrated block. Fine, this is what an empire is supposed to do, but when it’s hollowed out and falling apart, perhaps it’s time to redefine America? Though brainwashed from cradle to grave that theirs is the indispensible nation, the apex of mankind and climax of history, many Americans have started to doubt their special status as their Access card runs short each month, their muffler scrapes the asphalt and their toothache goes untreated. Though it’s painful to fall from first to middling, one must deal with this new reality. Closing bases, withdrawing troops and gutting the military budget will allow us to focus and spend on domestic exigencies. The alternative is to go berserk with missiles as the curtain falls. Lost in unreality and hubris, Donald Trump wants our allies to pay us to keep them in line. He also thinks Mexico should foot the bill for a border wall to keep themselves out.

Borders

U.S. borders are not porous out of charity or ineptness, but because this benefits American businesses, and it has always been this way. Instead of bringing in slaves, indentured servants and coolies, our rulers welcome illegal immigrants to keep wages down. This also keeps our social fabric in constant turmoil, thus making a unified front against our masters nearly impossible.

Illegal immigration from Mexico was greatly exacerbated by NAFTA, for it allowed us to dump subsidized corn onto the Mexican market, thus bankrupting their farmers and forcing many to sweat inside American-owned maquilladoras. When many of these shut down, a wave of Mexicans crossed over to become the main workforce of our housing bubble.

America's borders, then, are essentially violated by its own government, but this shouldn’t surprise, since Washington routinely ignores other countries’ borders. There is a huge difference, however. When we barge into another country, it’s never to empty their bedpans or wash their dishes, but usually to kill them. America is the world’s most persistent and violent violator of international borders.

Moving forward, the US should respect all borders, including its own. Without having to relentlessly compete against illegal immigrants, poorer Americans will have a better chance at regaining their economic equilibrium.

Banks

Reviving an initiative started by Ron Paul, Donald Trump wants to audit the Federal Reserve, but as Paul, Ellen Brown and others have pointed out repeatedly over the years, the ultimate solution is to abolish the Fed altogether, for why should this criminal banking cartel have the power to ease money out of its fat ass to lend to the rest of us? We need United States Notes, as authorized by Kennedy before he was shot, not Federal Reserve perpetual debt vehicles. A country that can’t even coin its own currency is one without sovereignty. Since it’s nothing but a loan shark outfit and money counterfeiter, the Federal Reserve must be eliminated.

Israel


Israel is a horrible concept criminally maintained by a deluge of American tax dollars, plus rivers of blood, much of it Muslim but also American. Defending this most hated state, the U.S. has also become a pariah. Under Israel’s manipulation, the United States hasn’t just systematically destroyed one Muslim country after another, it has wrecked its own honor, reputation, present and future. In spite of all this, no American presidential candidate can question the U.S.’ eternal role in propping up this criminal country.

Chained to endless war on a false premise, enslaved by banksters and led by the nose by a tiny, besieged nation that must spill blood endlessly just to exist, it’s no wonder the United States is going down.




.

29 comments:

jac.bane.sr said...

Thanks Linh, if you're ever had the chance to read the FCIC report on the financial crisis, it is as enraging and disconnected as the 9/11 Commission Report.

9/11 and the financial crisis were both engineered terror attacks. A nation state doesn't pay for the world's most expensive military without throwing millions of their own citizens into ponzi schemes of debt.

Most Americans can understand the old frauds, because history is full of them. The local business that sets itself on fire, literally and figuratively, to cash in. Basically, old mob tricks. Bankers did the same thing to their banks, knowing they'd be rewarded immensely. 9/11 too, was intensely lucrative - some of these contractors are wealthier than bankers. Bernie and everyone else wants those jobs in their city, county, state. Can't vote our way out of this set up.

Linh Dinh said...

"Can't vote our way out of this set up." I can't agree more. Many nitwits will throw a tantrum, though, if you even say that. They're eager to be fooled time after time until they lie in that coffin.

LJansen said...

Thanks, Linh. United States of Amnesia (Gore Vidal) (himself something of an unrepentant Dem). Every 4 years, the hopium floats through the air; no one remembers how jazzed they were about Obama, who is now Obamarama, Shillary's godfather. Capitalism is organized crime.

