Trump, Novichok, CIA and the DuckGate Affair

Wow, this is quite the story - I found out about this blog (more on that later) from 'The Duran' an excellent video blog that digests political current events of the day. A highly recommended YouTube channel!

The Duran – News in Review – Episode 189.

The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss the stunning, inadvertent, admission by the New York Times and CIA Director Gina Haspel that much of what we know from the Salisbury-Skripal poisoning is pure fabrication and manipulation. 'Duckgate', as it is now being dubbed, was used to trick US President Trump into expelling 60 Russian Diplomats over false photographic evidence presented to him by Haspel, as it was provided to her by UK authorities.  The manipulation of POTUS Trump, courtesy of CIA Director Haspel, the UK government (and accidentally documented on by the NYT), has now blown open some serious holes into the entire narrative that Sergei and Yulia Skripal were poisoned by Russian agents with the deadly Novichok nerve agent.Trump in Dumps as Spook Picks Sick Kids’n’Dead Duck Trick Pics

So, Alexander, (editor in chief of The Duran) considers the Blogmire (based in the town of Salisbury, by the way) to be the source of accurate information on The Skirpal Affair. Here is the direct link to the Skirpal files from the Blogmire.

Skripal Links:

[1]

RT, Amesbury incident latest: Man reportedly poisoned by Novichok discharged from hospital. .

[2]

“Bellingcat outed by the Independent,” OffGuardian, 11-Oct-2018. [Online]. Available: https://off-guardian.org/2018/10/11/bellingcat-outed-by-the-independent/. [Accessed: 12-Oct-2018].

[3]

Russia Insight, BREAKING! The Integrity Initiative, UK Govt Funded Anti-Russia PsyOp, Was Behind The Skripals Case? .

[4]

craig, “British Government Covert Anti-Russian Propaganda and the Skripal Case,” Craig Murray, 21-Dec-2018. [Online]. Available: https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2018/12/british-government-covert-anti-russian-propaganda-and-the-skripal-case/. [Accessed: 26-Dec-2018].

[5]

The Duran, CIA Director and NYT Accidentally Expose Skripal Poisoning Hoax - DUCKGATE. .

[6]

Fake Evidence! Zakharova is SHOCKED By How Poorly UK Intelligence Tries to Frame Russia! .

[7]

The Duran, Forget due process and evidence  Theresa May knows Russians are Novichok assassins. .

[8]

21wire, “How the Integrity Initiative Spun the West’s Improbable Skripal Narrative,” 21st Century Wire, 05-Jan-2019. [Online]. Available: https://21stcenturywire.com/2019/01/05/how-the-integrity-initiative-spun-the-wests-improbable-skripal-narrative/. [Accessed: 06-Jan-2019].

[9]

“Integrity Initiative, Skripal, Kaspersky,” Moon of Alabama. .

[10]

“MoA - ‘Integrity Initiative’ - New Documents From Shady NGO Released.” [Online]. Available: https://www.moonofalabama.org/2019/01/integrity-initiative-new-documents-from-shady-ngo-released.html. [Accessed: 04-Jan-2019].

[11]

“MoA - ‘It’s The Cover-Up’ - UK Foreign Office Deletes Tweet, Posts False Transcript, Issues New Lies.” [Online]. Available: http://www.moonofalabama.org/2018/04/its-the-cover-up-uk-foreign-office-deletes-tweet-posts-false-transcript-issues-new-lies.html. [Accessed: 27-Jun-2018].

[12]

“MoA - Hillary Clinton Ordered Diplomats To Suppress ‘Novichok’ Discussions.” [Online]. Available: http://www.moonofalabama.org/2018/03/clinton-state-department-discouraged-novichok-discussion.html. [Accessed: 27-Jun-2018].

[13]

“MoA - The Magic Of Novichok - Deadly Agent Found In Perfume Bottle.” [Online]. Available: http://www.moonofalabama.org/2018/07/the-magic-of-novichok-deadly-agent-found-in-perfume-bottle.html. [Accessed: 17-Jul-2018].

[14]

21wire, “More ‘Novichok’ Fears Stoked by UK Government After British Couple Hospitalized,” 21st Century Wire, 05-Jul-2018. [Online]. Available: https://21stcenturywire.com/2018/07/05/more-novichok-fears-stoked-by-uk-government-after-british-couple-hospitalized/. [Accessed: 06-Jul-2018].

[15]

“Opinion: The tough questions we should be asking about the Skripals and Bellingcat,” The Independent, 10-Oct-2018. [Online]. Available: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/skripals-bellingcat-gru-novichok-anatoly-chepiga-alexander-mishkin-putin-russia-a8577161.html. [Accessed: 12-Oct-2018].

[16]

Vesti News, Powerful Putdown: Maria Zakharova Buries Salisbury Accusations Once and For All. .

[17]

“Pure: Ten Points I Just Can’t Believe About the Official Skripal Narrative,” Craig Murray, 07-Mar-2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2019/03/pure-ten-points-i-just-cant-believe-about-the-official-skripal-narrative/. [Accessed: 16-Mar-2019].

[18]

The Duran, Putin’s Novichok assassins identified. Pictured smiling, walking UK streets. .

[19]

21wire, “REPORT: Sergei and Yulia Skripal Now ‘Working for British Security Services,’” 21st Century Wire, 09-Jan-2019. [Online]. Available: https://21stcenturywire.com/2019/01/09/report-sergei-and-yulia-skripal-now-working-for-british-security-services/. [Accessed: 09-Jan-2019].

[20]

Vesti News, Retired KGB Agent Vasilyev: Accused Salisbury “Russian Agents” Hardly Look/Act Like Spies. .

[21]

Vesti News, Russian OPCW Envoy Shulgin: The New Skripal “Evidence” Proves Less Than Nothing. .

[22]

21wire, “Skripal Affair: Moscow’s 14 Questions,” 21st Century Wire, 02-Apr-2018. [Online]. Available: http://21stcenturywire.com/2018/04/02/skripal-affair-moscows-14-questions/. [Accessed: 27-Jun-2018].

[23]

“Skripal Case.” .

[24]

RT, “Skripal case is a carefully-constructed drama” - John Pilger. .

[25]

RT, Skripal case: RT talks to former MI5 intelligence officer. .

[26]

21wire, “SKRIPAL: The Nurse’s Tale Makes a Mockery of UK State-Media ‘Poisoning’ Narrative,” 21st Century Wire, 26-Jan-2019. [Online]. Available: https://21stcenturywire.com/2019/01/26/skripal-the-nurses-tale-makes-a-mockery-of-uk-state-media-poisoning-narrative/. [Accessed: 26-Jan-2019].

[27]

RT, Skripal’s niece makes statement on poisoning investigation at press conference in Moscow. .

[28]

craig, “The Holes in the Official Skripal Story,” Craig Murray, 12-Jul-2018. [Online]. Available: https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2018/07/the-holes-in-the-official-skripal-story/. [Accessed: 14-Jul-2018].

[29]

craig, “The Silence of the Whores,” Craig Murray, 25-Jul-2018. [Online]. Available: https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2018/07/the-silence-of-the-whores/. [Accessed: 25-Jul-2018].

[30]

Sputnik, “The Skripal Case: Fifteen Facts and Some Logical Conclusions.” [Online]. Available: https://sputniknews.com/columnists/201810091068735575-skripal-case-russia-uk-facts/. [Accessed: 12-Oct-2018].

[31]

RT, “We’ve seen the pictures, we know who they are”: Putin on Skripal case suspects. .

A Cat Lounging on a Piano

Sunday post here and thought I'd give a rest to political news for the day. I love cats, there's something about them and their quirky ways - but at the same time they're so lovable. I have 3 myself!
So without further ado, I present the "Piano Kitty". It loves its human's playing apparently! Enjoy.

Assange and the Rule of Law

by Ray MCGOVERN

It is a very sad day for the rule of law.

Today’s broad-daylight manhandling and kidnapping of Julian Assange from political asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in London demonstrates in bas-relief that in today’s Anglo-America, the Magna Carta and the Bill of Rights are now “quaint and obsolete,” to use the words of pseudo-lawyer, Alberto Gonzales.

White House attorney Gonzales was referring in January 2002 to other basic principles of international law, the Geneva Conventions, from which he decided he could grant Bush an exemption so he could authorize torture — which he did on February 7, 2002. (We have that memo.)

This no secret; we also have the Gonzales’s memo to Bush. For services performed, Gonzales was nominated and confirmed as Attorney General, the chief U.S. law enforcer.

When WikiLeaks revealed U.S. war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Sam Adams Associates for Integrity chose Julian Assange for its annual integrity award.  The award’s “Oscar,” a corner-brightener candlestick holder for shining light into dark places, was presented to Mr. Assange by UK Ambassador Craig Murray and Daniel Ellsberg after a major press conference in London on October 23, 2010.  Julian Assange became the eighth in what has become an distinguished line of sixteen truthtellers — awardees of the Sam Adams Associates.

It seems altogether fitting and proper that this year’s award be presented in London, where Edmund Burke coined the expression “Fourth Estate.” Comparing the function of the press to that of the three Houses then in Parliament, Burke said:

“…but in the Reporters Gallery yonder, there sits a Fourth Estate more important far then they all.”

The year was 1787—the year the U.S. Constitution was adopted. The First Amendment, approved four years later, aimed at ensuring that the press would be free of government interference. That was then.

With the Fourth Estate now on life support, there is a high premium on the fledgling Fifth Estate, which uses the ether and is not susceptible of government or corporation control. Small wonder that governments with lots to hide feel very threatened.

It has been said: “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” WikiLeaks is helping make that possible by publishing documents that do not lie.

Last spring, when we chose WikiLeaks and Julian Assange for this award, Julian said he would accept only “on behalf or our sources, without which WikiLeaks’ contributions are of no significance.”

We do not know if Pvt. Bradley Manning gave WikiLeaks the gun-barrel video of July 12, 2007 called “Collateral Murder.” Whoever did provide that graphic footage, showing the brutality of the celebrated “surge” in Iraq, was certainly far more a patriot than the “mainstream” journalist embedded in that same Army unit. He suppressed what happened in Baghdad that day, dismissed it as simply “one bad day in a surge that was filled with such days,” and then had the temerity to lavish praise on the unit in a book he called “The Good Soldiers.”

Julian is right to emphasize that the world is deeply indebted to patriotic truth-tellers like the sources who provided the gun-barrel footage and the many documents on Afghanistan and Iraq to WikiLeaks. We hope to have a chance to honor them in person in the future.

Today we honor WikiLeaks, and one of its leaders, Julian Assange, for their ingenuity in creating a new highway by which important documentary evidence can make its way, quickly and confidentially, through the ether and into our in-boxes. Long live the Fifth Estate!

This article originall appeared at consortiumnews.com