Linh Dinh said...

Hi Linda,

Yes, Obama was the outsider, man of the people and community activist who will change everything. Now we have a guy whose most famous line is "you're fired!" promising the dimwits he will bring them jobs.

Linh

Ian Keenan said...

I heard Cynthia McKinney speak at Riverside Church when she said "I know about Black Box Voting, but it's important to vote." That's why she runs for office and has a link to voter registration on her website.

Rudy said...

Fantastic post, Linh.

I've argued all this stuff with people,though not nearly as eloquently as you, usually evoking aspersions and ridicule in response, but not always :-)

Expose 9/11 and the whole shebang will self destruct. They all they know that, of course, so chances of resolution through truth are pretty slim.

Linh Dinh said...

Hi Rudy,

Sidestepping or misdiagnosing all the important issues, our politicians are cynical and sinister liars, yet the dimwits insist on worshiping this or that one. How did we become so idiotic?!

I had such a fine and productive time in Europe, I wasn't looking forward to coming back, to tell you the truth, but only by being here can I really see and feel our madness and degradation.

Linh

Linh Dinh said...

Hi Rudy,

A proper look at 9/11 will show that we're ruled by a gang of criminals, but even without 9/11, it should be clear that they're homicidal criminals, since they kill people with immunity all over the world all the time. 9/11 is no fringe issue, but the ideological base of our current foreign and domestic policies and even our identity. With it, the ruling criminals can say the USA is a country of victims instead of murderers. Though we're attacking people all the time, we can use 9/11 to say that we were attacked, and they may attack us again at any time, anywhere, or even everywhere at once.

Linh

Linh Dinh said...

A must-read new article by the superb James Petras:

The Rise of the Jewish Policy Elite: Meritocracy, Myth and Power

LJansen said...

Hey, Linh. I think Petras has gone off the rails here. Scapegoating Jews bc of their religion is very unoriginal and stupid. Obama is not a Jew, nor is GW Bush. Even if Jews have undue influence, would you start a pogrom to get them out of the government? IMO, The way to fight any kind of power is to build our own power to overcome it.

Linh Dinh said...

Hi Linda,

Petras is not talking about ordinary Jews, but Zionist Jews in power with an allegiance to Israel. He cites specific Jews who served Israel while holding top positions in the US government. As for Obama, he's just a puppet.


Linh

Linh Dinh said...

Hi Linda,

These Zionist Jews influenced US policies that caused millions of deaths. Using American power and money, these Zionist Jews wrecked millions of Muslim lives. To point this out is hardly stupid.

Linh

Linh Dinh said...

For the last 20 minutes or so, Unz Review has slowed down to a crawl, so I just sent this to Ron:

Hi Ron,

Your website is suddenly extremely slow. I'm wondering if someone is messing with it. I know a woman who ran a Vietnamese-language political website that was periodically sabotaged (presumably by the Vietnamese government). They would send so many hits to the website that it slowed down or even crashed.

About a year ago, my computer got hit by a virus as I was uploading photos taken at an AIPAC event in DC. The timing was uncanny, and it took more than a week to sort of fix it.


Linh

LJansen said...

Hi, Linh. Okay, Petras does refer to Zionism a few times, but stating that this is a problem with their religion ("co-religionists") is a blind alley, in my opinion.

I'm not trying to be politically correct here. Even if Petras was correct, if religion is the problem, what does one do about it? Is religion the problem with ISIS? And believe me I HATE religion. We would be so much better off without it.

I tend to think our corporate system of government works the same way for all of the 1%. None of the banksters have gone to jail for killing off people's retirement, etc. No one is held accountable for ANYTHING. Unless you're a poor kid without a good defense lawyer.

Anyway, I will think about what you said. Linda

Linh Dinh said...

Hi Linda,

I don't think Petras is saying religion is the problem. People may have competing allegiances, however, or they may be a citizen of one country while serving another. Also, one cannot ignore religious or ethnic allegiance in shaping behavior.

As is evident with AIPAC, American Jews have a huge influence on US politics. You don't see the candidates kowtowing to any other group so abjectly.


Linh

LJansen said...

You're right about AIPAC. They are very open about their power over U.S. politicians. Obama says he is embarrassed by Trump & Cruz, but why isn't he embarrassed about the way Netanyahu humiliates him and the U.S. gov't?

Capitalism is organized crime and Jews have "family" connections just like the oil barons, tech gurus and the military brass. They ALL have some a common interest in fleecing the 99%.

The 1% mafia is ruthless to the rest of us no matter what family they identify with. Linda

Rudy said...

According to Wikipedia Jack Lew claims orthodox Judaism as his religion, but I can find nothing about religious persuasions of Michael Froman, Lawrence Summers or Alan Greenspan. All of them probably subscribe to the defacto state religion of holocaustianity, so co-religionist might actually work, though I doubt that’s what Petras had in mind. Whatever the case, I am not unduly concerned about Petras’ use of the term.

Something that does puzzle me is this: “Meanwhile, Saudi Arabian officials who funded jihadi terrorists were never prosecuted or sanctioned – even after attacks within the US.” Is he referring to 9/11? If so, how can he just slip in that phrase “after attacks within the US” like that? Surely he knows better. Geez.

Petras says, “Ross and fellow uber-Zionist, Martin Indyk, founded the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)”. The several sources I found claim that AIPAC was founded in 1951 by Isaiah L. Kenen. Dennis Ross was born in 1948 and Martin Indyk was born in 1951. Yeah,… that’s nit picky.

Finally, I think Petras is talking about the phenomenon of Jewish power. Zionism is a manifestation of Jewish power. As far as I can tell, the overwhelming majority of American Jews support the existence of the Zionist project.

destroytheuniverse said...

THANK YOU so much for the Unz article on the 'meritocratic elite'. Truth is an exhilarating potion.

Greg Bacon said...

The USA doesn't have two different political party's they only have one, the 'Wars for Wall Street and Israel' party that has two wings, the Republicans and Democrats.

And they also own the MSM, as no one in the MSM on the official state propaganda outlets like ZNN and FOX N*** points out that all of the US POTUS candidates have basically the same foreign policy; more wars, more bombings and more money for the Pentagon, while our infrastructure falls apart, due to lack of money.

Both 'party's' have pledged undying allegiance and loyalty to Israel, ignoring our first president's warning about foreign entanglements.

The USA that people think exists (and cheer lustily for at sporting events) only exists in one's fantasy or nightmare, if you're a Muslim or Black.

Elizabeth said...

So you're basically saying to ignore the election bullshit. I'm trying, although it seems everyone gets fascinated by the betting game--what're the numbers today? The only issue on your list that will get any play is the illegals, er undocumented, but that is just to rile people up--it seems obvious to me, anyway, that the only way to deal with the issue is to go after the employers, prison sentences and all. Not gonna happen.

You know you cannot bring up 911 (there must have been some hilarious snickering when they chose that date) without making it clear that most of your publishers are in on the game.

If God's away on business, I'll bless you anyway.

Linh Dinh said...

All the "progressive" sites are swooning over Sanders. Go back eight years, and they were orgasmic over Obama. Sanders' idiotic take on the "threat of Russia" shows what a bullshitter he is, and that's just one issue. I tell you, Elizabeth, I wasn't looking forward to being engulfed by this clown show as I returned to the US.

Linh Dinh said...

P.S. I saw Syrian refugees in Turkey, and I visited a very sad Ukraine. All of these people are innocent victims of American policies that all our candidates support, including Sanders. American progressives are some of the worst hypocrites out there.

Rudy said...

My impression is that over the past two or three years notice of connections between Israel and 911 has been increasing. About a year ago Jim Fetzer got the heave ho from OEN for inconvenient observations.

( http://www.veteranstoday.com/2015/05/01/rob-kall-the-petty-tyrant-of-opednews/ )

Rob Kall is a jew, so I’m not really surprised that you got banned. Your remarks on 9/11 and Israel were just too close to the bone.

Linh Dinh said...

Hi Rudy,

Jeff Tiedrich of Smirking Chimp is also Jewish, but so is Ron Unz. For publishing critics of Israel at Unz Review, Ron has been attacked by the usual suspects, but he doesn't care. He refuses to be cowed, doesn't pander and won't fudge or pervert his true opinions, like too many cowardly or dishonest writers out there.

Here's how the Anti Defamation League describes Ron:

Conservative businessman Ron Unz has stirred controversy over the last year by publicizing ideas that appeal to anti-Semites; offering a forum for writers who demonize Israel and funding several anti-Israel activists, some of whom promote anti-Semitic canards. Though Unz does not appear to be an anti-Semite, he provides support to extreme anti-Israel ideologues and his writings resonate with and are regularly cited by anti-Semites.

Linh

Ian Keenan said...

Petras' article on Sanders and Trump is spot-on, I think. It doesn't provide a case for opposing Sanders and it explains why the 'repressive' elites allow it to happen, partially because they have no choice. Petras' statement on the Sanders campaign arising out of weakened and dispersed left and worker based movements I agree with, as well as providing a temporary outlet for antiwar voters, which dissolves if Sanders acquiesces to the Democrats without being nominated. re: the nomination, it's notable how the FBI investigation news is being blacked out by all but the Republican news outlets the last 48 hours.

http://petras.lahaine.org/?p=2072

I have quite a collection of Petras' bibliography and he has had much to say about the neo-cons and Iraq over the last decade and before - his treatment of Libya is the sharpest. Leading into such a story of 'dual allegiance' in the context of the Garland appointment was a platform for reiterating his views on Israeli influence on Iraq and Iran, and his point about WASPs not being on the court is interesting, but I don't agree with linking the two things. Petras has written about his working class Greek Orthodox background. I see the selection of Catholics and Jews to the Supreme Court as a way of making appointees more viable in the confirmation process, as ethnic Catholics (Italians, Latinos, Irish) are naturally defensive about Senators attacking one of their own getting such an honor, which makes a Scalia and Sotomayor a more easily confirmed choice.

With Garland, Obama wanted a victory that caused the GOP resistance to the nomination to shed blood, so he picked a moderate, elderly Jew and dared the GOP to fight him. Not to pander, but I think Asian would have been a way to go here! Sri Srinivasan would have been a good 'make my day' pick since the West Asian voting block is growing, and the more liberal, 50 yo Jacqueline Nguyen would have been costly for the GOP to smear.

Ian Keenan said...

A counter-argument to what I said is that sometimes Petras will 'round up' the virtues of a pol if he sees them as thorns on certain sides or to be contrarian, and he's being borderline charitable to Bernie here. I'm not trying to disprove criticism of Sanders' foreign policy positions and your inferences about how Bernie forms his positions may be right since I consider it all to be speculative. When I was working for Nader, whose foreign policy positions were precise and exceptionally researched, I was frustrated about how he was a regulatory lawyer who didn't give an abridged version to voters about how he'd change their quality of life, and Bernie as Senator has focused on domestic policy while being immersed and pressured by the inanity of the Senate's foreign policy mythologies. Petras is not a 9-11 attack researcher but has never dissed the truthers like Cockburn and others. Supporting a candidate with a platform of reduced military spending and fewer imperialist adventures is a strategic, incremental approach to that issue.

jac.bane.sr said...

Hi Ian, you wondered about Nader, and I'm going to suggest things aren't what they appear to be. So lemme rant a bit - hopefully it's coherent.

Without sounding too cryptic or conspiratorial, Nader was in the right places at the right time during an American decline that started during the 70s. Sure, he's done some good things, but this is after people realized that most New Deal Agencies (naively we assume they are there for our benefit) were captured by the industries that they regulated. More specifically, his so-called resistance to scam, health hazard, wild financial ripoff, drug profiteering - has only served industry public relations. In other words, he was paid for to provde their own resistance. Moreover, paying folks to supress any real dissent is s.o.p.

So in this way, industries have benefited from a curious form of mocking. This isn't anything new, or unique, or just Nader. This is how the US sugar coats their foreign policy, I think we were lighting up South East Asia when Nader started his altruistic lobbying encampment. Right in their with 'em. Them being the war profiteers, the old gangsters and their foundations.


Nader is all about voting and in the theme of recent entries here from Linh - why is he if more Americans smell the bullshit? Nader has a tort museum in his honor. Ask people who've been royally fucked, and this doesn't include the dying middle class, or questions of innocence or blame - how well has tort has served them? You don't have money - you are, well, mostly fucked in court. I mean, where was this Consumer Champion during the housing crisis? He had his cards on the table, that's where, and he's an experienced poker player.

Nader ran for President once. I'm suggesting this was to maintain the idea that elections can change things for the better "if only". Because here comes this guy. Fundamentally crazy or stupid - I'm not sure which. Its like saying you can't win if you don't play the lottery.

Ian Keenan said...

JB, I was offline.. sorry.. the line Linh and I say about 'if you don't want all these immigrants, don't destroy so many societies' is something Nader has been saying for years to anyone who will listen, with thorough documentation, detail and emphasis. He was doing everything in power his to educate and legally change the financial deregulation during the Clinton years, warning about the instability it causes, when Summers et al running all the supporters of Glass-Steagall out of Treasury and related departments. He ran for president multiple times. The Green Party started to smear him from within when Soros started paying off the people who use the party to promote their non-profits that don't want to challenge the Dems. Nader and Peter Camejo were and are two of the greatest activists of their generation, and whatever name you call him we need more of 'em.

Monish Chatterjee said...

Dear Linh: I have missed your insightful columns at Counterpunch for over 2 years now.
Since I practically abhor and avoid any and all the mainstream press (and this includes NPR and The Nation- all of which, while pretending to be left or liberal outlets, actually are deeply beholden to Israel, AIPAC and the vicious war lobbies which run this country)- Counterpunch is usually one of the news and commentary resources I peruse to get somewhat unbiased perspectives on the murderous campaigns and machinations of capitalism. The other resource I peruse at times is the Black Agenda Report, which offers deeper insight into the
dismal race relations in this country, and exposes the likes of Obama (BO) or Henry Louis Gates as nothing more than deeply entrenched establishment stooges. I was never, not for a moment, taken in by BO, and always viewed him as a complete insider. His 2 terms have simply further reinforced everything I always suspected. And to top off all his subsequent war crimes and criminal bravado- his Kill List and targeted drone killings have made him as bad as (if not worse than) his malevolent, mentally-challenged predecessor.

Therefore- it really saddened me earlier today to find out, at long last, that Counterpunch
(CP) and Jeff St. Clair had parted ways with you sometime back by branding you as a
"Conspiracy Theorist." Even while Alex Cockburn (AC) was still around, I sometimes would
be taken aback by some of his (and CP's) positions. And this abhorrence of "conspiracy theories" was one such. As you have correctly pointed out- questioning the blatant absurdities of 9-11 (building 7 being the chief among them) is not equivalent to joining the moon-landing denial and flat-earth groups. Leave the latter types of establishment
propaganda to the likes of Tom Friedman and Paul Krugman. Yet- this is what AC and others have vigorously maintained- and in effect solicited unquestioning acceptance of government pablum. At some level, I am convinced that the Israeli/Zionist grip upon money and power in this country is insurmountable- and in this kowtowing- left and right are together.

Let me mention that in the beginning I had been rather dismissive of the Sanders campaign. However, my son joined the campaign with great enthusiasm as a college junior. Truthfully- compared with the Wall Street and Military-Industrial shills that play Washington's dirty games regularly (HRC being one of the very worst example of all, and DT being a clownish, if deeply dangerous caricature of the brainless malevolence of the enterprise), Sanders is at least much more honorable, and in many ways closer to the "New Deal", as many including Noam Chomsky point out. Not perfect, by a long shot- but given the frightening, destructive alternative pool of liars and money-grabbing, mass-murdering warmongers- Sanders' campaign has indeed energized a sizable population looking for change out of this
stench-filled morass. Of course- we are witnessing the systematic and systemic dismantling of the anti-establishment campaign, as they always have done to maintain the profiteering duopoly, right before our eyes.

I am rather relieved to have found your Postcards blogs. Keep up your fresh and invigorating perspectives on life and its stark truths. The little child must, always, expose the Emperor's New Clothes, no matter what.

With admiration, and wishing your projects continued success-

Monish Chatterjee